Quick RHCSA questions
 

Hi All,

New to the forums here :)

Been using Jangs book for preparation for RHEL6 exam and have a few questions.

1. After installing RHEL6 will I need to "yum update"? Because I heard there is no internet available during the exam

2. I will need to setup a network using my host and a few VM's. Will I be able to use Virtual Box for this or is it strictly KVM? Again no internet, so how would I use Virtual box for this.

3. Will my VM's need to talk to my host for my exam?

Sorry for the level of ignorance of these questions

If you take the RHCSA there is an NDA you sign so we can't answer specific questions.

What I will say is that classes I've attended have individual systems for each attendee that all talk to a main computer at the training location and use it as a repository. As to what is on that repository you'd have to talk with the instructor about during the class (assuming you're doing the class before the test). You should assume the test will be based much on what is covered in the class. (e.g. If they go over KVM in class you should probably focus on that vs QEMU, If they go over Postfix you should probably focus on that vs Sendmail). The testing is based on accomplishing specific tasks and they tell you that they don't care how you do it but it is likely much easier to do it based on the tools they cover in class than to pick others.

By the way: Are you sure they still give tests on RHEL6? RHEL7 has been out for a while now and typically their class/tests are for the latest major release.

Thanks for your help. Apparently you can still take it until March 31st 2016. Maybe I am reading it wrong. Here is my Source

Also: if you're going to take an exam, take the class.

"The class" is where the real professional-education benefit comes from. The test, piece-of-paper and so forth are merely the icing on the cake. They should merely be confirmation that you did, in fact, learn or improve a marketable skill.

From what I have seen of Red Hat's program (only externally), they seem to have a very high-quality program. They are very serious about it and I know they exercise firm quality-control. "Not just anybody" earns the right to work for them or with them, or to keep doing so. Even their exam-cram books are obviously the work of a professional.

I'm biased because I wrote and taught community-college classes for many years, but I always found the classes ... the experience of attending them, even not-for-credit ... to be extremely valuable. You're interacting not only with a trained instructor(s), but also with your fellow students. You're being challenged by carefully-constructed exercises under controlled conditions, working through a course-of-study that was professionally designed. (Pay very close attention to exactly what sort of things you are being challenged to do!)

Whether or not you choose to pursue "a piece of paper," never stop learning. Never be content to be "only self-taught."

(In the US, you can deduct the expenses of professional education related to your work on your income taxes, if you directly bore those expenses.)