Our look into the Linux certification arena began with a top-level overview of all the available Linux certification options.

Today, we continue the series with a deeper discussion of the Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC).

LPI, the folks behind LPIC, is a Canadian non-profit organization that advocates Linux usage in enterprise environments. They are also firm supporters of the open source and free software movements.

LPI is unique in its approach to establishing Linux certification standards via strategic partnerships. They employ the help of leading technical companies and a team of virtual volunteers to assist with test development and scoring scheme.

LPIC Overview

LPIC is one of two distribution-neutral certifications in the Linux space, the other one being CompTIA’s Linux+ cert. LPIC certifies competency in both the basic operating system components and associated administration tools.

There are three certification levels: LPIC-1, LPIC-2 and LPIC-3. Each test objective is weighted based on their relative importance, using a scale of 1 to 10. As you might expect, the higher the weight, the more questions on the exam will be dedicated to that objective.

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Mike MacPherson over at NetworkManagementSoftware.com recently published a good review of Spiceworks — a help desk, asset, and network management suite. Today I thought I’d share the review with you; I think it’s a useful product and for the price tag (free) it’s definitely worth a shot.

Spiceworks has been gaining popularity because it fits the small business sized networks particularly well and also because well … it’s free.

In his review Mike notes that:

“Spiceworks is worth the download, and even the minor inconveniences you’ll encounter during scanning will not reduce the utility of this product. If you’re currently struggling with inventory, monitoring and help desk, then download this right now. It will be a great starting point, and you won’t even have to ask for any budget money. Once you’ve got it up and running, and are comfortable with its utility, you’ll then start to find its shortcomings. By then, however, you might have been able to demonstrate the need to network management tools, and get some budget for a fully-featured product!”

Here’s a brief summary of the pros and cons of Spiceworks:

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Hello Train Signal blog readers! This is Mel, and I just finished my Advanced SQL Server 2008 Database Administration Training and wanted to take a minute here to tell you a little bit about it.

I will also give you a brief outline of the different SQL Server certification paths and levels and point you to some SQL Server certification resources that you might find useful.

What is SQL Server 2008?

Let’s start from the basics — what is Microsoft SQL Server?

Well, it’s not Microsoft Excel or Access, although these two simple data management tools do have some similarities.

Excel offers some great tools for managing and manipulating data. Access on the other hand is more focused on the desktop or workgroup level, but it’s still not the right solution for managing large scale database projects.

This is where SQL Server comes in. Microsoft SQL Server is focused on managing enterprise level data and also includes tools for business intelligence to help you make smart decisions based on your large amounts of data.

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On January 25th, Cisco announced the creation of a brand new track of certification to fill the need for experienced service provider operations personnel.

This includes certifications at the associate (CCNA SP Operations), professional (CCNP SP Operations) and expert levels (CCIE SP Operations).

Details for the associate and professional level certifications are rather scant at this point but are set to be released in the second and third quarters of 2010, respectively.

The associate level of SP certification is targeted at entry level (tier 1) network operations technicians. The professional level is targeted at medium to high level (tier 2 and 3) operations engineers; these individuals are required to troubleshoot and isolate network performance issues. The expert level is targeted at the highest level (tier 3 and 4) of operations experience; these individuals are required to troubleshoot and maintain complex provider networks.

The difference between the SP Operations and the SP tracks is the work to be completed. The SP Operations track is focused at the operations of an existing network and the troubleshooting and maintenance that go into keeping the network up and running well. The SP track is focused at designing and building these networks, which is then turned over to the SP operations personnel.

SP Operations Objectives

Since the associate and professional level certification topics have yet to be published, the only reference is to use the expert topics.

The following is the section objectives for the CCIE SP Operations certifications:

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Cisco recently announced a curriculum update for the popular CCNP certification, leaving many candidates unsure of which exams will still count towards their CCNPs.

Are you confused with the recent changes to the CCNP curriculum? Not sure which exams will qualify for you to complete your CCNP?

If you’re in the process of preparing for your CCNP, knowing which exams you can take to complete it can get a bit messy. According to Cisco:

“Based on the substantial overlap of test topics, passing scores achieved on BSCI, BCMSN and/or COMP will continue to be accepted for certification purposes as long as they remain valid–three years from the date passed. In contrast, ISCW and ONT will not be accepted towards CCNP certification after their retirement date. Beginning August 1, 2010, all new CCNP certifications will require a passing score on the new TSHOOT exam.”

These new rules leave candidates with a variety of possible exam combinations. But not to worry. Cisco has a handy tool available that will help you figure out which exams you can take before and after the July 31st deadline with just a few clicks of your mouse.

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Windows 7 has brought about a number of new upgrades and changes that many, while subtle, bring about a whole new user experience and a new level of ease of use that many users may not even be aware of.

Once example of these new features is Libraries.

What Are Windows 7 Libraries?

Windows 7 Libraries, much like folders, help to organize and search for your music, documents, videos, and photos.

If you’re like me, your media might not be all in one place — or in it’s designated location, i.e. music in the Music folder and photos in the Pictures folder. While older generations of Windows hoped you would simply use the default “My Pictures” or “My Music” folders, in real world use, that is rarely the case.

Perhaps you have your most listened to music in a folder on your desktop, or some oversized HD home videos on a secondary hard drive. In any case, not all of your media will be in your “My Documents” folder.

And that’s where Libraries are different from folders; Libraries don’t actually store your media like folders do, but rather store the locations of your media.

See, older generations of Windows would set priority to index the “My Documents” folder for search, while Windows 7 indexes your Libraries for search — so once you set the folder locations in your Libraries, searching for your media in Windows 7 will be much faster, and much easier.

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There was a time when a college degree alone was the standard measurement in determining a technical professional’s marketability.

However, increasingly, certifications are becoming the requisite distinction on which potential employees are gauged. The growth of Linux, both in the enterprise and the home, has sparked an increase in employer demand for Linux certifications.

This article, the first in a series about Linux certifications, will provide an overview of the four available certification options:

• Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC)
• CompTIA Linux+
• Novell Certified Linux Engineer
• Red Hat

Linux varies from the Windows space in that there are several different flavors or distributions of the operating system. Consequently, there are both general, distribution-neutral and vendor-specific Linux certifications.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at the available Linux certifications.

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