What is UNIX Certification?

UNIX certification is a good way to gain expertise in this popular multi-user, multitasking operating system for computers. UNIX was originally developed by AT&T’s Bell Laboratories in the early 1970s and later licensed to the university community who began to use it to develop many of the information technologies that we use today. The advantage of UNIX over other PC operating systems, such as MS-DOS and Apple System 9/10, is its true multitasking ability and high degree of robustness. Furthermore, programs written for UNIX benefit from a capability to handle large amounts of memory.

The success of the UNIX operating system led to many different versions and at present several variants exist, for Intel-based PCs and other processor types. Different manufacturers have developed UNIX-based operating systems optimized for their own computer architecture, each with its own strengths and features. Today these include IBM’s AIX system, SCO’s UnixWare, Sun Systems Solaris Operating System and Hewlett Packard’s HP-UX. In addition there is the freely available Linux system, which mimics the form and function of a UNIX system but is not derived from a licensed source code.

None of these different brands of UNIX are identical, but many of the commands and the majority of the concepts they use are the same, so if you already have some knowledge of one type of UNIX operating system it is likely that you will be able to transfer some of what you know to another system.

In terms of certification, each of the leading brands has its own set of certification programs with its own training and examination requirements, while certification for Linux is administered by the not-for-profit Linux Professional Institute. Many on-line and traditional college-based learning institutions offer courses in UNIX and often these lead to a brand-specific certification. You can choose which certification you would like to study for, or take a more general UNIX course and then specialize later.

There are fundamental similarities between what is covered for each brand certification, despite the differences in the various flavors of UNIX. Typically certifications are divided into those which cover basic system administration skills and those which are more advanced and introduce networking administration, although there can be many levels in-between.

A first-level administration course would cover the basic user and system administration of the operating system and focus on the common tasks that an administrator would be expected to perform. Students would be taught about the installation and startup of the system including hardware elements, installation procedure, features of the boot process and how to add or remove a package or application. They would also learn about system administration and system optimization.

A typical second-level course would focus on network administration, covering internetworking connectivity, systems, services and security. Students would learn about printers and terminals, network connections and network services.

UNIX-based operating systems are widely used across the world, and if you are seeking a career as a System Administrator, Software Engineer, Database Administrator, Technical Manager or Systems Analyst, UNIX certification will help you to learn what you need to know to find success in this field.

Get the certification you need to advance your career! Check our list of schools and colleges offering computer certification programs.