OpenStack is a versatile and powerful cloud computing platform, but its learning curve is steep due to its modular architecture and extensible design. OpenStack training plays a key role in understanding how it works and in effectively deploying and managing it.
This article will help you navigate what OpenStack training is, learn about the skills you can develop through training, and see how you can gradually level up your knowledge and get certified. It will also list the popular training programs and certifications to get you started.
Summary of OpenStack certifications and courses
Type | Name | Description |
Certification | Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA) | COA is a performance-based vendor-neutral OpenStack certification from the Open Infrastructure Foundation that validates a user’s knowledge and skills in operating and managing an OpenStack environment. Target audience is cloud administrators with at least 6 months of experience in OpenStack. |
Certification | Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud Infrastructure (EX210) | The EX210 is a performance-based certification from Red Hat focused on creating and operating Red Hat OpenStack Platform. It tests practical skills through tasks that cover deploying, configuring, and managing an environment, focusing mostly on core OpenStack services. |
Course | Mirantis OpenStack Essentials (OS100) | A one-day introductory course on cloud and OpenStack essentials from Mirantis that is ideal for anyone looking to familiarize themselves with OpenStack, its components, and ecosystem. Ideal for CloudOps engineers, business stakeholders, sales engineers, and project managers. |
Course | Mirantis OpenStack Administration & Operations (OS220) | A 4-day intermediate-level in-depth training course focused on the administration and operation of OpenStack environments. Recommended course for deployment engineers, private cloud administrators, CloudOps engineers, and cloud support engineers. |
Certification Bootcamp | Mirantis OpenStack Administration Bootcamp (OS250) | A comprehensive bootcamp course that combines the OS100 and OS220 courses for the Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA) exam preparation. |
Course | Red Hat OpenStack Technical Overview (CL010) | This is a free, on-demand video course that introduces cloud computing and the Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP) for new users. It is excellent for anyone looking to get a high-level overview of its capabilities. |
Course | Red Hat OpenStack Administration I: Core Operations for Cloud Operators (CL110) | A 5-day hands-on course that teaches how to operate and manage a production Red Hat OpenStack Platform. It primarily covers Day 1 operations, such as creating projects and provisioning resources, including load balancers, storage, and networks. This course is for private cloud administrators and operators who manage such platforms. |
Course | Red Hat OpenStack Administration II: Infrastructure Configuration for Cloud Administrators (CL210) | This hands-on course from Red Hat focuses on advanced Day 2 operations, such as monitoring, troubleshooting, and scaling a Red Hat OpenStack Platform. The course requires prior knowledge of Red Hat OpenStack. |
Course | OpenStack Administration: Control Plane Management (CL170) | This newer course from Red Hat focuses on administering OpenStack control plane services running on Red Hat OpenShift. It includes checking the health of OpenStack operators, collecting troubleshooting information, customizing the control plane, and working with failed compute nodes. |
What is OpenStack?
OpenStack is open-source software that provides services to build and manage public or private cloud infrastructures. Its modular and extensible architecture provides compute, storage, networking, database, orchestration, and other capabilities. Due to its flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, it has been widely adopted in industries such as telecommunications, finance, healthcare, retail, education, and research.
Many large and prominent organizations use OpenStack for their cloud infrastructure needs. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is one popular research organization that is well known for its use of OpenStack for managing data generated by the Large Hadron Collider since its earliest days. Similarly, organizations such as Deutsche Telekom and AT&T from the telecommunications industry use OpenStack for their network functions virtualization (NFV) requirements.
Given the wide adoption of OpenStack across industries, individuals may wish to train themselves to add the skillset and pursue a job in the industries that use OpenStack. Organizations looking to migrate to OpenStack or increase their adoption of it may also look at training their people on it.
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Overview of OpenStack training
Whether you are an individual aiming to advance your skills in OpenStack or an organization seeking to elevate the expertise of your workforce, the selection of the appropriate certification path or upskilling curriculum can be a key decision.
