EX294 and EX447: Ansible certification

Ansible is a highly flexible and powerful configuration management tool that automates the configuration process and simplifies the management of multiple systems with various activities that are part of a system administrator’s daily job.

It works on the concept of control and managed nodes and works over regular SSH connections without the need to allow additional ports from your firewall. Remote hosts accessible from the master node can be managed using Ansible using playbooks in the form of YAML files or directly using ad hoc commands.

Why Ansible is popular

simple

Ansible is YAML-based, a human-readable coding language with a simple syntax in which playbooks are written. No special coding skills are required, and anyone can quickly learn, master, and script the playbooks they want.

powerful

Ansible comes with self-contained, ready-to-use built-in roles and modules that enable even the most complex IT workflows. Just import the modules you need from our vast community library and you’ve got something very useful and powerful.

agentless

Ansible is completely agentless, so no additional software or agents are required. There is no need to open additional ports in the firewalls of hosts that require automation. This reduces initial setup effort and makes it easier to switch to Ansible.

open source

Open source and accessibility are also key features of Ansible. The open source community is a powerhouse of innovation. Everyone can participate, learn, collaborate and contribute to tailor different products to their needs. For example, Ansible Galaxy provides prepackaged units of work called roles that can be imported and used by any Ansible user.

Easy to start and configure

Ansible is a simple yet extremely powerful tool. Even non-programmers who are not good at coding can automate using Ansible. Whether you have a few or multiple servers, the end-to-end process and time required from starting to write playbooks to automating daily tasks with Ansible is simple, quick, and easy.

Why get Ansible certified?

Today’s modern business needs continue to accelerate, and companies want to bring the best products to market with faster delivery speeds. Therefore, automation is a must everywhere.

To meet this need for error-free releases and improved delivery performance, automation has become an important part of the software development lifecycle, such as DevOps, which enforces these best practices. Below are the key points that draw job seekers to Ansible for today’s needs.

high paying job

Ansible knowledge can help you land one of the highest paying jobs in the DevOps technology industry. Basic skill requirements include configuration management, provisioning, and IT automation. Ansible helps provide a robust platform to easily perform all automation tasks as per your organization’s needs.

Improved productivity

Ansible can be used for any task or project in the workplace that requires a consistent environment for maintenance with repeatable processes, provisioning, and eventual deployment. Ansible speeds up processes, reduces infrastructure costs, and increases speed of scalability.

open source

Ansible is open source and has a thriving community, allowing users to learn quickly and advance their careers in a collaborative environment. This will ultimately help speed up automation processes in the workplace and the overall growth of Ansible as a product.

Shorter implementation cycles

Ansible’s initial setup is quick and agentless, helping professionals accelerate automation processes and deliver the best results. This is one of the main reasons why Ansible is more popular than other automation mechanisms available on the market.

Ansible certification

Ansible offers several certifications for students and professionals to demonstrate their skills and earn certification from Red Hat. The following paragraphs describe some Ansible exams and explain their details.

These hands-on practical exams require you to perform real-world tasks using Red Hat Ansible Engine. You’ll be provided with multiple systems, and you’ll need to install and configure Ansible Engine, and use it to perform standard system administration tasks similar to what you would do on the job.

Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE): EX294

The Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or EX294 exam tests your knowledge and skills in managing multiple systems and performing system administration tasks across a large number of systems using Red Hat’s Ansible Engine.

After passing this practical exam, you will become a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) with a foundation in systems administration across many Red Hat products. This exam is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux® 8.4 and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 1.2.

Technical concepts covered:

• All tasks expected of a Red Hat Certified System Administrator
• Ansible core components
• Install and configure Ansible control nodes
• Configuring Ansible managed nodes
• Script management tasks
• Create Ansible plays and playbooks
• Use Ansible modules for system management tasks
• Work with roles
• Use advanced Ansible features

This test is for:

• System Administrators/DevOps Engineers who want to demonstrate their ability to automate using Ansible, or who are currently RHCSA certified and interested in pursuing RHCE certification.
• Students or experienced Linux IT professionals who want to become a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).
• Red Hat Certified Engineers who are not or will no longer be Red Hat Certified Engineers and wish to recertify as RHCE

Prerequisites for this exam:

• Successful completion of Red Hat System Administration I (RH124) and Red Hat System Administration II (RH134) or RHCSA Rapid Track Course (RH199), or equivalent experience as a Red Hat Enterprise Linux system administrator.
• Passed Red Hat System Administration III: Linux Automation with Ansible (RH294) or equivalent experience.

If you are looking to prepare for EX294, check out this online course.

Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation – Ansible Best Practices Exam: EX447

The Red Hat Certified Engineer Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices exam (EX447) is a performance-based test that assesses your knowledge and skills in managing multiple systems using Red Hat Ansible Engine and Red Hat Ansible Tower.

Passing this exam will make you a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices, which also counts towards becoming a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA). This exam is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0, Red Hat Ansible 2.8, and Red Hat Ansible Tower 3.5.

Technical concepts covered:

• Understand and use Git
• Manage inventory variables
• Manage task execution
• Transform data using filters and plugins
• delegate tasks
• Installing Ansible tower
• Manage access to Ansible Tower
• Manage inventory and credentials
• Manage your project
• Manage job workflow
• Use the Ansible Tower API
• Back up your Ansible tower

This test is for:

• System Administrators/DevOps Engineers/Experienced Linux IT professionals who have demonstrated broad knowledge and understanding of Ansible best practices and want to apply Ansible to larger, more complex projects and use Ansible Tower.

Prerequisites for this exam:

• Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices (DO447) or equivalent experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux®, Ansible, and Ansible Tower.
• Pass Red Hat System Administration III: Linux Automation (RH294) or equivalent experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ansible.

comparison

To help you choose the right certification, the table below highlights the exam details and requirements summary. This will help you choose the right exam based on your skills and future goals.

Last words 👩‍💻

Ansible is one of the popular technologies available to system administrators and cloud/IT professionals to automate configuration and deployment, and its certifications are in high demand.

We’ve explained why you should get an Ansible certification and why it can help your career. Finally, we highlighted the two certification exams offered by Red Hat for Ansible certification and provided a quick comparison table.

You may also be interested in system administration tasks that can be automated with Ansible.