I had a note from a reader the other day with a question about Novell's certification programs, specifically the Certified Novell Engineer (CNE - formerly Certified NetWare Engineer) designation.
Meet the Windows Server 2008 robot
Help on the way for SMB telephony reseller margins being squeezed to death by Cisco
E-Mail article
|
|
Print article
|
|
Contact author
|
Reprint
|
AIM article
|
del.icio.us |
Reddit
|
Digg
|
Stumble
|
Slashdot It!
|
He wrote: "I checked the Novell Education Certification section and they have put a timeline on CNE 5 and 6 certifications. I believe the tests expire in March 2007. The confusion that arises, at least in my mind, is if Novell is planning to push out NetWare in favor of Linux what good is it for people like myself who hold a CNE 5 certification, to do the one exam to get upgraded to a CNE 6 certification, if Netware is not going to be around. I don't mind doing that one exam and upgrading to CNE 6 but is it going to be beneficial if there will be no NetWare."
Well, I went out to the certification Web site and took a look. I was surprised, actually, that the CNE 5 was still being offered, but it is. Why would that be? It's been six years since NetWare 6 shipped, six years since NetWare 5 was the "latest version." Heck, it's been three years since NetWare 5 was the "previous version" (that description was taken up by NetWare 6 when OES, or NetWare 6.5, was released). Six-year-old technology - an eon or two if you count by "Internet time." But the fact that the CNE 5 is still offered leads me to conclude that it's still worthwhile to upgrade to that CNE 6.
Maintaining the tests and records for new certifications isn't without expense. Only if there's still revenue coming in, substantial revenue I'd think, would a company bother to maintain all the paraphernalia necessary to teach, test and award the certification. Therefore, there must still be a lot of people looking to acquire their CNE 5 designation. That means that there are still quite a few NetWare 5 servers out there. Real NetWare, not the "maybe it's NetWare, maybe it's Linux" of Open Enterprise Server but real NetWare with real IPX/SPX drivers should you care to use them (and, for highest security, you should think about it). It also means that there are jobs for NetWare managers and administrators still available in NetWare 5 shops.
Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. He's written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks." His musings can be found at Virtual Quill.
Kearns is the author of two Network World Newsletters: Windows Networking Strategies, and Identity Management. Comments about these newsletters should be sent to him at these respective addresses: windows@vquill.com, identity@vquill.com .
Kearns provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail.
| Start a public discussion with other Network World users on this article (scroll up to send this article to a colleague). Log In | Register for an account (Why you should) |
Note: Register to have your user name appear; otherwise your comment will show up as "Anonymous."
*Anonymous comments will only appear once they are approved by the moderator.
Copyright 2008 Network World Inc.
Browse Newsletter categories: Branch Office Best Practices | Convergence | High Speed LANs | Identity Management | IT Careers and Training | IT Leadership | Linux | Messaging | Network Optimization | Network/Systems Management | New Data Center Strategies | Novell NetWare Tips | Optical Networking | Outsourcing | Security Strategies | Servers | Service Provider News Report | Small Business Technology | Storage in the Enterprise | Technology Executive | View from The Edge | Virus and Bug Patch Alert | VORTEX Digest | VPNs | Web Applications | Wide Area Networking | Windows Networking Strategies | Wireless in the Enterprise |
|
Does Verizon's Voyager stack up to the iPhone? |
5 IT skills that won't boost your salary [1,407]
Women 4 times more likely than men to cough up personal info [589]
Japan's 10 funniest tech-related commercials [Videos] [407]
Throwing away a promo CD is "unauthorized distribution"? [1,265]
Adults too quick to dismiss educational video games [682]
Attack of the iPhone clones [Slideshow] [578]
10 things IT needs to know about AJAX [1,258]
This Year's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries [Slideshow] [409]
Comprehensive Network & Voice Management Visit CA Network & Voice Management Resource Center and get insights into industry best practices, information that helps you to address your challenges.
Voice over IP (VoIP) has much to offer in cost savings but some customers have concerns about VoIP call quality compared to the quality of traditional voice services. This white paper will help you learn how to take the right steps so that voice quality is assured.
Managing your network is serious business. This paper discusses the benefits of integrating configuration change-awareness into your network fault management solution
