Marine Corps COOL Snapshot - Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) certification is ideal for candidates early in their Linux system administration or open source career. The exam consists of performance-based items that simulate on-the-job tasks and scenarios faced by sysadmins in the real world. Obtaining certification allows individuals to validate their skills to prospective employers, which is particularly valuable if you have little on-the-job experience. There are no pre-requisites for this exam. Candidates must pass an online, proctored, performance-based exam that requires solving multiple issues from a command line running Linux.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

The following Marine Corps Enlisted MOSs provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential:

Enlisted Occupation	Occupation Type	Related As	COOL$
0671 Data Systems Administrator	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
0681 Information Security Technician	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
1711 Offensive Cyberspace Operator	MOS	Other
1721 Defensive Cyberspace Operator	MOS	Other
1799 Cyberspace Chief	MOS	Other
2611 Cryptologic Cyberspace Analyst	MOS	Other
2629 Signals Intelligence/ Electronic Warfare/Cyberspace Operations Technician	MOS	Other
2651 Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems Engineer	MOS	Other
6694 Aviation Logistics Information Management System (ALIMS) Specialist	MOS	Other

The following civilian occupations are related to this credential:

	Civilian Job	Job Family	Bright Outlook	Registered Apprenticeship	Local Salary Info
	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	Computer and Mathematical			find local salary

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Attainability:

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

Credential Prerequisite
Experience
Education
Training
Membership
Other
Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

Exam
Written Exam
Oral Exam
Practical Exam
Performance Assessment

Exam Administration (View Details)

In-person exam
Remote proctored on-line exam
Third-party test vendor

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

Continuing Education
Exam
Continuing Education OR Exam
Fee
Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Linux Foundation

660 York Street
Suite 102
San Francisco, CA 94110

Phone: 415-723-9709

Contact Page

Other REQUIREMENTS

The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) credential has the following other requirements:

Candidates must be 13 years of age or older to be eligible for testing or certification. Candidates under the age of 13 years old are considered underage minors and are not eligible for testing or certification even with parental consent. The Linux Foundation reserves the right to impose additional restrictions to comply with local data protection laws.

Written Exam

Essential Commands (25%)
- Log into local & remote graphical and text mode consoles
- Search for files
- Evaluate and compare the basic file system features and options
- Compare and manipulate file content
- Use input-output redirection (e.g. >, >>, |, 2>)
- Analyze text using basic regular expressions
- Archive, backup, compress, unpack, and uncompress files
- Create, delete, copy, and move files and directories
- Create and manage hard and soft links
- List, set, and change standard file permissions
- Read, and use system documentation
- Manage access to the root account
Operation of Running Systems (20%)
- Boot, reboot, and shut down a system safely
- Boot or change system into different operating modes
- Install, configure and troubleshoot bootloaders
- Diagnose and manage processes
- Locate and analyze system log files
- Schedule tasks to run at a set date and time
- Verify completion of scheduled jobs
- Update software to provide required functionality and security
- Verify the integrity and availability of resources
- Verify the integrity and availability of key processes
- Change kernel runtime parameters, persistent and non-persistent
- Use scripting to automate system maintenance tasks
- Manage the startup process and services (In Services Configuration)
- List and identify SELinux/AppArmor file and process contexts
- Manage Software
- Identify the component of a Linux distribution that a file belongs to
User and Group Management (10%)
- Create, delete, and modify local user accounts
- Create, delete, and modify local groups and group memberships
- Manage system-wide environment profiles
- Manage template user environment
- Configure user resource limits
- Manage user privileges
- Configure PAM
Networking (12%)
- Configure networking and hostname resolution statically or dynamically
- Configure network services to start automatically at boot
- Implement packet filtering
- Start, stop, and check the status of network services
- Statically route IP traffic
- Synchronize time using other network peers
Service Configuration (20%)
- Configure a caching DNS server
- Maintain a DNS zone
- Configure email aliases
- Configure SSH servers and clients
- Restrict access to the HTTP proxy server
- Configure an IMAP and IMAPS service
- Query and modify the behavior of system services at various operating modes
- Configure an HTTP server
- Configure HTTP server log files
- Configure a database server
- Restrict access to a web page
- Manage and configure containers
- Manage and configure Virtual Machines
Storage Management (13%)
- List, create, delete, and modify physical storage partitions
- Manage and configure LVM storage
- Create and configure encrypted storage
- Configure systems to mount file systems at or during boot
- Configure and manage swap space
- Create and manage RAID devices
- Configure systems to mount file systems on demand
- Create, manage and diagnose advanced file system permissions
- Setup user and group disk quotas for filesystems
- Create and configure file systems

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) examination:

Best Sources

An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.

Testing Information

Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor

For more information on the Linux Foundation testing process, visit the agency website.

Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:

PSI

The test centers are located in the U.S.

To find out more, use the following links on the PSI website:

RECERTIFICATION

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) credential has the following recertification information:

Recertification is required via one of the following options:

Certification holders have the option to retake and pass the same exam to keep their certification valid. The certification will become valid for 3 years starting on the date the exam is retaken and passed.
Certification holders may opt to achieve a higher-level certification. On the date that a candidate with an active LFCS certification achieves LFCE certification, the expiration of their LFCS certification will be extended for 3 years so that both their LFCE and LFCS certifications expire on the same date. The date on which their LFCS certification expiration is extended (i.e. renewed) becomes the renewal date.

Note: Marine Corps COOL will only pay recertification fees for the current year, no arrears will be paid. Voucher requests for recertification fees must be submitted with proof of the current status of the certification (for example, a screen shot of your credentialing agency dashboard or a copy of a current fee receipt).