The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) certification validates the core system administration skills required to manage Linux systems. As Linux continues to grow in popularity across enterprises and cloud infrastructure, having certified Linux expertise is becoming increasingly valuable for IT professionals.
Why LFCS Matters
| Takeaway | Source |
|---|---|
| Practice extensively with real commands and environments, reading alone isn’t enough | Reddit user comments |
| Use KodeKloud labs and practice exams to get hands-on experience | Reddit user comments |
| Time management is critical with only 5 mins per question | Reddit user comments |
| Skip longer questions initially to maximize points earned | Reddit user comments |
| Know how to search man pages (man -k) and install tldr cheatsheets | Reddit user comments |
| The official LFCS course alone likely isn’t enough to pass | Reddit user comments |
| Understand extended ACLs, virsh, RAID config, netplan DNS, and more | Reddit user comments |
| Prepare to take the exam multiple times | Reddit user comments |
| Have proper ID and environment for online proctored exam | Reddit user comments |
| Contact LF for assistance with any exam issues | Reddit user comments |
| The exam covers essential Linux administration tasks | LFCS Exam Overview |
| 65 multiple choice and short answer questions | LFCS Exam Overview |
| 2 hour time limit | LFCS Exam Overview |
The LFCS certification demonstrates proficiency in essential system administration tasks on Linux. Passing this performance-based exam shows employers that you have real-world abilities to configure Linux servers, automate tasks, manage storage solutions, and ensure high availability.
With technology infrastructure relying heavily on Linux, qualified Linux administrators are in high demand. The LFCS certification brings credibility and assurance of your skills. It opens up more career opportunities and often leads to higher salaries compared to those without certification.
Overview of Certification
First introduced in 2014, the LFCS exam has been updated over the years to reflect the latest practices in Linux system administration. The current exam format focuses exclusively on performance-based items to evaluate real administrative competencies.
The 90-minute exam requires configuring Linux systems to meet specific criteria, rather than answering multiple-choice questions alone. This emphasis on practical skills makes the LFCS one of the more challenging certifications. It ensures certified professionals have the hands-on ability to manage real-world Linux environments.
Exam Format
The LFCS is an online proctored exam taken remotely on your own system. The 90-minute exam includes 60 performance-based single and multiple-task items. You need to score 74% or higher to pass and become LFCS certified.
Your system must meet specific requirements around hardware, OS, memory, and connectivity. You will also need to set up your testing environment and workspace to comply with exam rules. Proctors monitor you via webcam and screensharing throughout the exam.
Exam Domains
The LFCS tests competency across five key domains:
Essential Commands (25%): Tools for system administration, including command line, searching, files, scripting, networking, processes, and logging.
Operation of Running Systems (20%): System boot process, kernel management, system initialization, cron jobs, logging, scripting, and memory management.
User and Group Management (15%): Managing users, groups, passwords and associated configurations.
Service Configuration (20%): Configuring key system services, like web, mail, DNS, database, proxies, DHCP, FTP, and more.
Storage Management (20%): Creating partitions and filesystems, managing LVM volumes, implementing RAID solutions, and configuring ACL permissions.
Preparing for the Exam
It is recommended to have at least 12 months of Linux administration experience before attempting the LFCS exam. Taking a formal training course can significantly help prepare for and pass the exam.
The Linux Foundation offers comprehensive self-paced learning and an instructor-led course. Third parties like KodeKloud also offer video courses tailored to the exam.
When studying, focus on thoroughly learning commands and practical implementation rather than just memorizing concepts. Repeated hands-on practice with technologies listed in the exam domains is key to reinforcement. Also solve as many real-world Linux administration problems as possible.
Registering for the Exam
You can purchase exam vouchers directly from the Linux Foundation Certification Catalog. Registration gives you access to schedule your exam within a 12-month period at Pearson VUE test centers globally or via online proctoring.
The retail price is $300 USD but discounts are often available. The Linux Foundation offers voucher discounts to members and through other promotions.
