Last shout for MCNE

Im busy finishing my CNE exams at the moment. If they continue to go well I have a possibility of completing the MCNE before the track retires. Novell have given me until May 14th to finish up. Passed TCP/IP last Friday. Prepping for Advanced Admin and 6.0 upgrade tests now.

It's been a while. I passed CNA 5 in 1999. Then I stopped half way through the CNE. Job change and no Novell. Unfinished business. With the retirement of the CNE 5 and Master CNE coming up I decided to return to the fold and get it finished. Lots of reading books I obtained on ebay and a Netware 5.1 evaluation at home. Nice to use it again. Amazing the recall I have after all these years.

If anyone else is finishing up, drop me a line!

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Webmaster

So, how did you do? Are you one of the last MCNEs?

Turgon

Just passed the Upgrade to Netware 6 test today..

So I am now a CNE!

A CNE in Netware 5 and Netware 6. I began the CNE track in Netware 5 in 1999 but after finishing three tests had a long layoff while my career moved headlong into Solaris and Cisco.

So it's great to return to Novell and finally complete the CNE in 2007. Unfinished business..finally finished.

Cool

Amazing how much you remember after all those years, and I have enjoyed studying the mechanics of NDS and Netware 5 again and Netware 6.

MCNE will require a few more tests, Project +, Internet Security Management with Border Manager 3.5 Enterprise Edition and Groupwise Administration. Depends how I feel about it. It will be a lot of work to finish preparation for those before the track expires.

Webmaster

Congratulations!

That does sound like quite a lot to complete the MCNE, especially considering you are already a CNE twice

Turgon

Thanks Webmaster. We will see how it goes.

Resources used were a Netware 5.1 evaluation and VMWare.

Books were scarce but I obtained the following off amazon:

Advanced Netware 5 Administration by Melanie Hoag - Exam Cram.
CNE Update to Netware 6 by David James Clarke IV - Novell Press.
Groupwise 6 Administrators Guide - Novell Press
BorderManager Admistrators Guide - Novell Press
Project+ - Sybex

I also downloaded old brainbuzz cramsessions for both these exams and the TCP/IP for Network Professionals elective. Patchy in areas but the books filled in the gaps.

Marie Perry's notes for course 3000 Upgrading to Netware 6. (Thank you Marie)
Novell site documentation.

Novell approved STS software was pretty useful for drills and testing understanding of concepts as you pour over the cramsessions and books. Good explanation of things.

The Clarke book is pretty good and thankfully less zany than the big CNE 5 book I used for my three exams way back in 1999/2000

sthomas

Congrats and good luck on your MCNE if you decide to finish it.

Kasor

Good Luck on MCNE.

I'm a CNE for NetWare 5 & 6. However, I didn't go for MCNE because of no need for my job. Anyway.. have fun on the studying and let us how thing go.

Turgon

Well,

Yesterday I passed BorderManager 3.5 Enterprise Edition but I came up short on Groupwise 6 Administration getting 74% of what I needed to pass that one.

That gave me just one day left, today in fact to resit before the exams expire. I decided not to bother. I reckon I needed at least another week with the Novell Press Groupwise 6 Administrators guide to bone up properly for this test and I have simply run out of time because the track is expiring. It's a bit of a shame, another week and I reckon I would have passed it and become an MCNE.

Project+ I prepared for and Im pretty confident I would pass that one, but with the MCNE off the radar now I saved myself 300 dollars on that test.

So I finish with the CNE in Netware 5 and 6, and a specialism in BorderManager 3.5 Enterprise Edition. 4 passes in an intense 8 weeks of studying. It's been a blast.

Thanks Novell!

Kasor

Hey... hey.... Turgon is back

mikej412

Turgon wrote:

That gave me just one day left, today in fact to resit before the exams expire. I decided not to bother.

ARGH!!!!

nurturer

I have 3 Master CNE's, but I have been out of the Novell loop for about 6 years.

Is the MCNE getting cancelled or being replaced with something else?

And are we going to have to upgrade to something else?

Turgon

nurturer wrote:

I have 3 Master CNE's, but I have been out of the Novell loop for about 6 years.

Is the MCNE getting cancelled or being replaced with something else?

And are we going to have to upgrade to something else?

Unless you kept up with MCNE requirements when the certification was retired you are no longer an MCNE.

I believe you can only have the one MCNE although you did have to update it to meet CCR.

The MCNE is now officially toast. If your MCNE was current i.e you passed Project + and all the ongoing requirements to renew your MCNE when you first got it then the good news is you keep it for life!

