Red Hat Certified Specialist in Services Management and Automation Exam

Course Overview

The performance-based Red Hat Certified Specialist in Services Management and Automation exam (EX358) tests your knowledge in configuring and managing standard Linux services as well as automating the configuration of services. The skills tested in this exam are the foundation for system administration across all Red Hat® products.

This exam is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1 and Ansible 2.9.

Target Audience

In preparation

Study points for the exam

In addition to the objectives listed below, candidates for the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Services Management and Automation exam should consult the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) exam objectives and be capable of RHCE-level tasks, as some of these skills may be required in order to meet the objectives for this exam.

Red Hat Certified Specialist in Services Management and Automation candidates should be able to accomplish the following without assistance. Candidates should be prepared to perform these tasks both manually and using Ansible automation.

- Manage Network Services

• Configure network clients to use either a dynamically or statically assigned address
• Work with both IPv4 and IPv6

- Manage Firewall Services

• Configure system firewalls to allow access to specific services or ports
• Configure system firewalls to allow or deny access from only specific network domains or IP subnets

- Manage SELinux

• Configure SELinux booleans for a given service
• Configure a file or directory's SELinux context

- Manage system processes

• Configure system processes to start on boot
• Prevent a system process from starting

- Manage Link Aggregation

• Create a network team interface consisting of two network interfaces
• Make a network team interface persistent across boots
• Assign a network address to a network team interface
• Configure a teamd runner

- Manage DNS

• Configure a caching nameserver
• Configure an authoritative nameserver using a partially completed zone file
• Configure forward and reverse lookups for both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses

- Manage DHCP

• Configure address assignment within a specified address range
• Configure a specific address assignment to a designated host
• Configure address assignments for both IPv4 and IPv6

- Manage printers

• Create and manage a printer queue for a network printer
• Manage existing printer queues

- Manage Email services

• Configure an email server to forward email to an outbound mail relay
• Use mail clients to read or send email

- Manage a MariaDB database server

• Install and configure a basic MariaDB service
• Restrict access to a MariaDB server to specific network addresses
• Create a MariaDB database
• Manage MariaDB database users and access rights
• Add records to an existing MariaDB database
• Issue simple SQL queries against a MariaDB database
• Create a MariaDB backup
• Import a MariaDB database from a backup

- Manage HTTPD web access

• Install and configure Apache
• Install and configure NGINX
• Configure an alternate document root
• Configure an alternate web access port
• Configure name-based virtual hosts
• Configure a secure web server (HTTPS)
• Provide a static cache to speed up HTTP response time
• Configure an HTTP HAProxy load balancer
• Terminate HTTPS Connections

- Manage iSCSI

• Provide and configure iSCSI targets
• Configure iSCSI initiators to connect persistently to iSCSI targets
• Restrict access to iSCSI services to specific clients and networks

- Manage NFS

• Configure persistent NFS exports
• Configure an NFS client to mount an NFS export persistently
• Restrict access to NFS exports to specific clients and networks

- Manage SMB

• Configure SMB shares
• Create and manage SMB users
• Create SMB only users
• Restrict access to SMB shares
• Mount a SMB share
• Perform a multiuser SMB mount

- Use Ansible to Configure Standard Services

• Create and modify playbooks
• Understand and utilize inventory files
• Use variables in playbooks
• Work with RHEL System Roles

As with all Red Hat performance-based exams, configurations must persist after reboot without intervention.

Course Content

Prerequisites for this exam

• Be a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or have comparable work experience and skills.
• Take our free assessment to find the course that best supports your preparation for this exam.
• Take Red Hat Services Management and Automation (RH358), or have comparable work experience and skills.

Course Prerequisites

Further Information

Audience for this exam

- System administrators responsible for managing large enterprise environments

- System administrators responsible for managing network services

- Red Hat Certified Engineers interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).

Preparation

Red Hat encourages you to consider attending Red Hat Services Management and Automation (RH358) to help prepare.

Attendance in these classes is not required; students can choose to take just the exam.

While attending Red Hat classes can be an important part of your preparation, attending class does not guarantee success on the exam. Previous experience, practice, and native aptitude are also important determinants of success.

Many books and other resources on system administration for Red Hat products are available. Red Hat does not endorse any of these materials as preparation guides for exams. Nevertheless, you may find additional reading helpful to deepen your understanding.

Exam format

The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Services Management and Automation exam is a hands-on, practical exam that requires you to undertake real-world tasks. Internet access is not provided during the exam, and you will not be permitted to bring any hard copy or electronic documentation into the exam. This prohibition includes notes, books, or any other materials. For most exams, the documentation that ships with the product is available during the exam.

Scores and reporting

Official scores for exams come exclusively from Red Hat Certification Central. Red Hat does not authorize examiners or training partners to report results to candidates directly. Scores on the exam are usually reported within 3 U.S. business days.

Exam results are reported as total scores. Red Hat does not report performance on individual items, nor will it provide additional information upon request.

Recommended next exam or course

- Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices (DO447)

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting (RH342)