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Rick Butler · 2026-09-29T17:21:58-0500

So as I sit here writing Anthology reports and installing Omarchy on an old OptiPlex 7070, and trying to work on my SC300 MSFT learning, I can hear Redmond crying now...

Okay, not really, but @jasoneckert should appreciate the joke. But I thought I'd share with all of you the next steps on the journey with my walk away from Microsoft and their incessant need to push Copilot into every corner of my life.

So, in my list of learn by doing stuff for Linux - here are my current personal research projects:

1) AlienWare X17R1 running Commodore Vision OS 3.1 - still waiting for 4.0 to come out
2) Surface 5 with Linux Mint - it's almost heresy, but these days, Microsoft and I are pretty much frenemies.
3) Puppy, then Lubuntu on a Dell Chromebook 3400 - I may switch this one up with Omarchy - Wow, had to pull the battery so I could clear Google's stranglehold and load a proper UEFI BIOS so it would even take Linux. Say goodbye, ChromeOS - I never really loved you.
4) AlienWare M18 running Ubuntu 26 - The divorce is still in place; I have not gone crawling back to
5) Avalanche OS on my old LG G Watch. Finally breathed life back into my ailing timepiece.

I thought about resurrecting my Harvester HCI environment - had a 16 node cluster set up - that I never really leveraged...sadly.

So, what are your side-table projects that you have rolling?

Mitch Garvis · 2026-09-29T08:15:03-0500

I cannot imagine dropping Windows completely... but I have curtailed my use of it somewhat. Story to follow. (and yes, I was married to a Microsoftie, and she divorced me! Turnabout would be fair play

)

Mitch Garvis · 2026-09-29T08:03:03-0500

Wezzie Lukhere said:
Today I just passed Linux +. One needs to be on top of things to pass Linux + , its not an easy exam. Thanks Steve, CIN Director and Jason for all the resources and support. Its full of commands and hands on application of Linux stuff. One really needs to know what is happening otherwise, you can be left off guard.

Thanks Thanks

Congratulations Wezzie! I passed it in November and agree that it is NOT an easy exam. Fortunately, CompTIA has plenty of resources to help.

Ozidi Odunze · 2026-09-29T06:15:29-0500

Mitch Garvis said:
Interesting... I don't see a thread about this reasonably new certification?

OUR STORY SO FAR:

It was Friday afternoon when the training broker emailed me to ask if I have this certification, and if I am available the weeks of September 28 and October 5. Available? YES. Certified? No... but it is a mesh of cybersecurity and AI so it shouldn't take much. 'Can you be certified by Tuesday?' Wow, that's cutting it tight... but who needs a weekend when Monday is the holiest day of the Jewish year, right? Fine... I booked my exam appointment and downloaded the courseware.

I blazed through the course manual and PowerPoints over the weekend, and by the time I lit the candles I was comfortable in where I was. I would have another hour or two to study Monday night after breaking the fast, and then if I felt I needed it again on Tuesday morning.

(I did not count on getting sick Sunday evening and spending a lot of the next 36 hours very under the weather)

Tuesday morning I scrambled to arrange my makeshift exam area in the hallway; I made sure my son would take his German Shepherd out for a couple of hours, and I bribed my (much smaller) dog with treats so that she would let me sit the exam undisturbed.

It was one of those exams when I was not sure what the final page would say... but when I clicked and it read that I passed I was relieved. Also... it was not a borderline pass. Yay.

This marks the eleventh CompTIA exam that I have passed. To date my record is 11-0, which is much better than my record on Microsoft exams.

I realized as I booked the exam that this is the first version 1 of a CompTIA certification that I have ever taken. I never sat a CompTIA exam until 2021... my Network+ was the 98th certification exam I ever sat. I may have come late to the party with CompTIA, and while I might regret not starting sooner, I am glad I started. I am enjoying the vendor agnostic nature of the certifications that I never had with Microsoft or VMware... and there seems to be a lot more teaching opportunities for CompTIA these days than some other vendors.

Now let's see how much I enjoy delivering the SecAI+ in person next week!

I relate to your experience!

Abobakr Samim Khorami · 2026-09-28T20:46:40-0500

No advice but, wish you a good chance.

Gregory Childers said:
I'll be taking the Linux+ XK0-006 exam this week. I have to admit that my Linux experience isn't on par with my Windows experience, but I do know a lot about hardware, software, scripting, security, networking, IAM, etc.