If not, then your MCNE status has expired and you are no longer an MCNE.

I know one MCNE who let hers slide a year or so back because she couldn't justify the expense of updating her exams etc because she wouldn't be making enough return on the investment by teaching what she would have to learn and renew in order to retain her MCNE status.

It is not possible now to renew your MCNE or obtain one afresh, the track is now closed by Novell.

Kasor

Have anyone talk to Novell about what will be continue...? I never see any promotion about Novell certification like NetWare, GroupWise...... CNA/CNE.

U know

enrious

Turgon wrote:

nurturer wrote:

I have 3 Master CNE's, but I have been out of the Novell loop for about 6 years.

Is the MCNE getting cancelled or being replaced with something else?

And are we going to have to upgrade to something else?

Unless you kept up with MCNE requirements when the certification was retired you are no longer an MCNE.

I believe you can only have the one MCNE although you did have to update it to meet CCR.

The MCNE is now officially toast. If your MCNE was current i.e you passed Project + and all the ongoing requirements to renew your MCNE when you first got it then the good news is you keep it for life!

If not, then your MCNE status has expired and you are no longer an MCNE.

At the risk of threadcromancy...

To clarify, Novell had a variety of MCNEs, each with a different specialty. For example, there was an MCNE (Messaging) that focused on Groupwise and a MCNE (Interoperability: Windows) that focused on Netware/Windows integration. I suspect that it was what the poster meant when he said he had three MCNEs - because you could, in fact, have three MCNEs.

Also, if you obtained MCNE, even if it's expired and even if you didn't renew it on NW6, you are still a MCNE. Note the last sentence.

"Certifications Retired to Legacy* Status:
Master CNE
NetWare 5 CNE
NetWare 5 CNA

*NOTE: "Legacy" is the status given to a certification that will remain with a candidate after a program is no longer active, supported or promoted. After a program is moved to Legacy, candidates can no longer certify in this program. Although the program is retired, the candidate's certification status will always remain with them."

http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/retire5.html

Turgon

enrious wrote:

Turgon wrote:

nurturer wrote:

I have 3 Master CNE's, but I have been out of the Novell loop for about 6 years.

Is the MCNE getting cancelled or being replaced with something else?

And are we going to have to upgrade to something else?

Unless you kept up with MCNE requirements when the certification was retired you are no longer an MCNE.

I believe you can only have the one MCNE although you did have to update it to meet CCR.

The MCNE is now officially toast. If your MCNE was current i.e you passed Project + and all the ongoing requirements to renew your MCNE when you first got it then the good news is you keep it for life!

If not, then your MCNE status has expired and you are no longer an MCNE.

At the risk of threadcromancy...

To clarify, Novell had a variety of MCNEs, each with a different specialty. For example, there was an MCNE (Messaging) that focused on Groupwise and a MCNE (Interoperability: Windows) that focused on Netware/Windows integration. I suspect that it was what the poster meant when he said he had three MCNEs - because you could, in fact, have three MCNEs.

Also, if you obtained MCNE, even if it's expired and even if you didn't renew it on NW6, you are still a MCNE. Note the last sentence.

"Certifications Retired to Legacy* Status:
Master CNE
NetWare 5 CNE
NetWare 5 CNA

*NOTE: "Legacy" is the status given to a certification that will remain with a candidate after a program is no longer active, supported or promoted. After a program is moved to Legacy, candidates can no longer certify in this program. Although the program is retired, the candidate's certification status will always remain with them."

http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/retire5.html

What Novell says goes. However I believe you can only retain the title of MCNE providing you kept up with the CCR requirements of maintaining MCNE status before the track expired. For example the CCR requirements of the MCNE in the early 2000's required the MCNE to take Project+ and if they didn't they lost MCNE status. I know at least one MCNE who let the cert slide for that reason.

So if you had a current MCNE before it was retired you get to keep it it. If you failed to meet CCR obligations while you were an MCNE you no longer have the title and haven't had it for sometime in all likelyhood.

nurturer

Sorry if I sound negative, but this is the same, lame money making scheme I see from Microsoft. As also appears with NOVELL, they have to change our credentials value, by having themselves (NOVELL) stay current.

I got the CNE for 3.12 back in the day in 1995. After that it was 4, IntraNetWare and 5. Master CNE was the cert to strive for to distinguish oneself from the crowd. So, I took the year to get the first one. BorderManager. Then I decided on two more, which was allowed then.

Then Novell decides, with no explanation that I can remember, that you could only have ONE Master CNE. No more multiple tracks.