The Value of LFCS
| Takeaway |
|---|
| The LFCS exam tests the ability to diagnose, identify, manage, and troubleshoot processes and services |
| Candidates must be able to manage Virtual Machines (libvirt) and configure container engines |
| The LFCS exam includes sections on essential commands, operation of running systems, user and group management, networking, service configuration, and storage management |
| Candidates should be able to search for, install, validate, and maintain software packages or repositories |
| The LFCS exam requires the ability to recover from hardware, operating system, or filesystem failures |
| Candidates should be able to create and enforce MAC using SELinux |
| The LFCS exam is ideal for candidates looking to validate their Linux system administration skills |
| System administration involves maintaining IT systems, making necessary updates, and ensuring maximum uptime, accessibility, and reliability |
Investing the time and resources into LFCS certification can further your career as a Linux system administrator. Passing the performance-based LFCS exam proves you can configure Linux in real-world scenarios, not just answer test questions.
LFCS certification demonstrates well-rounded expertise across essential administration areas like storage, services, security, scripting, networking, and more. This validation of your skills can improve job prospects and pay.
In some organizations, LFCS certification may allow you to advance to senior technical or team lead roles. It can also help experienced admins transition careers from Windows or other platforms into Linux administration.
Overall, the LFCS credential brings credibility and gives employers confidence in your Linux abilities. It shows commitment to professional development and expertise in the critical tools and technologies underpinning today’s IT infrastructure.
People Also Ask:
What is LFCS?
The LFCS stands for “Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator”. It is a professional certification offered by The Linux Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium dedicated to promoting Linux and open source software.
The LFCS certification is designed to validate an individual’s skills, knowledge, and proficiency in administering Linux systems. It focuses specifically on core administration tasks like managing users and groups, configuring networking services, implementing advanced storage solutions, automating system administration processes, ensuring high availability, and troubleshooting Linux systems issues.
By passing the hands-on, performance-based LFCS exam, candidates can demonstrate their real-world ability to configure and support Linux infrastructure in enterprise environments. The certification provides assurance that holders possess the expertise needed to handle essential system administration workloads on Linux servers and systems.
Obtaining LFCS certification can open up career advancement opportunities for Linux professionals. It offers credibility and recognition in the job market, signifying up-to-date skills aligned with employer needs. Surveys show certified admins often enjoy higher salaries compared to uncertified peers.
How hard is the LFCS exam?
The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam is widely regarded as quite challenging and demanding for candidates. Unlike a traditional multiple choice written test, the LFCS is a performance-based assessment requiring real-world demonstration of Linux administration abilities.
Candidates are presented with a set of tasks to complete within a 2 hour time limit using only the Linux command line interface and reference manuals. The tasks involve practical scenarios like configuring network services, managing storage volumes, setting filesystem permissions, and automating system administration procedures.
Reviews of the exam difficulty consistently mention candidates finding it harder than they anticipated. The hands-on nature and time constraints appear to trip up many test takers. Having to recall and quickly execute Linux commands adds pressure that some people underestimate while studying.
One Reddit user who passed the LFCS commented that “It is a beautifully challenging exam, I recommend anyone to test their knowledge with this one, I thought I know enough to get along, boy I was wrong.” This sentiment of discovering gaps in practical skills during the exam is echoed by many.
What is the passing score for the LFCS exam?
A score of at least 67% is required to pass the LFCS exam, according to the Linux Foundation’s official exam instructions document[4]. The exam consists of 20-25 performance-based tasks and candidates have 2 hours to complete it.
So in summary, 67% is the minimum score needed to achieve LFCS certification. This is lower than the 74% passing score stated in an earlier third-party article[1]. The Linux Foundation’s official documentation should be considered the authoritative source regarding exact exam details and passing requirements.
Which is better, RHCSA or LFCS?
The Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) and the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) are two of the most popular Linux certifications. There is much debate around which one is more valuable or “better” overall.
In terms of depth, the RHCSA is focused specifically on administering Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems. It goes quite in-depth into Red Hat administration tasks and methodology. In contrast, the LFCS covers a broader range of distributions including CentOS, openSUSE, and Ubuntu. The LFCS is not tied to one vendor’s implementation of Linux.
Some view the intense focus of RHCSA on a single distribution as an advantage in terms of depth of knowledge. Mastering the intricacies and methodologies of Red Hat Linux demonstrates deeper Linux expertise to some employers.
However, others value the vendor-neutral approach of LFCS that evaluates skills more broadly applicable to multiple distributions. Learning one flavor of Linux to the exclusion of others has downsides in environments utilizing heterogeneous Linux instances.
Additional Resources
- Linux Foundation – LFCS Overview
- Linux Foundation – LFCS FAQ
- Linux Foundation – Exam Preparation Guide
- KodeKloud – LFCS Course & Simulator
- Reddit – LFCS Tips