Do you have any advice that might help me prepare for the Linux+ exam? I have access to the CertMaster Learn, Labs, and Study materials. I also have access to the Instructor PDF and the slide decks for the class. Any sage advice, tips and tricks, "must-know" topics, or hints you can provide (without violating the NDA) would be greatly appreciate

Ednei P. de Melo · 2026-09-28T07:49:18-0500

Don't forget to focus on the finer points and details of technologies and services related to Linux and its software - such as configuration parameters, system architecture, package management, fine-tuning, and so on. I came across some questions exploring aspects that aren't heavily highlighted in study materials; had I not been a regular user of the system, they would have easily gone unnoticed. &;-D

Gregory Childers · Sunday at 2:34 PM

Mitch Garvis said:
I do not disagree… but I don’t only want them passing the exam, I want them having some hands-on experience. It also gives me a break from lecturing.

I just taught the 220-1201 and 220-1202 combined class in one week. I barely completed all the lecture in that time.

Mitch Garvis · Sunday at 12:03 AM

Gregory Childers said:
Most of the CompTIA certifications lean heavily on the theory and processes, but don't particularly require much technical depth with any of the products or services.

I do not disagree… but I don’t only want them passing the exam, I want them having some hands-on experience. It also gives me a break from lecturing.

Abu Afza · Saturday at 9:13 PM

sqlgeek said:
Congratulations!

Thanks

Gregory Childers · Saturday at 4:54 PM

Mitch Garvis said:
That’s what I was doing… not teaching until Monday. I actually had the decks and pdf but wanted to see if the labs were working.

I haven't done the labs in more than a decade. I tell the students that the labs will enhance the lecture, but they should do them outside class hours.

Most of the CompTIA certifications lean heavily on the theory and processes, but don't particularly require much technical depth with any of the products or services.

Bruce Weaver · Saturday at 4:06 PM

They have definitely had some hiccups lately. It's always good to check https://status.comptia.net/ The 23rd hit our school pretty hard with the outage.

tisemtine · Saturday at 11:33 AM

congrat

peter hanwith-horden #1 · Saturday at 7:28 AM

malik Mo said:
I am looking to hire a security+ instructor. The instructor will teach two live online sessions per week, review practice questions, explain key exam objectives, and help students prepare confidently for the certification exam. Remote opportunity with the potential for ongoing cohorts.

Interested instructors, please send me an email at [email protected] with your experience, availability, and expected rate.

Thanks,

hello sent my resume

Hashmi · Saturday at 1:18 AM

I recently enrolled in the CompTIA AI Fundamentals Competency Certificate through the Train The Trainer Webinar Series.

During enrollment, I reached a step asking me to select the instructor who teaches my class, as shown in the attached screenshot. However, when I search for an instructor, “No matches found” appears.

I am a CIN community member and instructor, and I would appreciate guidance from anyone who has completed this course or encountered the same enrollment issue.

Thank you for your help!

fsusd-chris · Friday at 6:49 PM

richardwarrenwbu said:
When will the CIN TTT Series: Linux+ V8 recorded sessions become available, and where?

It was a great series; unfortunately, I missed two sessions and look forward to making them up. Plus, I want to review several of the sessions.

Richard Warren

If you register for the TTT above, they give you the links to all 10 sessions on the event.on24 site that is used to stream the classes. If you click the link to a session that has already happened, it has a recording of the session there. Hope that helps.

VICTOR CHIDI OKPURUKA · Friday at 6:43 PM

Mitch Garvis said:
Interesting... I don't see a thread about this reasonably new certification?

OUR STORY SO FAR:

It was Friday afternoon when the training broker emailed me to ask if I have this certification, and if I am available the weeks of September 28 and October 5. Available? YES. Certified? No... but it is a mesh of cybersecurity and AI so it shouldn't take much. 'Can you be certified by Tuesday?' Wow, that's cutting it tight... but who needs a weekend when Monday is the holiest day of the Jewish year, right? Fine... I booked my exam appointment and downloaded the courseware.

I blazed through the course manual and PowerPoints over the weekend, and by the time I lit the candles I was comfortable in where I was. I would have another hour or two to study Monday night after breaking the fast, and then if I felt I needed it again on Tuesday morning.

(I did not count on getting sick Sunday evening and spending a lot of the next 36 hours very under the weather)

Tuesday morning I scrambled to arrange my makeshift exam area in the hallway; I made sure my son would take his German Shepherd out for a couple of hours, and I bribed my (much smaller) dog with treats so that she would let me sit the exam undisturbed.