I understand the upgrade to maintain the MCNE - CNE 6 with Project +. I did it, and retained my MCNE'S. Then came the CDE. I knew this was the one to have. Directory Services, baby.

DA DA DA DA FUTURE.

Right?

WRONG!

Novell bragged about its 'rigourous' training and practicum at b]$400[/b] a pop. Two exams, one practicum. I'm almost through the first course workbook, when suddenly, Novell changes the rules.

"Any candidate that passes the practicum, is exempt from the first exam."

My attitude was at the time, "Look Novell. Make clear, concise rules on what is required of your candidates and your precious certifications."

And YES, I wrote to Novell certification to complain, and no, I didn't get an answer.

The Novell certification DOE-DOE's should have made it clear up front that the first exam was redundant IF you pass the practicum. PERIOD. Not notify people a year AFTER the program has been in place. To me, by changing the rules in mid-stride, I got the instinctive feeling that even Novell didn't believe in it's CDE certification. And guess what? I was right. Because the CDE no longer exists.

After taking the MS route for several years, I come to discover that there is no such thing as a Master CNE any more. They don't even have a replacement certification in place. They remove the value of calling what we worked for "LEGACY" with no "CURRENT" alternative in place.

BRILLIANT.

Maybe alot of you assume that this is the nature of the beast and you'd probably be right, but so long as the changes to the NOS and their add-on applications have not changed that radically, then to turn a certification from current to legacy to me is nothing more that to place emphasis on their LINUX opportunites and once again move away from what is already working.

Turgon

nurturer wrote:

Sorry if I sound negative, but this is the same, lame money making scheme I see from Microsoft. As also appears with NOVELL, they have to change our credentials value, by having themselves (NOVELL) stay current.

I got the CNE for 3.12 back in the day in 1995. After that it was 4, IntraNetWare and 5. Master CNE was the cert to strive for to distinguish oneself from the crowd. So, I took the year to get the first one. BorderManager. Then I decided on two more, which was allowed then.

Then Novell decides, with no explanation that I can remember, that you could only have ONE Master CNE. No more multiple tracks.

I understand the upgrade to maintain the MCNE - CNE 6 with Project +. I did it, and retained my MCNE'S. Then came the CDE. I knew this was the one to have. Directory Services, baby.

DA DA DA DA FUTURE.

Right?

WRONG!

Novell bragged about its 'rigourous' training and practicum at b]$400[/b] a pop. Two exams, one practicum. I'm almost through the first course workbook, when suddenly, Novell changes the rules.

"Any candidate that passes the practicum, is exempt from the first exam."

My attitude was at the time, "Look Novell. Make clear, concise rules on what is required of your candidates and your precious certifications."

And YES, I wrote to Novell certification to complain, and no, I didn't get an answer.

The Novell certification DOE-DOE's should have made it clear up front that the first exam was redundant IF you pass the practicum. PERIOD. Not notify people a year AFTER the program has been in place. To me, by changing the rules in mid-stride, I got the instinctive feeling that even Novell didn't believe in it's CDE certification. And guess what? I was right. Because the CDE no longer exists.

After taking the MS route for several years, I come to discover that there is no such thing as a Master CNE any more. They don't even have a replacement certification in place. They remove the value of calling what we worked for "LEGACY" with no "CURRENT" alternative in place.

BRILLIANT.

Maybe alot of you assume that this is the nature of the beast and you'd probably be right, but so long as the changes to the NOS and their add-on applications have not changed that radically, then to turn a certification from current to legacy to me is nothing more that to place emphasis on their LINUX opportunites and once again move away from what is already working.

The MCNE found itself on shifting sand throughout 2001 - 2003. I think the requirements to become an MCNE changed at least twice during that period, as did the continuing certification requirements for existing MCNEs. Novell were quite clear about the MCNE situation when I contacted them this year. It was going to be retired in July 2007 and the only MCNE's that would be able to retain the MCNE title would be those MCNE's that completed all the MCNE recertification requirements before the track was retired this summer. To that end a lot of MCNEs ceased to be MCNEs long before the track was retired.

Those that still have the MCNE have had plenty of time to complete any CCR's should they have wished to do so. When I found out about the situation in the spring of this year I still had 3 exams to hurry up and finish to get my CNE before the exams I already held in Netware 5 (obtained in 2000) expired as the NW5 track expired this summer also. I managed to do that and upgrade to CNE 6. I also did bordermanager but simply ran out of time to prep for and pass Groupwise 6 before the MCNE deadline expired. Such is life.

