How to Prepare for Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration Exam?

In recent times, the popularity of containers in cloud computing is the direct outcome of the benefits of flexibility and effectiveness. Many container application platforms have been successful in recent times. One of the notable and high-demand container application platforms is Red Hat OpenShift. With the popularity of OpenShift, the demand for Red Hat Certified Specialists in OpenShift Administration is increasing gradually.

Since OpenShift is multi-faceted and is open source in nature, it is ideal for developers to get an integrated development environment (IDE). OpenShift can help in building and deployment of Docker-based containers and use Kubernetes for managing them. Red Hat provides OpenShift in four different models with the same underlying OpenShift code and functionality. The Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam can validate your skills in managing different tasks with an OpenShift tutorial.

So, do you want to learn more about the certification? If yes, you have landed on the right page. The following discussion would provide crucial insights for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam preparation. Let us explore basic information about the exam, objectives, and prerequisites in detail for this discussion. Most important of all, we shall also reflect on the proven steps to prepare for the certification exam.

Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration Exam

The Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam has the code EX280. The exam tests the ability, skills, and knowledge of candidates in creation, configuration, and management of cloud application platforms. The technology foundation for this certification exam is the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. Qualifying the exam can fetch you the tag of a Red Hat Certified OpenShift Specialist.

You can also move forward to become a Red Hat Certified Architect with the tag of a Red Hat Certified Specialist. The benefits of this certification are far more than you can imagine. Apart from the industry recognition and tangible proof of your knowledge and skills, you can drive better customer confidence. Most important of all, you can get access to multiple Red Hat Certified Professional online communities. Also, you will receive special offers on training and certain events.

The Audience for the Exam

This Red Hat certified specialist in the OpenShift administration certification exam is ideal for a specific type of audience. However, who is interested in OpenShift can take this certification exam to learn and validate their OpenShift skills. 

• First of all, system administrators with OpenShift Container Platform skills can appear for the certification exam.
• System administrators with experience in working with DevOps environment by leveraging the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform can also appear.
• Red Hat Certified Engineers (RHCE) aspiring to become Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) could also appear for the exam.

Now that we know about the basic of exam and audience for the exam, let us dive deeper into the details!

Exam Format

Any Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam preparation is incomplete without reflection on the exam format. The exam comprises of only one section, and the duration for the exam is three hours. The exam would include performance-based questions in which candidates have to perform certain tasks on a live system. So, the exam would not include questions dealing with how another individual would address the tasks.

The certification exam tests the skills and knowledge of candidates for configuration and management of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. The tasks in the exam would include configuration and management tasks for deploying Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. Each task would have certain objective criteria, and you have to address the objectives for a better score. The most interesting aspect of the exam format is the emphasis on testing job role-specific evaluation rather than technology skills evaluation.

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Prerequisites for the Exam

Another credible highlight in the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam preparation refers to prerequisites for the exam.

• The first prerequisite for the OpenShift Administrator exam is to become a Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA). The alternative to this prerequisite refers to similar skills and work experience.
• Another prerequisite for the OpenShift Administrator certification exam is to take the Red Hat OpenShift Administration 1 (DO280) course. Alternatively, candidates could also fulfill this prerequisite with similar experience in working with OpenShift Container Platform.
• Another important prerequisite for the exam is to review the exam objectives clearly for EX280.

Exam Objectives

The Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration study guide is also an important element for your preparations. The following domains in the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam are important for qualifying the exam.

• OpenShift Container Platform General Configuration and Management

The first domain in the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration study guide deals with general configuration and management. Candidates have to specialize in knowledge and use of command line and web console. The other subtopics in this domain include creation and deleting projects, importing, exporting, and configuring Kubernetes resources. Also, the domain covers configuration of persistent registry storage and examination of resources and cluster status. The other subtopics include reviewing logs and troubleshooting common issues.

• Docker Image Management

The next important domain for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam preparation deals with Docker image management. The subtopics in this domain include an understanding and working with image registries. The other elements in the domain include listing images, using image tags and pull and push images. Candidates will also have to learn loading images from archive files.