It was one of those exams when I was not sure what the final page would say... but when I clicked and it read that I passed I was relieved. Also... it was not a borderline pass. Yay.

This marks the eleventh CompTIA exam that I have passed. To date my record is 11-0, which is much better than my record on Microsoft exams.

I realized as I booked the exam that this is the first version 1 of a CompTIA certification that I have ever taken. I never sat a CompTIA exam until 2021... my Network+ was the 98th certification exam I ever sat. I may have come late to the party with CompTIA, and while I might regret not starting sooner, I am glad I started. I am enjoying the vendor agnostic nature of the certifications that I never had with Microsoft or VMware... and there seems to be a lot more teaching opportunities for CompTIA these days than some other vendors.

Now let's see how much I enjoy delivering the SecAI+ in person next week!

congrats on the pass!

VICTOR CHIDI OKPURUKA · Friday at 6:42 PM

Gregory Childers said:
Teaching the course is always harder than preparing for the exam. Those students will all kinds of crazy questions.

Congratulations!

Very true you nailed it - expecially those without some of the fundamentals . But like its said it is what it is - always expected and its trainers responsibility to get the best of students irrespective of their background.

VICTOR CHIDI OKPURUKA · Friday at 6:38 PM

Bofy O.S Idiodi said:
Acquire Nexus is putting together a pool of qualified trainers for an upcoming training engagement in Delta State, Nigeria.
We're looking for certified/qualified instructors across the following areas:

Tech Support (CompTIA A+, ITF+, Network+, Digital Literacy, CCNA)

AI Applied / Agents (CompTIA AI Agent Essentials, AI prompting, Microsoft AI-900/AI-102, AWS Certified AI Practitioner)

Business & Management (CompTIA Project+, PMI PMP, Business Essentials, Soft Skills Essentials)

Security (CompTIA Security+, CySA+, PenTest+ SecAI+, )

Cloud & Server (CompTIA Cloud+, Server+, AWS/Microsoft Azure Associate)

Software Development (Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, AWS Certified Developer)

Data Analysis & Science (CompTIA Data+, Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate, DataAI, Datasys+)

Office Productivity (Microsoft Office Specialist / Microsoft 365 Certified)

What we're looking for:

Relevant certification(s) and hands-on experience in your subject area — credentials noted above are a plus, but equivalent certifications (PECB, Cisco, Google, etc.) or demonstrated expertise are also welcome

Comfortable delivering instructor-led sessions to real cohorts

Based in or able to work within Delta State, with willingness to travel roughly 18–60 km to the training location

Availability for up to 2 days per week for the engagement

This is an initial call to identify interested and qualified trainers — details on schedule, compensation, and specific tracks will be shared directly with shortlisted candidates.

Interested? Send your CV, certifications, and area(s) of expertise to [email protected].

Nice one here...

Jill West · Friday at 2:41 PM

Gregory Childers said:
I took the DataSys+ beta exam in late May. Does anyone have an idea when we'll hear the results?

Beta results usually release right around the same time the exam goes live. According to website, it's tentatively slated for Oct 13.

sqlgeek · Friday at 2:22 PM

Amelia A. said:
I also passed the Linux exam yesterday, thanks to Jason and CIN. I re-watched the series and used Jason's excellent Cengage books along with Certmaster. Altogether, this made the exam easy. Thank you!

Congratulations!

sqlgeek · Friday at 2:14 PM

Congratulations!

sqlgeek · Friday at 2:11 PM

Congratulations!

Bradley Haynes · Friday at 12:20 PM

Had a similar thing happen also but I couldnt access the portal. I got a http 500 error. I logged a ticket and it was resolved

Request

ost (contentType application/json) withCredentials - /api/v1/authentication/signin_credentials?cacheBust=b643943e-38b4-4cef-8415-36113485e80d -- Bad Status: 500 - Data: {"login":"","pHash":"*****"}Http Status Code: 500Response: {"error":"The HTTP status code of the response was not expected (500).\n\nStatus: 500\nResponse: \n"}

Request

ost (contentType application/json) withCredentials - /api/v1/authentication/signin_credentials?cacheBust=2109a841-95a5-4634-b0eb-a35cbd971c1d -- Bad Status: 500 - Data: {"login":"","pHash":"*****"}Http Status Code: 500Response: {"error":"The request was canceled due to the configured HttpClient.Timeout of 30 seconds elapsing."}

Rick Butler · Friday at 12:02 PM

Blame these guys:

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