It's not the end of the world. While I would have been very pleased to complete the MCNE it has been a diminishing currency for a few years now.

To be honest a lot of MCNEs were just bloat. It's a grand title but not that difficult to obtain if you could be bothered. It was simply just a few more tests on top of CNE. This was pointed out to me by an MCNE back in 2001. He said everyone was impressed by the title but it was just another couple of tests and no big deal. And he was a project manager! Over the years many CNE candidates finding the cost of Novell courses and Novell Self Study kits prohibitively expensive went the self study route using Clarke books and such. It was an exhausting and hit and miss affair taking the tests after spending ages wading through those tomes.

But it you were lucky enough to do the actual Novell courses you were very well set for the exams. All the questions in the test came from the examples you worked in labs in the classroom. The workbooks provided for classroom candidates could be taken away and studied and you were set. Or instead you could buy the costly self study kits from Novell and the answers for the exams are in those materials. This is how a lot of people turned around their CNE in quick time.

For the MCNE all you needed was time to prepare for a few more exams on top of the CNE and those exams are not any harder. BorderManager, Groupwise, Zen. You just needed time to prepare properly thats all. After 5 years away from Netware in the space of three months slogging away I had covered enough to pass 4 exams. I had access to neither Novell self study materials or class room training and I certainly wasn't going to use braindumps. I passed using Novell Press books and a Netware lab at home.

I agree Novell are moving away from Netware to the linux space but that's just the way it is. Once my CCIE is out of the way Im looking forward to NCE and CLP 10

enrious

Turgon wrote:

It was going to be retired in July 2007 and the only MCNE's that would be able to retain the MCNE title would be those MCNE's that completed all the MCNE recertification requirements before the track was retired this summer. To that end a lot of MCNEs ceased to be MCNEs long before the track was retired.

Not to dispute you, but...

"*NOTE: "Legacy" is the status given to a certification that will remain with a candidate after a program is no longer active, supported or promoted. After a program is moved to Legacy, candidates can no longer certify in this program. Although the program is retired, the candidate's certification status will always remain with them."

- bottom of http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/retire5.html

Seems pretty simple to me.

To be honest a lot of MCNEs were just bloat. It's a grand title but not that difficult to obtain if you could be bothered. It was simply just a few more tests on top of CNE. This was pointed out to me by an MCNE back in 2001. He said everyone was impressed by the title but it was just another couple of tests and no big deal.

No argument from me, but looking back at the times when you had fairly homogeneous networks, I can understand that it was unusual for someone to learn more than one vendor's product, which is where some of the MCNE track filled in. That said, all it involved was a few more exams that may not have been on the beaten path.

Turgon

enrious wrote:

Turgon wrote:

It was going to be retired in July 2007 and the only MCNE's that would be able to retain the MCNE title would be those MCNE's that completed all the MCNE recertification requirements before the track was retired this summer. To that end a lot of MCNEs ceased to be MCNEs long before the track was retired.

Not to dispute you, but...

"*NOTE: "Legacy" is the status given to a certification that will remain with a candidate after a program is no longer active, supported or promoted. After a program is moved to Legacy, candidates can no longer certify in this program. Although the program is retired, the candidate's certification status will always remain with them."

- bottom of http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/retire5.html

Im afraid you have misunderstood. The only MCNE's who can retain the title for life are those who kept up with all the CCR requirements. MCNE's who did not do that before the retirement of the track have lost MCNE status.

enrious

First, I re-read my post and didn't mean to sound that snarky. My apologies.

Now then, below is my certification status, still marking me as a certified MCNE. This was as of today.

http://cid-0dc683a1c2775f20.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/novellcert.JPG

Turgon

enrious wrote:

First, I re-read my post and didn't mean to sound that snarky. My apologies.

Now then, below is my certification status, still marking me as a certified MCNE. This was as of today.

http://cid-0dc683a1c2775f20.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/novellcert.JPG

You must have kept up with the CCR requirements to maintain your MCNE. I think that means you should be a CNE in Netware 6. Did you do the upgrade exams for 4, 5 and 6 to keep your CNE current and the Project + exam?

Interestingly your latest CNE in Netware 5 is showing as expired. With the CNE being a prerequisite for the MCNE that could mean that your MCNE has expired also. Wierd. No doubt there is a rational explanation for it. If not check with Novell.

petedude

I'd thought about making a last run for the MCNE, but decided against it in favor of (re)starting my college pursuits. Overall I'm happy with that judgment call, but still a little sentimental about it.