Retired - Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration exam

The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration exam (EX401) tests candidates' knowledge, skills and ability to use Red Hat-supported products, including Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® and Red Hat Network Satellite to deploy and manage systems in an efficient, scalable, replicable, and reliable manner.

A Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE®) who passes this exam will be a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration, which also counts toward being a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).

This exam covers Red Hat Satellite 5.

Audience for this course

The following audiences may be interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration:

• System administrators responsible for managing large enterprise environments
• RHCEs interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)

Prerequisites for this exam

Exam candidates should:

• Be an RHCSA or equivalent experience; An RHCE certification or equivalent experience would be better.
• Have taken the Red Hat Enterprise Deployment and Systems Management (RH401) course or have extensive work experience working with Red Hat Satellite Server
• Review the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration exam (EX401) objectives

Red Hat recommends that candidates earn Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA®) or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) before attempting this exam but neither is required.

Study points for the exam

To help you prepare, the exam objectives highlight the task areas you can expect to see covered in the exam. Red Hat reserves the right to add, modify, and remove exam objectives. Such changes will be made public in advance.

Candidates for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration exam should be able to perform the following tasks:

• Configure Red Hat Network (RHN) Satellite server
• Install and configure Red Hat Subscription Asset Manager (SAM)
• Register a SAM with RHN Satellite and generate reports on subscription utilization
• Add base channels from ISO images
• Create child channels of a base channel
• Create different types of RHN users
• Create groups and add group administrators
• Create configuration channels
• Create a custom RPM spec file and build a binary RPM from provided source code
• Upload custom RPMS to an RHN Satellite server
• Create activation keys
• Assign groups, software channels, and configuration channels to an activation key
• Configure errata
• Provision RHN Satellite Server clients using kickstart
• Set up an SVN version control repository
• Kickstart a machine using Cobbler
• Manage virtual systems using RHN Satellite server
• Clone channels and use a cloned channel

As with all Red Hat performance-based exams, configurations must persist after reboot without intervention.

Preparation

Red Hat encourages all candidates for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administration exam to consider taking the Red Hat Enterprise Deployment and Systems Management (RH401) training. Attendance in this class is not required, so one can choose to take just the exam.

While attending Red Hat classes can be an important part of one's preparation to take this exam, attending class does not guarantee success on the exam. Previous experience, practice, and native aptitude are also important determinants of success.

Many books and other resources on system administration for Red Hat's products are available. Red Hat does not officially endorse any as preparation guides for its exam. Nevertheless, you may find additional reading deepens understanding and can prove helpful.

Exam format

This exam is a performance-based evaluation of systems deployment and management skills and knowledge. Candidates perform a number of systems administration tasks focused on configuring Red Hat Network Satellite and Red Hat Subscription Asset Manager and then use those systems to deploy client systems. Candidates are evaluated on whether they have met specific objective criteria. Performance-based testing means that candidates must perform tasks similar to what they perform on the job.

Scores and reporting

Official scores for exams come exclusively from Red Hat Certification Central. Red Hat does not authorize examiners or training partners to report results to candidates directly. Scores on the exam are usually reported within 3 U.S. business days.

Exam results are reported as section scores. Red Hat does not report performance on individual items, nor will it provide additional information upon request.