• Users and Policies Management

Users and Policies management is also a notable domain in the certification exam. The subtopics in this domain deal with creation and deleting users and modifying user passwords. Another subtopic in this domain deals with the modification of user and group permissions.

• Creating and Managing Applications

The creation and management of applications on OpenShift Container Platform is also another crucial domain. The notable subtopics in this domain include provisioning of persistent application storage and the use of Git for application configuration. The domain also deals with editing and importing application templates and creation of containerized services. Also, candidates should cover application assembly from existing components and deployment of multi-container applications. The other important subtopics include securing routes with TLS certificates and deploying applications through Source-to-Image (S2I).

• Monitoring and Tuning

Another notable domain for Red Hat certified specialist in OpenShift Administration exam preparation deals with monitoring and tuning. The subtopics in this domain include metrics installation and configuration and restriction on resource usage. The other important subtopics refer to controlling pod placement and scaling of applications.

There are many similarities between Kubernetes and OpenShift with a number of differences. Check out the top differences here between OpenShift and Kubernetes i.e. OpenShift vs Kubernetes.

Steps for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration Exam Preparation

Now, let us focus on the preparation guide for the Red Hat certified specialist in the OpenShift exam. The following steps can ensure that a candidate is ideally ready to take the exam with better chances of success.

• Go for Red Hat Recommended Courses

The first recommended course of action comes from Red Hat itself! Red Hat recommends taking two important courses before appearing for the examination for the OpenShift Administration specialist certificate. The first recommended course has the code “DO180,” and it deals with “Introduction to Containers, Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift.” The second course is the “Red Hat OpenShift Administration 1” with the code “DO280”. Both these courses are not mandatory, candidates could choose to appear for the exam directly. However, strengthening your preparation would not hurt much, would it?

• Access to Recommended Books and Learning Resources

The next important concern in your Red Hat OpenShift Administrator exam preparation should be related to books and learning resources on system administration for Red Hat. Keep in mind that these books and resources do not guarantee success in the exam. On the other hand, candidates could always rely on the additional effort for a deeper understanding of exam objectives.

• Enroll for Online Training Courses

The importance of online training courses is evident in this preparation guide for Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift exam. Different online certification training providers give online courses for candidates to prepare for various IT-related certifications. The courses provide different modes of delivery according to the convenience of candidates. Furthermore, the cost-effective pricing of such courses is an ideal opportunity for candidates to expand the scope of their preparation.

The facility of professional guidance and schedule-based preparation in online courses gives an additional edge to candidates in their preparation. Most important of all, candidates would not have to remain doubtful about any concept that happens commonly in self-learning. Experienced instructors can help you clear all doubts conveniently and increase your chances of qualifying the exam. So, it is recommended to enroll in the Red Hat OpenShift online course to understand the concepts well.

• Don’t Forget to Take Practice Tests

The final step in your preparation should be practice tests. Since you will have to answer performance-based questions, it is important to get some practice. Practice tests can help candidates learn the type of questions they can expect in the exam. Furthermore, candidates could also use practice tests as a tool for time management. Most important of all, practice tests can tell you exactly where you stand in your preparations. The detailed and comprehensive reports in practice test results can help candidates recognize their areas of weakness and strength.

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Get Ready to Take Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration Exam

So, the discussion reflected clearly on the preparation for the Red Hat certified specialist in the OpenShift Administration certification exam. Based on the information in this discussion, candidates could start their preparation journey right away! The possibility of your success in the certification exam depends greatly on how you approach your preparations. The most important recommendation for candidates would be hands-on practice in all domains for the certification exam.

Performance-based tasks in the exam could confuse any candidate with only theoretical knowledge. So, candidates should base the focus of their preparation on responsiveness to different performance requirements and objective criteria for OpenShift administration tasks. You can enroll for OpenShift Basics Online Course to learn the basics of OpenShift. If you want to become a Certified OpenShift Administrator, then don’t delay anymore!

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About Pavan Gumaste

Pavan Rao is a programmer / Developer by Profession and Cloud Computing Professional by choice with in-depth knowledge in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform. He helps the organisation figure out what to build, ensure successful delivery, and incorporate user learning to improve the strategy and product further.

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