The Network’s Down…Now What?
A Network Survival Guide, Part II

George Spalding

Sirens screaming, the ambulance careens to a stop as the automatic doors of the hospital slide open with a WHOOOSH!!, EMTs & paramedics jump out and rush the patient into the ER shouting status numbers, deftly they move him from the gurney to the table…on 3, doctors, residents and nurses huddle around yelling unintelligible orders filled with strange technical names, needles, IVs, paddles, CLEAR!!, all the resources at the disposal of medical science are being focused on this patient in crisis. They just might be able to save him. His condition wouldn’t be nearly as life-threatening if only he had listened to them earlier. There were signs…if only he had heeded the warnings when they told him he had to. If only…

Just like people, networks get sick too. And just like people, there are warning signs, early indicators and preliminary small events leading up to -- the big one. Like any complex organism, networks need to be monitored and watched, tweaked and adjusted, tuned and repaired to achieve maximum efficiency. And as with people, the best medicine for sick networks is the prevention of problems…a wellness program, if you will. After all, no one wants to experience THE BIG ONE. We need a way of catching the small problems before they turn into big ones. There are many wonderful software products available to help us in this quest: Intel LanDesk, HP OpenView, Novell ManageWise, Compaq Insight Manager and the (soon to be released) Microsoft Management Console. Each of these products can help us track resource usage, identify problem areas, analyze trends, and, in some cases, even execute a remote "fix". But great software alone just isn’t enough. It’s a highly sophisticated (and expensive) tool to be used by "networking professionals" who can understand and utilize the inevitably complex output.

Just who are all these "networking professionals" anyway? (And how do I get to be one?) I’ll tell you who they are…they’re the super-nerds, that’s who! They are the people you mocked and kicked sand in the face at the beach. They are the geeks! They are the one’s who were picked last for kickball. They are the one’s who took that 6’7" amazon to the high school prom. They are the ones who passed Phy Ed with a written test on the rules of tennis. They are the one’s who set reminders for bodily hygiene in Schedule Plus. They love gadgets and gizmos. They evangelize about technology. Let’s face it…they’re Bill friggin’ Gates.

But now they also come with initials following their name. Acronyms like CNE & MCSE adorn their resumes. Badges of honor in the constant battle against computer network ignorance (and incompetence). The nerds are now certified. But why? Why certification? What is the driving force? What makes it so overwhelmingly popular? What made it necessary? Networks are complex. Managers and business owners in the late 1980s didn’t know from networks. If they were going to drop major change on complex technology, it had better come with its own built-in repair and maintenance crew. Novell wanted to sell lots of networks. They knew that if there was no one to support them, no one would buy them. Enter the certified network engineer. Knowledgeable, qualified (we’ll talk more about this later) and proudly wearing the manufacturer’s seal of approval. "You’re hired, son! (and I’ll buy some of them networks too)."

There is no question that certification programs have been responsible for the explosive acceptance of LAN (Local Area Network) technology. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular networking certifications. We’ll start with the oldest and the largest certification program in the computer networking industry, the granddaddy of networking certification. About nine years ago, Novell began offering a certification program for CNEs (Certified Netware Engineers). There was no real model for this, so Novell basically had to make it up as they went along. To its credit, Novell has steadfastly maintained its commitment to the quality and thoroughness of the program to this day. In the early days, the testing was at CDC’s Plato Testing Centers (I was there, we could actually use the textbooks), which begat Drake, which begat the current Sylvan Prometric Testing Centers headquartered in Minnesota (every certification program now uses Sylvan for testing). As the technology changed and the product offerings grew Novell (constantly) adjusted the certification program. Today you can be a Netware 3.x CNE or a Netware 4.x CNE or a 3.x CNA (Certified Netware Administrator) or a 4.x CNA or an MCNE (Master CNE) which is basically a combined 3.x/4.x CNE with Wide Area Internetworking expertise thrown in. You can also become a Groupwise (Email & Workgroup Computing) CNE. To become a basic CNE you must pass 8 tests with about an 80-85% level of proficiency, while an MCNE must pass even more. Training is available at hundreds of NAEC (Novell Authorized Education Centers) around the world. Novell has done a bang-up job of marketing the need for qualified network support folks. Worldwide numbers today indicate approximately 110,000 current CNEs, 10,000 MCNEs and 12,000 CNIs (Certified Netware Instructors). For a time, Novell was taking major hits in the trade press about "paper CNEs", folks who could go to class, read the books, study and pass the tests, but had never seen a real network. I believe that the criticism might have been justified a few years back, but it is not true today. Novell’s current exams are quite challenging and relevant.

