The Citrix Certification Program

The Citrix Certification Program

Citrix currently provides five educational tracks: the Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA), the Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA), the Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA), the Citrix Certified Instructor (CCI), and the Citrix Certified Sales Professional (CCSP). Before discussing the specific requirements for each of these certifications, we begin with a brief review of the general requirements for an exam and the way Citrix manages the discontinuation and eventual retirement of legacy certification exams. Understanding these points can help you to plan your certification course appropriately.

Alternate, Discontinued, and Retired Exams

Each Citrix certification has one or more core exams that you must successfully pass to attain the desired certification. As new versions of the Citrix software become available, these core exams are updated and supersede previous exam versions. When this happens, the older exams are still considered as alternates for certification for a limited time. All Citrix exams go through the following life cycle:

  • Release The exam is initially released and available as part of a particular certification track.

  • Discontinued When an exam is discontinued, it is no longer available to be taken. It is still considered a valid qualification toward a certification track for those people who have already taken the exam.

  • Retired After an exam has been retired, it no longer qualifies toward Citrix certification. To maintain certification status, you must take one or more updated exams that meet the qualifications for the certification track.

In general, it is recommended that you take the most current exam even if available alternates currently meet core requirements for certification. These alternate exams are often scheduled to be discontinued in the near future and likely will be retired well before the most current exam.

You can view the current list of release, discontinued, and retirement dates for all exams on the Citrix website at

http://www.citrix.com/site/resources/content/education/CitrixEducationExamSchedule.pdf

The main Citrix web page for certification can be found on its main education home page at

http://www.citrix.com/site/ss/training/index.asp

You can find the most current exam information here, and we highly recommend that you review this site before planning on the exams that you will take for your certification.

Citrix Certification Tracks

The five certification tracks currently available are as follows :

  • CCA (Citrix Certified Administrator) The CCA certification is the designation given to someone who has passed one of the core MetaFrame Presentation Server exams and is the foundation for other technical Citrix certifications. A CCA is recognized as having a thorough knowledge of Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server (either Windows or Unix).

    To attain the CCA designation, you must pass either exam 310, Citrix MetaFrame 1.0 for Unix, or exam 223 (discussed in this book). Passing one of the following courses is currently a suitable alternative:

    • Exam 222Citrix MetaFrame XP Presentation Server, Feature Release 3: Administration. This exam is available in English, German, French, and Japanese.

    • Exam 221Citrix MetaFrame XP Feature Release 2. This exam has been discontinued and can no longer be taken. People who have passed this exam can still count it toward the CCA designation.

    • Exam 220Citrix MetaFrame XP 1.0 Administrator. This exam is available in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish only. The English version of this exam has been discontinued and can no longer be taken. People who have passed this exam can still count it toward the CCA designation.

    At the time of this writing, no retirement dates had yet been set for these exams, although as of January 15, 2005, exam 218, Citrix MetaFrame 1.8, is retired. This exam was previously a suitable alternate for the CCA certification.

    In addition to passing the core exam, you must also participate in one of the following two online eLearning courses and pass the assessment given at the conclusion of the course. The available courses are CTX-1300BW Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager 2.2: Introduction or CTX-1320BW Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager 2.5: Introduction. Alternate eLearning courses that also are available can be substituted for these two courses if desired.

  • CCEA (Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator) The CCEA is an advanced certification specifically for those individuals who will be responsible for deploying and managing an environment consisting of one or more Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite products. To meet the requirements of this certification, you are required to successfully pass the following four core exams:

    • Exam 223 or one of the suitable alternates (220, 221, or 222). This is the same requirement to qualify for the CCA certification. Note that exam 310, Citrix MetaFrame 1.0 for Unix, does not qualify toward the CCEA designation.

    • Exam 913 Citrix MetaFrame XP Presentation Server, Enterprise Edition, Feature Release 3: Administration. This exam is the equivalent exam discussed in this book but targeted at MetaFrame XP, not MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0. The English versions of the alternate exams 910 or 911 and 920 or 921 have all been discontinued, and retirement dates for 910 and 920 are set for January 15, 2005.

    • Exam 962 Citrix MetaFrame XP: Securing and Deploying Applications Over the Web. The alternate exams for 962 are 930 or 931 and 950, 951, or 961. They have all been discontinued, with 930 scheduled for retirement on January 15, 2005.

    • Exam 992 Citrix MetaFrame XP Presentation Server, Feature Release 3: Deployment and Support. The one alternate exam, 991, has been discontinued, but no retirement date has been set as of yet.

    As of this writing, Citrix had not yet completed the introduction of equivalent MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 exams for all of the core CCEA exams. Check the Citrix website prior to booking an exam to ensure a more up-to-date exam has not been made available.

    In addition to the four core exams, one of two elective tracks must also be completed:

    • Track 1Pertains to the MetaFrame Secure Access Manager and requires that you pass the eLearning course CTX-1300BW Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager 2.2: Introduction and exam 722 Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager 2.2: Administration. Allowable alternatives to exam 722 are exams 720, 721, or 723.

