[KLUG Members] Re: Okay, the "BS guide to Linux Cert" -- CompTIA Linux+ complements A+/Server+

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Tue, 2002-06-11 at 15:09, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> CompTIA Linux+ -- Computer-based Test
> http://www.comptia.org/certification/linuxplus/all_about_linuxplus.htm
> If you mean "what's on the test," see the CompTIA Linux+ page above.

For those familiar with CompTIA, the Linux+ is the "Linux complement" to
the non-UNIX/more PC-centric Server+ and the second part of the newer A+
(OS) that covers a good portion Microsoft Windows concepts given their
popularity.

Normally CompTIA tests are "general," but it gets a bit "interesting"
because they are used to separating out the general desktop stuff into
the second part of the A+ (OS) and server stuff in Server+.  While there
are a number of non-Windows-centric concepts (RAID, etc...) in Server+,
there are some as well.  So when they updated the A+ last year -- to
both modernize the hardware and move from Win/DOS to Win/2000 -- the
question of updating the OS portion to include Linux.

They decided that having different tests for Linux desktop and Linux
server, akin to A+ (OS) and Server+, was redundant.  
So they introduce Linux+ to focus on Linux for both desktop and server
in a single test.  Some of the same questions of the first part of A+
(hardware) and Server+ are in the Linux+ test, it's just more
Linux-centric.

The CompTIA Network+ certification is less platform-centric and can
introduce UNIX/Linux topics alongside Windows/Novell ones.

I guess a table showing the focus would be:

            Linux           ...            Windows
            --------------------------------------
   Desktop  Linux+      A+ (hardware)      A+ (OS)
   Server   Linux+                         Server+
   Network            i-Net+ / Network+

-- Bryan

-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I.                    SmithConcepts, Inc.
(407)489-7013 (Mobile)             http://SmithConcepts.com
mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org          Consulting Engineers and
BS Computer Engineering                    IT Professionals
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