1. What is Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)?
Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) is the capstone certification offered to IT professionals whose focus is system administration and related functions. An RHCA is a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) who has passed an additional five performance-based exams in the following subjects:
- Network Services Security
- Deployment and Systems Management
- Directory Services and Authentication
- Clustering and Storage Management
- System Monitoring and Performance Tuning
This breadth and depth of skills and knowledge make an RHCA an exceptional asset in an IT organization. RHCAs provide technical leadership and can play vital roles in IT planning. Someone with skills in any one of these areas is an asset. Someone with skills in more than one is even more valuable, as the benefits to understanding these areas increase as they are combined. RHCA is yet another huge step, and represents a body of skills and know-how that can drive innovation and ROI in an organization's IT investments.
2. Who is eligible to earn RHCA?
One must be an RHCE on a current release in order to take the Certificates of Expertise exams required for RHCA. Please see the Certificates of Expertise FAQ and the pages about each exam for more information.
3. Are the courses required for RHCA all on the same level? Which should be taken first?
The courses are all peer level and any order is fine. Some customers find that RH401 gives them a good foundation for other courses. Bear in mind, too, that some of the exams required for RHCA are also required for Red Hat Certified Datacenter Specialist (RHCDS) and Red Hat Certified Security Specialist. Consequently, you might wish to consider taking them in an order that would help you earn one of these other credentials first.
4. How long does an RHCA certification remain current?
RHCA currency is pegged to the currency status of one's RHCE. Consequently, as long as one's RHCE is current (two releases), one's RHCA is current. When an RHCA's underlying RHCE is no longer current, the certification verification page will list the non-current RHCE along with all Certificates of Expertise. Once someone has earned a new, current RHCE, their Certificates of Expertise will be attached to the new RHCE number and the verification page will report that the number belongs to an RHCA.
5. What are the benefits to becoming an RHCA?
Unambiguously, the biggest benefit one acquires by becoming an RHCA is the knowledge you will have acquired in order to earn it. Consequently, the second biggest benefit is the ability to let others know that you have this knowledge and that Red Hat stands behind your having it. When you provide your RHCE number as an RHCA to someone, they can verify your status on the verification page. In addition, as an RHCA you will receive a plaque and other items from Red Hat that are for RHCAs only. We hope to extend additional benefits in the near future.
6. There is overlap between the exams required for RHCA and for Red Hat Certified Security Specialist (RHCSS). Why?
Both credentials require the Directory Services and Authentication and Network Services Security Certificates of Expertise. Security is obviously a growing concern as businesses become increasingly reliant on their IT infrastructure. The threats have become more pervasive and appear more frequent. There are increased regulatory expectations concerning information security in many locales. Consequently, we believe that a deeper understanding of networking services security is absolutely essential to someone in an architect-type role. Centralized directory services are an essential part of an organizations security infrastructure, so expertise in this area is essential as well. Moreover, a standards-compliant directory server like Red Hat Directory Server is an enormously powerful infrastructure tool beyond its role in identity management. Therefore, we see skills in the area of directory services as vital to someone planning and implementing IT infrastructure.