CompTIA certifications for IT professionals. Part 1 of 7. CompTIA A + and webinar recording of preparing for certifications on information security

1. Familiarity with certification



My career as an IT specialist began while I was studying at the university in 2000 in the production of computers at one of the largest system integrators in St. Petersburg. On the pipeline section where I worked, there was a streaming assembly of personal computers, pre-installation of client operating systems, as well as tests of assembled workstations for compliance with technical control requirements.

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Under the cut, the story of how the requirements of the chief engineer to improve production led me to become a specialist in information security and recording a webinar on preparing for CISSP, CISM, CISA, Security +



The chief production engineer wanted to increase productivity and, most importantly, the quality of labor of the assemblers, so it was decided to train in one of the sections of the conveyor in accordance with the only internationally recognized certification program for technicians - CompTIA A +.

This program assumes an objective verification of a complex of knowledge and skills with the help of 2 test exams: the first is on the software component (Windows and Linux-like operating systems), the second on the hardware (computer tools and peripherals) to provide modern PCs.



The exam on operating systems at that time had the code 220-102, where the first number (220) denotes the certification operator CompTIA and does not change, and the second (102) is the version of the exam and changes every time a significant change in the generation of operating systems occurs. For example, in 2015, at the time of this writing, the exam code 220-802 is relevant.



2. Method of preparation



Extensive work experience in production allowed me to quickly prepare for the practical skills test: the installation, configuration, and troubleshooting procedures for typical current Windows versions (NT4.0 / 2000) and Linux-like operating systems were brought to automatism. Knowledge and skills of using setup wizards, command line utilities, configuration files and screen forms were tested seriously enough to state that without real experience of their repeated use, it would be improbable to correctly answer exam questions.



With the part of the exam where theoretical knowledge was tested, everything was not so smooth: I just started studying at the university, and at the exam I was tested on the understanding of the architecture of modern operating systems, the algorithm of the memory manager, the features of the implementation of file systems and much more. Therefore, we had to intensively engage in self-study using textbooks for self-training from the world's leading publishers of books on IT topics: Wiley, Sybex, Syngress, Microsoft Press, etc. By the name of certification status and word combinations like “study guide”, for example, “CompTIA A + exam study guide ”in search engines and thematic forums, such as certification.ru, it was possible to find 2-3 books by different authors to get acquainted with different approaches to preparation.



One of the difficulties was that the overwhelming majority of textbooks were in English and were not massively translated into Russian, so I had to study technical English at the same time. I also had to “train” myself in paid testing systems (Boson, TestOut, MeasureUp, etc.) with a pool of corresponding exam level questions that emulate what happens on a real exam. In search engines and subject forums like certcollection.org you can always find these testing systems by exam codes.



Having achieved a consistently high percentage of correct answers (> 90%), one could hope to successfully pass the exam with the first paid (about $ 150) attempts in the actual Virtual University Enterprise testing system (www.vue.com).



As a result of 2-month training in my spare time (nobody canceled my studies at a university or work in production) I was able to pass the exam on operating systems 220-102 the first time. Then, almost a week later, the exam on the PC hardware was passed - 220-101, about which it makes sense to tell in more detail.



At the exam, the practical skills required for efficiently assembling and diagnosing PC hardware were tested, for example, it was proposed to identify the slots for installing processors from their photographs, to determine the appropriate slot specifications on the motherboard, to identify incorrect BIOS settings for solving the problem, etc. .



In addition, an understanding of the architecture of modern PCs, the implementation features of the processor, disk, network, and memory subsystems was required to withstand the pace set by the exam at 1.5-2 minutes per question. This understanding came after reading the books “Computer Architecture” and “Modern Operating Systems” by E. Tannenbaum and “UNIX Operating System” by A. Robachevsky.



3. Result



The A + certification status obtained as a result of passing 2 exams was lifelong, but I understood that practical skills due to the rapid development of IT technologies quickly become obsolete and for their objective assessment it is required to update and pass these exams every 2-3 years. At the moment (2015), the 8th version of A + is already relevant - the exams discussed in this article received codes 220-802 (OS) and 220-801 (equipment). Well, the status of A + ceased to be issued pozhizennno and now requires confirmation every 2-3 years.



4. Additions to the method of preparation



The method of preparation I used today can be supplemented by the passage of video courses (Computer-based training - CBT), which can be found in search engines by the names of their world leading, for example, Pluralsight (formerly CBT Nuggets), and national - TC Specialist, developers, as well as certification status names and exam codes. It also greatly facilitates the preparation of mass distribution of virtualization technologies that allow relatively cheap equipment using shareware (Oracle Virtual Box, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare ESXi, etc.) to create a full-fledged virtual stand as a set of virtual machines with various operating systems practical skills in their installation, configuration, troubleshooting. In the early 2000s, such a stand was available to me only at the workplace in the system integrator, which significantly complicated the preparation process.



5. Perspectives



The good news was the recognition of the status of CompTIA A + by most of the leading manufacturers of IT technologies (Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, etc.) and its inclusion in their training and certification programs as input requirements for participation in these programs or as a replacement. their certification exams (which helped me a lot in the future in obtaining the engineering status of Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard).



Also, relatively recently, I learned that in many American universities in the undergraduate / graduate programs, as well as in the framework of additional professional education, CompTIA certification is also counted, saving time and money for training. The reason for all this is the very essence of CompTIA, it is one of the largest non-profit organizations involved in the development and support of training programs and certification of IT specialists in accordance with advanced open standards of professional education ISO / IEC 17024, as well as the requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).



6. Continuation of the story



Needless to say, the initiative of the chief production engineer led to an objective improvement in the performance indicators and the quality of work of assemblers at the experimental computer production site and motivated the experiment participants to further develop professionally in the field of information technology using the sounded methodology. Subsequently, I moved to the automation division, where the organization’s network segment with dozens of end users was transferred to my area of ​​responsibility, but this is the story for the next article, the topic of which is CompTIA certification - Network +.



I look forward to questions about training and certification CompTIA at PashkovK@muk.com.ua

Lead InfoSec, EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua/courses/security



Webinar recording by author - CISSP, CISM, CISA, Security + certification preparation program

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