Objectives
When choosing OpenStack training, you should look for the following objectives that map to the day-to-day tasks of an OpenStack engineer:
- Learning the fundamentals of cloud computing and understanding concepts such as virtualization, public and private clouds, cloud service models, and orchestration.
- Understanding the architecture of OpenStack, including its components, such as Nova, Swift, Cinder, Glance, Horizon, and Neutron.
- Learning the different ways to install OpenStack.
- Learning how to operate OpenStack and create resources like instances, images, volumes, networks, etc.
Training levels
You will find training from various providers targeting all levels of skills and expertise:
- Beginner-level training typically covers an introduction to the cloud and OpenStack, how to install OpenStack, and how to perform basic operations using the Horizon dashboard.
- Intermediate-level training usually focuses on the day-to-day operations and management of an OpenStack environment, including using the CLI to manage resources and access.
- Advanced-level training ideally includes topics on performance tuning, disaster recovery, troubleshooting OpenStack environments, automation, and more.
Training modes
There are three popular training modes prevalent in the industry:
- Instructor-led training (ILT): In this type, an instructor delivers the training in an interactive session, providing direct guidance.
- Virtual instructor-led training (VILT): This is similar to ILT but is delivered virtually or online.
- Self-paced training: This modality provides the greatest flexibility in learning and is also very cost-effective compared to others. Udemy and Coursera are popular examples of platforms that only offer self-paced courses. Red Hat also offers a self-paced learning approach through its Red Hat Learning Subscription, which provides unlimited access to all its learning courses and the option to build a skill path based on objectives.
Different training vendors provide different training modes, and some may even provide all training modes as an option, allowing the candidate to choose what works best for them. For example, Red Hat provides all three modes.
Choosing a training
Some of the factors that influence the selection of a training include the level of knowledge required, depending on the job profile, the delivery format, an individual’s learning style, learning objectives, cost, flexibility of time in taking the course, the training provider’s location, and the desired training mode.
For example:
- Choose a self-paced training if you want flexibility in taking the course anywhere or anytime and lower costs.
- Choose an Instructor-led training (ILT) training when you are looking for direct or one-on-one guidance from a live instructor and interactive sessions. A Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) gives the same benefits along with location flexibility.
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OpenStack certifications
There are two OpenStack certifications that are valued within the industry and are considered to evaluate a candidate’s OpenStack skills properly. One of them, the Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA), is from the Open Infrastructure Foundation, which governs OpenStack. The other, Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud Infrastructure, is from Red Hat and is based on its distribution of OpenStack.Reasons to become OpenStack certified
OpenStack certifications offer numerous advantages to individuals and enterprises. Individuals can obtain the following benefits:- Training and certification validates OpenStack expertise, leading to professional credibility and recognition in the industry as a knowledgeable subject matter expert.
- There is the potential for increased job opportunities and better pay.
- An individual’s interest in training and certification shows their commitment to learning and gives an added advantage during interviews.
- OpenStack certifications are performance-based, meaning professionals have validated hands-on knowledge.
- OpenStack training ensures that the team has the necessary skills to deploy, manage, and operate OpenStack environments.
- A team of certified OpenStack professionals gives organizations a competitive advantage in the market.
- Organizations see increased customer confidence as they are better able to manage infrastructure needs, such as optimizing operations, improving performance, and reducing downtime.
- Training and certification can lead to uniform management and operation across teams and organizations.
Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA)
The COA certification is a vendor-neutral certification aimed at professionals with at least six months of hands-on OpenStack experience. The candidate is evaluated on their practical skills as an OpenStack administrator performing day-to-day management of an OpenStack cloud. The practical tasks can be completed using the CLI or the Horizon UI. There are six domains in which various practical tasks are assessed in the exam, with the following weights:- Identity management: 15%
- Compute: 35%
- Object storage: 5%
- Block storage: 10%
- Networking: 30%
- Image management: 5%
| Cost | $400 |
| Delivery Mode | Online |
| Delivery Format | Proctored using webcam, audio, and screen viewing |
| Question Format | Hands-on / performance-based |
| Duration | 180 minutes |
| Validity | 36 months |
| Exam Retake | None |
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Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud Infrastructure (EX210)
This certification from Red Hat validates a candidate’s practical ability to create, configure, and manage private clouds using the Red Hat OpenStack Platform running on Red Hat Linux operating systems. It is not a vendor-neutral certification. The EX210 exam must be taken to achieve this certificate. The following is a list of its primary objectives:- Manage the Red Hat OpenStack Platform control plane
- Manage infrastructure security
- Manage user security
- Manage application deployment resources
- Manage storage in Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- Manage networking
- Manage compute node operations
- Monitor operations
- Automate cloud application deployment
- Troubleshoot operations
| Cost | Varies based on purchasing source and country |
| Delivery Mode | Offline |
| Question Format | Hands-on / performance-based |
| Duration | 240 minutes |
| Validity | 36 months |
| Exam Retake | 1 |
Recommended training and certification paths
Like certifications, OpenStack training programs and courses can be vendor-neutral or vendor-specific. The following are some of the highly recommended and in-demand OpenStack courses on offer through OpenStack partners and non-partners.Mirantis OpenStack courses
Mirantis offers two courses centered on OpenStack that also cover the certification objectives.OpenStack Essentials (OS100)
This is a one-day introductory course on OpenStack that covers its history, the OpenStack Foundation, common services, and the ecosystem and marketplace. This training is ideal for individuals and organizations starting their OpenStack journeys who want to get a high-level overview of it. It is also a great first step before enrolling in in-depth courses such as OS220. To view additional details and schedules or to request or register for training, visit https://training.mirantis.com/courses/os100-openstack-essentials.OpenStack Administration & Operations (OS220)
The second course is a four-day intermediate course that covers in-depth content on administering and operating an OpenStack cloud. It covers the core services, such as Keystone, Glance, Neutron, Nova, Cinder, Heat, Octavia, and Ceilometer. This course also covers the primary objectives of the COA exam. You should take this course to deepen your understanding of OpenStack and gain practical skills in managing and operating OpenStack. Visit https://training.mirantis.com/courses/os220-openstack-administration-operations to view additional details and register for the course. Both these courses are delivered in vendor-neutral OpenStack environments. They are available for public delivery, on-demand training, and private training to accommodate different learning needs.OpenStack Administration Bootcamp (OS250)
Mirantis also offers a five-day bootcamp course that bundles the OS100 and OS220 courses, preparing candidates with the skills required to pass the COA exam.
OS250: OpenStack Administration Bootcamp from Mirantis (source)
This bootcamp is delivered directly by Mirantis and also through its training partners. More information on it is available at https://training.mirantis.com/courses/os250-openstack-administration-bootcamp/.Red Hat OpenStack courses
Red Hat offers OpenStack courses based on its Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP). These courses also serve as preparatory courses for the EX210 exam.Red Hat OpenStack Technical Overview (CL010)
CL010 is a free, on-demand course consisting of videos designed to help candidates understand the basics of cloud computing and the Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP). The videos in the course cover the following:- Cloud computing
- The Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- Compute, storage, and network in relation to the Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- High availability with the Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- Deploying the Red Hat OpenStack Platform
Red Hat OpenStack Administration I: Core Operations for Cloud Operators (CL110)
The CL110 training focuses on the day-to-day operation and management of a RHOSP environment. It is a five-day course based on Red Hat’s version of OpenStack. The following are the high-level skills covered in this course:- Launching instances to satisfy various use case examples
- Managing domains, projects, users, roles, and quota in a multitenant environment
- Managing networks, subnets, routers, and floating IP addresses
- Managing instance security with group rules and access keys
- Creating and managing block, object, and shared storage within OpenStack
- Performing instance launch customization with cloud-init
- Deploying scalable applications using stack templates
Red Hat OpenStack Administration II: Infrastructure Configuration for Cloud Administrators (CL210)
The CL210 course helps candidates build advanced operational skills on Red Hat OpenStack, termed Day 2 operations, such as managing, monitoring, troubleshooting, and scaling. It is also a five-day course offered both in virtual and self-paced modes. The high-level topics covered in this course are:- Managing overcloud service containerization technology
- Providing metrics for performance tuning and governance
- Monitoring and troubleshooting Open Virtual Networking (OVN) network flow
- Configuring Identity service using an external Red Hat IdM store
- Managing the core control plane, including Pacemaker
- Customizing images, with techniques for multiple use cases
- Managing block and object storage back-ends
- Managing compute nodes, including tuning and hyperconverged
- Troubleshooting the Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- Check the health of OpenStack operators and workloads and identify disabled or misconfigured services.