    • Track 2Focuses on MetaFrame Password Manager and requires that you pass the eLearning course CTX-1320BW Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager 2.5: Introduction and exam 973 Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager 2.5: Administration. The previous exam 972 is an acceptable alternate and has not yet been discontinued.

      After you complete the core required exams and the chosen elective track, the final step to attain the CCEA certification is to accept the terms of the CCEA certification agreement.

  • CCIA (Citrix Certified Integration Architect) The CCIA certification has been designed to teach would-be architects the best practices recommended by Citrix for analyzing, designing, and testing Citrix-based implementations . Whereas the CCEA focuses on the actual implementation and support of the MetaFrame Access Suite, the CCIA narrows in on the planning and preparation that are so critical to a successful MetaFrame Access Suite implementation. Proper planning ensures that deployment costs and implementation time are reduced while ensuring that the deployment as a whole is successful and meets the expectations of the target users.

    The CCIA certification requires that you pass the following three core exams:

    • Exam 223 or one of the suitable alternates (220, 221, or 222). This is the same requirement to qualify for the CCA certification and as part of the core CCEA certification. Note that exam 310, Citrix MetaFrame 1.0 for Unix, does not qualify toward the CCIA designation.

    • Exam 610 Citrix Core Technologies and Architecture. No alternate exam exists as a substitute for this exam.

    • Exam 611 Citrix Design, Integration, and Methodology. No alternate exam exists for this exam either.

    Unlike other Citrix certifications, the CCIA designation also requires that you pass one Microsoft design exam from the following six exams:

    • Exam 70-219: Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure

    • Exam 70-220: Designing Security for a Microsoft 2000 Network

    • Exam 70-221: Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure

    • Exam 70-226: Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure

    • Exam 70-298: Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network

    After you meet the preceding requirements, you must accept the terms of the CCIA certification agreement before you can participate in the final exam, 612 Citrix Certified Integration Architect Lab, a combination of written and hands-on work that you must pass to achieve the CCIA designation.

    To date, the CCIA designation is certainly one of the most rigorous of the Citrix certifications.

  • CCI (Citrix Certified Instructor) If your desire is to become a Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite instructor and teach at a Citrix Authorized Learning Center (CALC), you must acquire the CCI designation. To achieve this certification, you must meet the following requirements:

    • Attain the CCEA designation. Depending on your location, you either are required to have this certification prior to becoming a CCI or within six months of achieving the CCI designation.

    • Have certification as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Certified Novell Instructor (CNI), or CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer+ (CTT+). Alternate instructional training exams may also be accepted, so you should contact the Citrix CCI representative from your region for full details.

    • Achieve a minimum of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) status for Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003.

    • Complete the Citrix Train the Trainer course.

    • Complete the CCI application form (downloadable as a PDF file from the Citrix website at http://www.citrix.com/site/resources/dynamic/ctracks/CCIApplication.pdf) and provide a signed copy of the CCI agreement.

    As would be expected, the requirements for the CCI designation are very in-depth and require dedication if you are seeking this status.

  • CCSP (Citrix Certified Sales Professional) The final Citrix certification, the CCSP designation, is the only certification offering that does not require passing the Citrix 223 (or equivalent) exam. The CCSP designation is specifically targeted at sales professionals who want to expand their sales into the Citrix suite of products. Successful CCSP candidates must have a thorough overview of the basic product suite, understanding the key features delivered by each product. CCSP designation requires passing all of the following exams:

    • CTX-1601BW Citrix Access Infrastructure: Strategies and Solutions

    • CTX-1602BW Selling Citrix Products and Services

    • CTX-1603BW Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite 3.0: Selling and Positioning

    • CTX-1604AW Citrix Access Infrastructure: Total Cost of Ownership and Return on Investment

    • CTX-1605AW Citrix Access Infrastructure: Networking Concepts

    In addition to these courses, any two eLearning courses from the following five must also be passed:

    • CTX-1250AW Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0: Selling and Positioning

    • CTX-1242AW Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 1.2 for Unix: Selling and Positioning

    • CTX-1302BW Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager 2.2: Selling and Positioning

    • CTX-1322BW Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager 2.5: Selling and Positioning

    • CTX-1333AW Citrix MetaFrame Conferencing Manager 3.0: Selling and Positioning

    As mentioned near the beginning of this section, the best place to keep tabs on the Citrix certification program is via the Citrix website and the training home page, found at the following URL:

    http://www.citrix.com/site/ss/training/index.asp



Citrix CCA MetaFrame Presentation Server 3. 0 and 4. 0 Exam CramT (Exams 223 and 256)
Citrix CCA MetaFrame Presentation Server 3. 0 and 4. 0 Exam CramT (Exams 223 and 256)
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 199

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