Nuts and bolts of Novell's updated CNE cert
Emmett Dulaney
Published: 17 Oct 2003 12:50 BST
Novell created the CNE certification when its operating system was the de facto standard for the local area network (LAN). In fact, the cert's original name was Certified NetWare Engineer, but it has since been changed to Certified Novell Engineer.
Not only did Novell create a program that quickly gained acceptance at all levels of the market, but it also opened the doors for new technologies and innovations. The company was among the first to utilise adaptive testing and to ask questions that required students to access an application. (Sadly, you were at the mercy of the clunky machines that most testing centres set up.)
As the percentage of LANs running NetWare began to shrink -- due to the acceptance of Microsoft's Windows NT -- the CNE certification lost some of its distinction and the MCSE gained ground. Recently, however, Novell completely revamped the CNE program and created a certification that's once again worthy of your attention.
But before you spend your hard-earned money for training and testing, you should consider whether this certification is for you, what effect the changes have had on the cert and its exams, and where Novell's future cert tracks may lead you. Here's the scoop on all things CNE.
Weigh your options carefully This certification will not help you at all if you're not using NetWare 6 at least at an administrator's level. If you're looking for an acronym to pad your resume, many are easier to obtain than this one.
Not only is this an engineer-level certification, but it requires a tremendous amount of knowledge and mastery of the product. Although general technology topics are included, this certification is specific to the NetWare 6 network operating system, and the odds of gaining a paper certification in it are incredibly slim.
When you walk into a Novell shop and mention the CNE, those in IT will know how difficult it is to attain it. Look elsewhere if you're not comfortable with NetWare 6 and are just looking for a quick certification.
Previous
Did you find this article useful?
37 out of 69 people found this useful
- Share this article:
