General Information & FAQ
Linux Training Requirements & Policies
- Requirements for Open Enrollment Linux Training
- Open-Enrollment Course Policy
- On-Site Linux Training Facility Requirements
- On-Site Linux Training Policy
Linux Training FAQ
General Questions
1. What are the differences between Linux classroom training and online Linux classes?
2. What are the Linux training prerequisites for Linux Foundation classes?
3. Is there a test or will I receive a certificate of competion?
4. Is lab equipment provided for Linux classroom training?
5. Can I record a class?
6. What forms of payment are accepted for registration?
7. What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule a class?
8. Do you offer any discounts for multiple students, multiple classes, etc.?
Classroom Linux Training Questions
9. What is the average Linux classroom size?
10. What will I need to bring to class and how early should I arrive on the first day?
11. When will I get access to lab exercises and the course manual?
Online Linux Training Questions
12. What does the online classroom look like?
13. What time zone will the online classes be held in?
14. What kind of setup do I need in order to join in the virtual class?
15. Can I use a Virtualized Machine instead of a physical one?
16. What kind of software and hardware do I need to join the class?
17. Can I record the class?
18. What if I cannot connect to the class?
General Questions
1. What are the differences between Linux classroom training and online Linux classes?
Whether delivered in a classroom or online class, we offer the same manuals and content for a course. While there is no substitute for an instructor's ability to directly look over a student's shoulder, the savings in travel costs and convenience of receiving the same great training content remotely make online Linux classes a feasible and attractive option.
Unless specified otherwise, students are expected to provide their own systems in both classroom and online Linux classes. Students may either use an existing system setup or can follow instructions provided by The Linux Foundation to prepare a fresh installation for a class. A virtual machine may suffice in most cases, but The Linux Foundation is not responsible for providing tech support on the use or deployment of virtualization environments as it is beyond the reasonable scope of training.
Unless specified otherwise, online Linux classes are typically scheduled for 9am-5pm U.S. Central Time, while Classroom sessions are scheduled for 9am-5pm in local time zones. Online Linux classes typically require students to register as early as possible to allow timely delivery of class manuals. If registration is completed less than 2 weeks before a class, expedited shipping and processing fees may be charged.
2. What prerequisites are there for Linux Foundation classes?
We generally make our courses as independent as possible and most courses are not offered as a progressive curriculum in which one class leads to another. (The only exception currently are the first three courses in our System Administration curriculum covering Introduction to Linux (LF202), Linux Administration (LF242), and Linux Network Management (LF342).)
Prospective students are expected to carefully review the Linux training prerequisites listed in each course description and to take the self-assessment tests that we have made available for specific courses. It is up to the prospective student to properly ascertain whether they meet the Linux training prerequisites or not. The Linux Foundation will not be responsible for any students who fail to properly assess their own readiness for a course.
3. Is there a test or will I receive a certificate of completion?
The Linux Foundation does not gives examinations in its classes. All students who complete the registration and evaluation survey for a class will receive a Certificate of Completion via email indicating the course title and dates of attendance.
4. Is lab equipment provided for Linux classroom training?
The Linux Foundation may provide lab equipment for courses that require lab exercises to be performed on specified hardware. For example, embedded development courses often require Beagle Boards or Beagle Bones for the lab exercises, so for open enrollment classes, students will receive a Beagle Board or Beagle Bone kit along with a course manual.
Unless otherwise stated, students are expected to provide their own computer systems for Linux classroom training. If it meets the minimum requirements, students can use their existing system setup, or they can follow instructions provided by The Linux Foundation to prepare a fresh installation for a class. In most cases, a virtual machine may suffice, but The Linux Foundation is not responsible for providing technical support on the use or deployment of virtualization environments as it is beyond the reasonable scope of training.
5.Can I record a class?
No. The Linux Foundation does not permit recording and/or reuse of its copyrighted material.
6. What forms of payment are accepted for registration?
The Linux Foundation accepts all major credit cards for payment of registration fees.
7. What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule a class?
Refunds will be issued for cancellation requests received at least 12 days prior to the start date for the class and are subject to a 3% processing fee. Cancellation requests must be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with registration ID included.
If you are unable to attend, you can substitute another attendee in lieu of cancellation. To substitute an attendee, you may return to the registration form, login to View or Change Existing Registration, and edit the registration with the new attendee's information. Utilizing this feature will also allow you to view and print the receipt and confirmation.
