EX405

Exam description

Note: This exam and credential are no longer available.

Prove your skills in the set up and configuration of Puppet services with the Red Hat portfolio

Individuals who pass the performance-based Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management exam (EX405) have demonstrated their ability to manage Red Hat^® Enterprise Linux^® systems using Puppet and Red Hat Satellite Server.

This exam is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and Red Hat Satellite 6.

Audience for this exam

These audiences may be interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management:

• Experienced Linux system administrators responsible for the planning, deployment, and management of multiple physical or virtualized servers
• Experienced Linux systems administrators responsible for implementing DevOps practices
• An RHCE interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management or a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)

Prerequisites for this exam

Exam candidates should:

• Hold a current RHCE certification at exam time
• Have Red Hat Configuration Management with Puppet (DO405) or equivalent experience
• Understand that actual system administration experience is also an important aspect of preparation for the exam
• Review exam objectives for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management exam

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 should be able to perform these tasks:

• Install and configure Puppet.
  • Install Puppet servers.
  • Install Puppet nodes.
  • Register Puppet nodes to a Puppet server.
• Create and maintain Puppet manifests.
  • Create new Puppet manifests.
  • Debug existing Puppet manifests.
• Create Puppet modules.
  • Create reusable modules.
  • Create modules with classes, name spaces, variables, and conditionals.
  • Create modules that install software on target nodes and deploy configuration files.
• Use facter to obtain system information.
  • Create custom facts.
  • Use facts to change Puppet behavior.
• Create Git repositories.
  • Create and perform simple management of a Git repository.
  • Add files to a Git repository.
  • Apply changes and commit changed files to a Git repository.
• Implement Puppet in a Red Hat Satellite 6 environment.
  • Create a Puppet repository on Red Hat Satellite.
  • Install, configure, and deploy Puppet modules using Red Hat Satellite.
  • Register Puppet clients to a Red Hat Satellite server.

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

Preparation

In preparation for the exam, Red Hat recommends that candidates be a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE^®), but it is not required to take the exam.

Red Hat encourages all candidates for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management exam (EX405) to consider taking the Configuration Management with Puppet (DO405) course. Attendance in the course is not required, so one can choose to take just the exam.

While attending Red Hat courses can be an important part of one's preparation to take this exam, attending courses 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 using 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 system administration skills and knowledge with a focus on Puppet and Red Hat Satellite 6. Candidates will be required to perform a number of routine system administration tasks utilizing Puppet and will be 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.

The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management exam is a hands-on exam that lasts 3 hours.

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 total scores. Red Hat does not report performance on individual items, nor will it provide additional information upon request.