- Collect troubleshooting information from OpenStack control and data planes for customer support requests.
- Enable and customize OpenStack control plane services by configuring the control plane custom resource.
- Check the health of OpenStack compute notes and identify missing or misconfigured data plane services.
- Remove and replace or reprovision failed compute nodes.
Canonical OpenStack courses
Canonical offers two courses on OpenStack, one at the beginner level and the other at the intermediate level. OpenStack Fundamentals is a three-day hands-on beginner-level course on installing and running an Ubuntu-based OpenStack cloud. The curriculum includes the following topics:- Introduction to an Ubuntu OpenStack Cloud
- Installing and configuring metal as a service (MaaS)
- Installing and configuring Juju
- OpenStack cloud components
- Deploying an Ubuntu OpenStack cloud with Juju and MaaS
- Working with software-defined networks
- Working with cloud images
- Configuring an OpenStack project
- Working with cloud workload instances
- Working with OpenStack storage
- Configuring Juju to use a private OpenStack cloud
- MaaS, covered on Day 1
- Juju, covered on Day 2
- OpenStack, covered from Days 3 to 5
OpenStack courses on Udemy
Udemy is an online course marketplace and offers courses on OpenStack. Courses from Udemy are from individual authors and are a good option for learners looking for affordability, flexibility, and choices. They are self-paced and allow greater convenience in planning the learning process. They are also great for participants who already know OpenStack, are working on it, and may be looking to prepare for certification or gather additional perspectives on it. The following are some of the highest rated courses on Udemy for OpenStack:- Preparing to Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA) Exam by Kris Celmer
- OpenStack Installation and Deployment by Kris Celmer
- OpenStack Essentials by Ugur Oktay
Other OpenStack courses
In addition to the above, many other publishers and individual authors also offer courses and books on OpenStack. Platforms like Edureka and O’Reilly offer similar learning advantages as Udemy and can be used as additional resources in your learning journey. Here’s a list of other training providers/platforms that offer OpenStack courses:- OpenStack Certification Training by Edureka
- Introduction to OpenStack and Kubernetes Orchestrators by Juniper Networks on Coursera
- OpenStack Certification, 2nd Edition by Sander Van Vugt on the O’Reilly learning platform
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Conclusion
An OpenStack training program empowers both individuals and organizations to build competence, leading to efficiency and better outcomes when deploying and operating OpenStack environments. Certifications validate knowledge, providing proof of proficiency. The best option is hands-on training.
Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA) is the preferred vendor-neutral certification and is widely accepted as a validation of OpenStack skills. For individuals and organizations looking to build competency on Red Hat, a preferred vendor in enterprises, the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud Infrastructure validates Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP) skills.
OpenStack training partners such as Mirantis, Canonical, and Red Hat offer certification and non-certification courses on OpenStack and other online platforms such as Udemy, O’Reilly, and Coursera.
Practical training helps individuals stand out in jobs and position themselves at the forefront of the selection process while aiding organizations in increasing customer confidence and gaining competitive advantage, making training and certification a worthwhile investment for both.
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