[BSDcert] About the methodology (that will be?) used in the BSD cert.

[Hugo Silva]

Hey all,

I've recently subscribed to the list, so sorry if this has been 
previously discussed.

I was reading the FAQ, and could not that, according to it, there isn't 
any solid ground about the methodology that will be used to certify a 
person.

I gave it some thinking and came out with the following..

Why not test the skills of the person as a system administrator 
(recompile kernel, upgrade the system, ask what he/she would do under x 
or y circumstance, keep ports up to date, make partitions, use base 
utilities, etc), and this would certify as: BSD Administrator.

Then it could have like sub-categories. For example, if the candidate 
wished not only to become a certified BSD Administrator (someone who can 
take care of the good health of a BSD system), he could be a "certified 
BSD web administrator", and the exam would account for stuff related to 
apache. Then a "certified BSD mail administrator", accounting for 
proficiency with MTAs, spam protection, etc etc. Think you get the point.

This would help to narrow down further the skills of a person. Because 
if companies are looking for BSD Certified administrators, for example 
to administer a large webserver, how will they know if that person knows 
about webserver security/configuration? After all, he/she could be very 
proficient with database servers, but have only a small set of skills 
with webservers.

So the schema would be something like:

"Base" certification: BSD System Administrator

and then "Sub" (should find a better name for this :P) certifications, 
like certified mail administrator, certified database administrator, etc 
- which would state this person is a certified BSD administrator, and 
can do database administration under the OS.

IMO this would help employers choosing people who more closely match 
their needs, as, previously stated, a person who admins BSD might/will 
not know  about everything one can do with it.

Regards