Rescheduling may be allowed if request is received more than 14 days before start date of a class. No guarantees can be made as to when the next possible session of a course will be scheduled. Such rescheduling can be done twice without incurring penalties. If rescheduling is requested with less than 14 days before the class starts, the student will be assessed a 50 percent penalty fee. The fee must be paid before the class can be retaken. The same penalty will be assessed if rescheduling is requested more than twice, even if it is done with more than 14 days notice before class.
Please see our Linux Open Enrollment Course Policy for full details.
8. Do you offer any discounts for multiple students, multiple classes, etc.?
Please see Discounts and Training Units for more details on available discounts. Limit one discount or promo code per registration.
Linux Classroom Training Questions
9. What is the average Linux classroom size?
The exact size of a Linux classroom training will depend on classroom facilities and enrollment. Generally, we try to keep the number of students at or below 15 for open enrollment classes to ensure a higher level of student-instructor interaction and to facilitate assistance from instructors during lab exercises.
10. What will I need to bring to class and how early should I arrive on the first day?
Students are expected to provide their own computer systems for Linux classroom training. If it meets the minimum requirements, students can use their existing system setup, or they can follow instructions provided by The Linux Foundation to prepare a fresh installation for a class. In most cases, a virtual machine may suffice, but The Linux Foundation is not responsible for providing technical support on the use or deployment of virtualization environments as it is beyond the reasonable scope of training. Please see Requirements for Open Enrollment Linux Training for more details on the setup of computer environments.
We suggest that you arrive early enough to make sure that your computer equipment is setup correctly and that you are ready to begin the class at the scheduled time.
11. When will I get access to lab exercises and the course manual?
Course manuals are distributed to students at the beginning of class. Students will also be given access to lab exercises when the class begins, and they will be able to download solutions and corrected solutions after class from The Linux Foundation's training website.
Online Linux Training Questions
12. What does the online classroom look like?
Learn more about Online Linux Training.
13. What timezone will the online classes be held in?
All online Linux classes are currently set to begin at 9:00am U.S. Central Time Zone. This is a time zone that aims to accommodate North American, South American, and European Central time zones. (For Central Europe, it would mean a start time of 4:00pm and end time of midnight. While not ideal, it is bearable for most students.) We can arrange classes during other time zones, including APAC, if sufficient demand is present.
14. What kind of setup do I need to join the online Linux class?
You will need to have a recent Linux distribution installed on your computer, with a broadband Internet connection. You may use any distribution you choose (all of our training is vendor-neutral), but we are able to provide instructions and support for RPM-based systems only (e.g. Red Hat, Fedora, SuSe, CentOS) and deb-based systems (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu).
A normal installation of any major recent distribution will give you almost all necessary tools, while the instructor and course manual can provide guidance on missing ingredients if necessary. We do have custom kickstart files you can use for RHEL and CentOS installs, which can be provided upon request. For Linux kernel classes (such as LF331 Developing Linux Device Drivers and LF320 Linux Kernel Internals and Debugging) it is recommended that you start either with a clean machine or at least clean partitions, as you can expect to crash and hang your systems during the course of the class (otherwise you're not having fun) and you don't want to cause real damage to your daily working environment. Please beware that though unlikely, The Linux Foundation can’t be responsible for such outcomes and because we are not physically present to help you recover, it may be difficult to quickly get back in shape. For this reason, you may want to work on one machine while participating in our online Linux classes. View the Requirements for Open Enrollment Linux Training for more details.
15. Can I use a Virtualized Machine instead of a physical one?
For most classes, you may use a virtualized Linux machine running on any operating system as a host. However, due to the multiple choices available both in host operating systems and virtualization methods, we can not be expected to offer technical support. In particular, some of these operating systems and virtualization products are proprietary and not open source, and we can't spend time trying to figure out if the problem is in what we are doing or in the underlying infrastructure. For some Linux kernel classes, you may need access to hardware such as USB ports for lab exercises and they may be unavailable or hard to configure in your virtualization methods. While we don't recommend a virtualized machine, it is possible to do all of our classes using one, as long as you have enough experience and feel confident enough to personally handle any setup, installation, and debugging issues that may develop.
View the Requirements for Open Enrollment Linux Training for more details.
16. What kind of software and hardware do I need to join an online class?
You'll need a broadband internet connection capable of 128 kbs (minimum) download speed and a normal telephone line you can tie up all day. We will supply all the software you need in advance of the class, and give you detailed instructions upon enrollment. View the Requirements for Open Enrollment Linux Training for more details.
17. Can I record the class?
No. The Linux Foundation does not permit recording and/or reuse of its copyrighted material.
18. What if I cannot connect to the online Linux class?
If there is a problem with the Linux Foundation's connection to the session, we will present a makeup session as soon as possible. If the problem is on your end, of course, we can not be responsible.
