The Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) exam is designed for experienced Linux system administrators who are responsible for managing, configuring, and troubleshooting Linux-based systems, specifically within a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) environment. It is intended for IT professionals, including those who are already Red Hat Certified System Administrators (RHCSA), and those who handle advanced tasks such as system security, networking, services, and automation. The exam is also beneficial for DevOps engineers, IT automation professionals, and anyone looking to enhance their Linux expertise and advance in their career by proving their ability to manage and troubleshoot complex Linux systems.

Certification Name: Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Administered By: Red Hat
Exam Format: Online Proctored Exam

The exam consists of practical, performance-based tasks that test your ability to configure, manage, and troubleshoot Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems in advanced scenarios. You will be required to complete a series of tasks that simulate real-world environments.

Duration: 4 Hours
Languages: Primarily English
Prerequisites: RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator) or equivalent knowledge is required.

Exam Objectives:

 

1. System Administration Fundamentals:

   • Demonstrate knowledge of the RHCSA exam objectives.
   • Administering basic system configuration and user management tasks.
   • Managing system services, logging, and configurations for performance monitoring.

2. Networking and Host Management:

   • Configure advanced network interfaces, static and dynamic routing, and DNS settings.
   • Configure and manage network services such as NFS, SSH, and SFTP.

3. Security Management:

   • Implement advanced security measures, including SELinux configuration and firewall management.
   • Manage user authentication, security policies, and control user access to systems.
   • Configure and manage sudoers, auditing, and password policies.

4. Service Management and Optimization:

   • Troubleshoot and optimize system performance, including network services and resources.
   • Implement system performance monitoring tools and processes for efficient resource management.
   • Automate server configurations for deployment and system management using tools like Ansible.

5. System Updates and Patching:

   • Apply system updates and patches to ensure the security and stability of systems.
   • Understand and apply package management, repository configuration, and patching tools.

6. Advanced Storage Management:

   • Implement and configure advanced storage management techniques such as LVM, RAID, and iSCSI.
   • Troubleshoot and configure network storage solutions like NFS and Samba.
   • Set up and manage disk quotas, Logical Volume Manager (LVM), and file system options.

7. Automation and Scripting:

   • Create advanced shell scripts and automation tasks to streamline administrative processes.
   • Utilize Red Hat tools for configuration management and automation (Ansible, AWX).

8. High Availability and Clustering:

   • Configure and manage high-availability solutions like Red Hat Cluster Suite and Pacemaker.
   • Set up and configure load balancing and failover for critical applications and services.

9. System Troubleshooting and Diagnostics:

   • Troubleshoot complex system and network problems, analyzing system logs, service states, and error messages.
   • Resolve issues related to system performance, hardware, networking, and security.

10. Virtualization:

    • Deploy and manage virtualized environments using Red Hat Virtualization and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
    • Configure and troubleshoot virtual networks, storage, and resource allocation in virtualized systems.

Validity:

 

The Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification is valid for three years. To maintain your certification, you’ll need to recertify by passing the current exam or a relevant updated exam before the certification expiration date.

Preparation Tips:

 

• Gain hands-on experience with advanced Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) tasks in a lab environment.
• Review the official exam guide, Red Hat documentation, and practice advanced configurations on RHEL.
• Complete Red Hat's official training courses such as "Red Hat System Administration III" and "Red Hat System Administration IV."
• Practice automation, security, network configuration, and troubleshooting in realistic setups.

Good luck on your path to becoming a Red Hat Certified Engineer!