EX342 - Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

[Chetan_Tiwary_]

Recently I cleared the prestigious EX342 ( Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting) exam.

I wanted to give my feedback as to why this is a great learning path for anyone who is interested in learning Linux architecture in detail or if their job demands handling/administrating  or troubleshooting complex linux production environments.

For learners who want to go deep into Linux troubleshooting , It is good choice after you have done RHCE.

The skills and knowledge covered in the EX342 certification (course code RH342)  can provide Linux L2/L3 admins with valuable knowledge and tools to effectively diagnose and troubleshoot issues related to Linux systems. Here are some specific reasons why learning this material can be important:

1. Improve system performance: Linux admins who have a deep understanding of Linux diagnostics and troubleshooting can better identify and fix issues that may be affecting system performance. This can help ensure that Linux systems are operating optimally and efficiently.

2. Reduce downtime: When issues arise with Linux systems, it can be critical to quickly identify and resolve them to minimize downtime. By having the skills and knowledge covered in the EX342 certification, Linux admins can more effectively diagnose and fix issues, leading to less downtime and improved system availability.

3. Cloud learning path: Cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform offer Linux-based virtual machines and containers that run on their cloud infrastructure. Having a strong understanding of Linux diagnostics and troubleshooting can help individuals who are learning cloud computing to better manage and troubleshoot Linux systems in the cloud.

4. Kubernetes (K8s) path: Kubernetes is a popular container orchestration tool that is commonly used in cloud-native environments. Linux is the primary operating system used by Kubernetes nodes, and a deep understanding of Linux diagnostics and troubleshooting is critical for effectively managing and troubleshooting Kubernetes clusters.

5. Enhance career prospects: Earning the EX342 certification can demonstrate to potential employers and clients that a Linux  admin has a strong understanding of Linux diagnostics and troubleshooting. This can help to enhance their career prospects and open/scale up new job opportunities.

6. Keep up with industry trends: The Linux industry is constantly evolving, and it's important for Linux  admins to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices. Learning the material covered in the EX342 certification can help to ensure that they are staying current and competitive in the job market.

The ROL course offering related to this course RH342 covers all the details of the tools and technology in a very organised and detailed manner. I highly recommend the course to anyone pursuing this certification. 

The exam is based on RHEL 8.4.

This exam is counted towards the RHCA skill path.

Here is the link for the exam description , objectives and if you want to start with it :   https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/ex342-red-hat-certified-specialist-linux-diagnostics-and... 

For more details about how to enroll for the training or certification , you can write to training@redhat.com and the team will help you with the same.

Drop your queries about RH342/EX342 and I will try to help as best I can !

[Armanator]

Thank you for the information and congrats on passing the EX342!

[stevediaz]

Hello

Why is it important for Linux administrators to have a deep understanding of diagnostics and troubleshooting when managing Linux systems in cloud environments?

[Chetan_Tiwary_]

Hello @stevediaz !

Having a deep understanding of diagnostics and troubleshooting is essential for Linux administrators who manage Linux systems in cloud environments. Since the cloud environments are complex, dynamic and distributed across geographic locations - and which also include variety of different components, such as virtual machines, containers, clusters ,networks, and storage- this knowledge can help to reduce downtime i.e improves availability, improves performance, increase security, and increase efficiency. This will help in troubleshooting when a P1/ P2 incident lands in your support queue especially in those cases where in you have to figure about the performance bottlenecks, network connectivity issues , I/O bottlenecks , slowness and assisting the development operations in idenifying the root cause analysis. 

[Trevor]

Major congrats Chetan!!!  This particular exam is by no means a walk in the park.  You definitely earned some stripes with this successful attempt!!!

Every UNIX/Linux sys admin should have troubleshooting skills, and of course being able to diagnose an issue is paramount to the troubleshooting process.  

Again, major congratulations on the successful completion of this one!!!

[Chetan_Tiwary_]

@Trevor many thanks for your kind words !

[Joerg-RH]

Hello,  
During Chapter 02, Section 2.4: Guided Exercise: Configuring Remote Logging I noticed that the severity is not shown in the log.

How do I figure out what severity a log message has when I don't get a clue from the entry?

Thanks,  
Joerg

[tnishiok]

Hi @Joerg-RH, one example would be to define a custom log format using the template as below. 



Regards,
Toshi

[Joerg-RH]

That's what I was looking for. Thank you!

[Chetan_Tiwary_]

Hello @Joerg-RH !

If the template does not contain the severity then you can use the console to check the log details :