Linux+ books

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OK, been toying with the idea of doing this course for a few months now, especially as I am using Ubuntu more and more at home. Add to that the fact that I'm finding the MCDST the most boring thing I've done since waiting for the misus to get ready, I've decided to take a leap and study something I know I'll find interesting.

Been looking on the net and have found a few books, namely: - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linux+-Exams-Certification-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=1035268 but not certain which is the best to get. I like the All in One Guides but the one listed is dated as 2001 and that puts me off a little.

My question is, anybody here done this course recently or in the middle of it that can steer me in the right direction over reading material? Any help appreciated.

 

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i know what you mean about the mcdst - i managed to complete the 271 but found it very uninteresting. linux+ was the one i thinking about next as for me, i;ve worked with solaris in the past and found this of interest. i;d be interested too in which books are recommended.

i think i may end up doing more mcps in the future, but i think i;m more likely going the 270, 290 and the AD route plus the security+.

as i;m not motivated scholar, i;ve decided to choose topics more of interest so that i can focus more.

good luck tim. i think i;m going to have to pop to borders to flick through their no doubt very non extensive linux collection to decide.

 

If you really want to learn Linux, and want to do it within the form of a certification, then I'd go with the LPI not the Linux+. It's much more in-depth and will teach you far, far more about Linux than the Linux+ will.

For more information of the LPI certs go to the LPIC site (google it). I have the O'Oreilly book on the LPI certs and it gives a lot of nutshell type coverage of the cert. It will take a lot of study of man pages and the like in addition to what is in the O'Reilly book to complete the cert, but if you do you will have a pretty solid foundation in Linux.

The book is called "LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell". It gives you the outline of all the information you need to study, but simply cannot hold that much information. The way it is it's 700 or 800 pages long. If they included all the info you would need to get even the entry level LPI cert it would need to be a few thousand pages long. The way it is they cover all three levels of the LPI certifications in the book.

The way this cert is set up you have to work with the technology or you will never pass the test.

 

Thanx for the info Freddy.

Gotta say, this bit concerned me a little: -

but looking on the LPI site, the LPIC-1 is aimed at the "Junior Level Linux Professional" so I'm pretty certain that with a bit of work I can at least obtain that. Whether I go on to study the the other more advanced Certs will be a decision I can make later on.

Thanx for that TokyoP - good luck to you as well, especially in finding a book covering Linux+ in a book store

 

It's called a Junior Level cert, but it requires more knowledge than an MCP does by a long ways. It's going to require you to know how to use, and use well, the majority of *nix text-based tools along with knowledge of hardware, as well as how to modify the desktop environment. It will also require you to understand how to configure some server software too.

This cert's description is more in line with how the industry sees the junior level position vs the senior level position. If you don't know how to do research you will by the time you're ready to pass this cert.

Here's a really good source from IBM for the LPIC cert. You will have to create an account there to use it, but it's a really good resource.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/lpi/?S_TACT=105AGX03&S_CMP=LPLINUX

 

Also note that CompTIA certs are lifetime. With LPIC you'll have to recertify every five years.

I used the Sybex Linux+ book but that was for last version of exam so can't recommend for latest.

 

True but look at it this way Linux+ doesnt even compare to LPIC - so lets say you renew it once you still paid less than the Linux+ (EU rate) - and if you serious about your Linux then the LPIC will teach you more and will be a good basis if you considering something higher like RHCT and RHCE, wont it?

 

And if you were an employer looking at a prospective employee who had a cert he'd gotten 6 or 7 years ago just how much weight would you give that cert? I wouldn't give it any because most things taught that long ago are so outdated that they're useless.

Plus, anyone who knows Linux very well at all knows that the Linux+ cert is a mile wide and an inch deep. It may cover a lot of area, but not in any real depth. Not from the Linux+ books I've seen.

 

Although there are a number of Linux certifications available (such as those already mentioned), in my experience, people with Linux administration skills are hired more on the basis of their experience and what they can demonstrate during the interview than on what certifications they hold. I'm not saying not to pursue a Linux cert...just that it might not have the same weight with a Linux-savvy employer as a Microsoft cert would have with a Microsoft-oriented employer.

 

I wouldn't say the LPIC is on a lower level than the RHCT and RHCE. Those two certs are vendor specific and the LPIC is distro neutral. It teaches basics that will work in all distros not just what RedHat implements.

It's also far, far cheaper to get. RedHat's certs are very expensive, plus if you live in an area away from their testing centers you most likely have a plane ride just to go take a test on top of the $2000 or so it costs to test....