Linux Professional Institute
Encyclopedia
The Linux Professional Institute Inc. (LPI) is a non-profit organization
that provides vendor-independent professional certification for Linux system administrator
s and programmers.
The Linux Professional Institute Certifications (LPIC) provide a qualification that can be used to indicate that someone is competent at a certain level.
The exams are primarily multiple choice questions, with some written answers. These are either taken using a computer based system, or using a paper based exam.
The organisation encourages active community participation in creating and updating exams. Anyone can use the exam Objectives Development wiki, or the Exam Development Mailing List to participate in the creation of new exams and the update of the existing ones.
The exams are distribution-neutral, requiring a general knowledge of Linux rather than specifics about a certain distribution. This is shown in the way that the exams deal with the differing package management formats .deb
and .rpm
. In earlier versions of the test one of these was chosen by the candidate; in the current version the candidate is expected to know both formats.
, Scott Murray and others. It was formally incorporated as a Canadian non-profit organisation on the 25 October 1999. It is headquartered near Toronto
, Ontario
Canada
. Jim Lacey is currently President and CEO. James Stanger
is currently Chair of the LPI Advisory Council, which provides guidance concerning exams, policies and market positioning.
The exams are not normally administered by Linux Professional Institute Inc., but instead through one of their training partners. Currently most exams are administered through a Pearson VUE
test centre or at a Thomson Prometric test centre. There are also a number of exams run at major Linux and IT trade shows and conferences where the exams are often available at a reduced price, or sometimes even free of charge.
The LPI is also a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
.
At first there was no recertification policy, but on 1 September 2004 LPI decided to introduce a ten year recertification policy in order to supply relevant and current skills. Certification designations earned before 1 September 2004 were considered lifetime designations and were not affected by that policy. Again on 1 December 2006 LPI decided that the provided skills were not relevant and current so they introduced a five year recertification policy...http://www.lpi.org/en/lpi/english/news/news/linux_professional_institute_changes_recertification_policy Candidates who have earned LPIC certifications will have to re-certify every five years or alternatively earn a higher certification status even if their certification was earned prior to 1 September 2004. However, certification designations earned prior to 1 September 2003 were considered ACTIVE certifications until September 1, 2008.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that provides vendor-independent professional certification for Linux system administrator
System administrator
A system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
s and programmers.
The Linux Professional Institute Certifications (LPIC) provide a qualification that can be used to indicate that someone is competent at a certain level.
Program
The exams cover a range of different Linux based topics. The exams are available in almost every country in the world, and are translated into a number of different languages.The exams are primarily multiple choice questions, with some written answers. These are either taken using a computer based system, or using a paper based exam.
The organisation encourages active community participation in creating and updating exams. Anyone can use the exam Objectives Development wiki, or the Exam Development Mailing List to participate in the creation of new exams and the update of the existing ones.
The exams are distribution-neutral, requiring a general knowledge of Linux rather than specifics about a certain distribution. This is shown in the way that the exams deal with the differing package management formats .deb
Deb (file format)
deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. Like the "Deb" part of the term Debian, it originates from the name of Debra, erstwhile girlfriend and now ex-wife of Debian's founder Ian Murdock.Debian packages are also used in...
and .rpm
RPM Package Manager
RPM Package Manager is a package management system. The name RPM variously refers to the .rpm file format, files in this format, software packaged in such files, and the package manager itself...
. In earlier versions of the test one of these was chosen by the candidate; in the current version the candidate is expected to know both formats.
Organization
The Linux Professional Institute Inc. was founded in 1999 by Dan York, Evan Leibovitch, Tom Peters, Chuck MeadChuck Mead
Chuck Mead is a long time member and leader in the Linux and open source communities.He works for Red Hat in their division.Mead was the former President, Treasurer, and Director of Information Technology for the Linux Professional Institute as well as the former Chief Technical Officer of...
, Scott Murray and others. It was formally incorporated as a Canadian non-profit organisation on the 25 October 1999. It is headquartered near Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Jim Lacey is currently President and CEO. James Stanger
James Stanger
James Stanger is a writer, Web technologist, security consultant, and open source advocate. He is currently President and Chief Certification Architect at Certification Partners, LLC, where he develops the Certified Internet Web Professional and CTP+ certification programs...
is currently Chair of the LPI Advisory Council, which provides guidance concerning exams, policies and market positioning.
The exams are not normally administered by Linux Professional Institute Inc., but instead through one of their training partners. Currently most exams are administered through a Pearson VUE
Pearson VUE
Pearson VUE is an electronic testing company owned by British media company Pearson PLC. Founded in 1994 by E. Clarke Porter as Virtual University Enterprises, the company now operates in 165 countries with more than 5,000 authorized test centres ....
test centre or at a Thomson Prometric test centre. There are also a number of exams run at major Linux and IT trade shows and conferences where the exams are often available at a reduced price, or sometimes even free of charge.
The LPI is also a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
Desktop Linux Consortium
The Desktop Linux Consortium is a non-profit organization which aims at enhancing and promoting the use of the Linux operating system on desktop computers.It was founded on 4 February 2003.- Members :*ArkLinux*CodeWeavers*Debian*KDE...
.
Recertification policy
LPI has changed its recertification policy three times from its founding.At first there was no recertification policy, but on 1 September 2004 LPI decided to introduce a ten year recertification policy in order to supply relevant and current skills. Certification designations earned before 1 September 2004 were considered lifetime designations and were not affected by that policy. Again on 1 December 2006 LPI decided that the provided skills were not relevant and current so they introduced a five year recertification policy...http://www.lpi.org/en/lpi/english/news/news/linux_professional_institute_changes_recertification_policy Candidates who have earned LPIC certifications will have to re-certify every five years or alternatively earn a higher certification status even if their certification was earned prior to 1 September 2004. However, certification designations earned prior to 1 September 2003 were considered ACTIVE certifications until September 1, 2008.
See also
- CompTIA Linux+
- Red Hat Certification ProgramRed Hat Certification ProgramThe Red Hat Certification Program is Red Hat's professional certification program for Red Hat and general Linux related skills such as system administration on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.All certifications are given after passing exams...