Next comes Microsoft, the new kid on the block when it comes to both networks and certification. Microsoft started in 1993 with networks (NT 3.1) and certification, the MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) status which took 2 tests. Since Microsoft technology at the time was basically viewed as desktop operating systems (DOS & Windows 3.x) and, therefore, not complex by networking standards, the MCP (I am number 2104) was of little real value. It wasn’t until 95 when Microsoft introduced the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) that things started really taking off. It was also about that time that two major events happened: 1) millions of companies/people bought and installed Windows 95 and 2) NT 3.51 began to actually sell multiple copies and run networks in small (and some large) companies who, by extension, now needed the built-in repair and maintenance crew for their new, complex (and relatively obscure) network operating system. An MCPS (Microsoft Certified Product Specialist) needs to pass 1 test, an MCSE must pass 6 tests. Microsoft exams are proving quite difficult and challenging to many (like me). Training is available at hundreds of ATECs (Authorized Training and Education Centers) around the world. Current numbers are about 100,000 MCPs, 24,000 MCSEs and 9000 MCTs (Microsoft Certified Trainers) worldwide.

Microsoft likes to brag that it has more MCPSs & MCSEs combined than Novell has CNEs & MCNEs. This is a ludicrous comparison as an MCPS exists after passing only one test while it takes 8 tests to make a CNE. This is equivalent to saying that more people graduate from high school than from college. Duh! This is truly apples and oranges, Bill, and nobody with half a brain cares. What Microsoft should be telling people is that there are plenty of existing CNEs to handle the installed Novell base and a drastic shortage of MCSEs for the current and projected NT installed base. There is no question that in today’s world an MCSE is much more valuable than a CNE. I mean valuable in dollars and cents, it’s simply a matter of supply and demand. It won’t always be this good, but it looks hot for the next 3 to 5 years. FYI, having both a CNE and an MCSE is even more valuable yet, if you know what I mean ($$$$). Recently both Novell and Microsoft have added special Internet certifications.

No discussion of network certification would be complete without a nod to the ultimate, the apex of nerds, the god of geeks, the guru’s guru, by far the most difficult (and valuable) – the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert). Requires 2 years of internetworking field experience, plus 5 Sylvan tests (really hard), plus the CCIE lab test (a bitch, I hear). Almost guarantees you a good job with a salary approaching six figures. When you’re finished you can run the Internet in your sleep. Tech wimps need not apply.

In addition, many hardware vendors (Sun, DEC, IBM) offer certification for troubleshooting and repair of their specific products. And let’s not forget CompTIA’s (Computer Technology Industry Association) "A+" certification. A+ tests basic PC hardware knowledge and general knowledge of PC & Mac operating systems.

There’s a perceived problem with certification that no one has yet been able to solve. You hire a bright young person with little experience but lots of potential, you don’t pay them much, you give them technical responsibilities, to assist them in meeting their responsibilities you train them, they learn, you give them more responsibility, more training, more learning, more responsibility, more training, etc. They use the training to pass tests. They become certified. Now they have 2 years worth of valuable experience and a hot certification, all on your dime. They leave for a better job paying lots more money. You feel bitter and betrayed. Where is their loyalty, you ask. You’re wrong. You should feel stupid…not for training and investing in them (what other choice did you have?), but for not recognizing their increased value as you were creating it and for not having the foresight to pony up some more cash before they were forced to leave to get paid what they’re now worth. Remember you got all that expertise at bargain basement rates for the last 12 months or so.

In closing, I need to mention a brand new certification program for support types just peeking over the horizon…the s2c2 (Support Services Career Certification) program. Check it out at www.s2c2.org. It is being spawned out of HDI and will soon become its own entity within SOFTBANK. The concept is to define and evaluate just exactly what it takes to make a good support person and then certify people in those skills. It’s just moving into the pilot phase and promises to be one of the most exciting developments in support in this decade. I am currently consulting on the pilot project in Houston. I’ll keep you posted.

Technical Certification is here to stay. The manufacturers want it to sell more product. The corporations want it to provide a minimum guarantee of competence for new hires. The training vendors need it to support their entire business. The "network professionals" want it to differentiate themselves from the masses of also-nerds ("If you’re so good, why ain’t you certified?"). So "Don’t Worry, Be Certified."

George Spalding is an MCSE, MCPS, MCP, MCT, CNE, CNA, CNI who tweaks networks and specializes in making support organizations more productive. He can be reached at: gspalding@helplines.com.