117-201 Exam Guide: Confirm the Current LPIC-2 Route Before You Study
117-201 is a past LPI LPIC-2 exam code, not the current exam a new candidate should schedule. It served the advanced Linux administration path associated with LPIC-2, which validates administration of small to medium-sized mixed networks. This guide helps you decide whether legacy 117-201 records matter to your certification plan and, if you are preparing now, how to redirect your effort to the current LPIC-2 Exam 201-450 objectives rather than rely on outdated material.
Is 117-201 still the exam to take?
No. LPI identifies 117-201 as a past LPIC-2 exam code, while the current LPIC-2 exams are 201-450 and 202-450 under objectives version 4.5. A candidate beginning preparation should treat 117-201 material as historical context, not as a current registration target.
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What the old code means for existing candidates
An old exam code can still appear on a transcript, résumé, training record, or older study product. LPI’s FAQ gives an example in which passing 117-201 in the past together with the then-current 202 exam could result in LPIC-2 certification. That example confirms the code’s historical place; it does not establish that 117-201 remains available now.
If you have a prior 117-201 result, check your LPI account and the current certification requirements before assuming that another old or current exam is needed. LPI states that candidates may write any version of an exam and have it count equally, and that an older version remains available for 6 months after a new version is released. Those policies should not be read as evidence that a much older code can still be booked.
The practical decision for new learners
Build a current plan around 201-450 first, then 202-450 if your goal is LPIC-2. Do not schedule an appointment, buy a voucher, or use a question bank merely because it carries the 117-201 label. The official LPIC-2 overview lists the current codes and links to the current objectives, pricing by country, vouchers, and scheduling information.
This distinction matters because dated objectives can name different technologies, utilities, and scope. A learner can be competent with material associated with a past blueprint yet leave gaps in the active objectives. Start with the official 201-450 objective list and label every resource with the objective version it supports.
What LPIC-2 validates
LPIC-2 is LPI’s second-level professional certification and validates the ability to administer small to medium-sized mixed networks. The current certification requires passing both Exam 201 and Exam 202, and candidates must hold an active LPIC-1 certification to receive LPIC-2.
The official description goes beyond isolated command knowledge. It includes advanced system administration, block storage and file systems, networking, authentication and security, plus fundamental network services such as DHCP, DNS, SSH, web services, file services, and email delivery. The stated role also includes supervising assistants and advising management on automation and purchases.
Who should pursue the current route
The current LPIC-2 route fits an administrator who already has the LPIC-1 foundation and needs to demonstrate broader Linux operational capability across distributions. LPI describes its certification exams as vendor-independent and distribution-neutral, so preparation should focus on transferable administration concepts and the named tools in the objectives rather than on a single distribution’s graphical workflow.
It is not a substitute for basic Linux training. Candidates who are still uncertain about shell navigation, permissions, package management, processes, or basic networking should strengthen that foundation before investing heavily in advanced storage, boot recovery, network troubleshooting, and server-service configuration. Active LPIC-1 is an official requirement for receiving LPIC-2.
What it does not prove by itself
Passing the LPIC-2 exams does not replace job-specific experience with a particular Linux distribution, cloud platform, automation framework, or an employer’s operating procedures. The published scope is broad, but it is bounded by the objectives. Use the certification as a structured skills target, then add practice that matches the environments you expect to administer.
Avoid treating a legacy 117-201 label as proof of current objective coverage. A clearer résumé approach is to name the credential earned and its active status, then separately describe the systems, distributions, and services you have worked with.
What current Exam 201-450 measures
Current LPIC-2 Exam 201-450 covers capacity planning, the Linux kernel, system startup, filesystems and devices, advanced storage administration, networking configuration, and system maintenance. These are operational topics: candidates need to interpret system state, select an appropriate tool, make a controlled configuration change, and recognize the consequences of that change.
The objective page assigns weights to objectives. LPI says a higher objective weight indicates greater relative importance and that higher-weight objectives receive more exam questions. Use weights to distribute review time, but cover every listed objective rather than treating low-weight content as optional.
Capacity planning and kernel administration
Capacity planning starts with measurement and diagnosis. The objective “Measure and Troubleshoot Resource Usage” has weight 6 and includes tools such as iostat, iotop, vmstat, netstat, ss, pstree, ps, w, lsof, top, htop, uptime, sar, and swap-related concepts. “Predict Future Resource Needs” has weight 2 and focuses on monitoring resource usage to anticipate growth or exhaustion.
For the Linux kernel, “Kernel components” has weight 2, “Compiling a Linux kernel” has weight 3, and “Kernel runtime management and troubleshooting” has weight 4. The current objectives name kernel documentation, make targets, module tools, kernel configuration, initramfs-related tools, depmod, DKMS, and module locations. A sensible study outcome is the ability to explain what each stage or tool changes, where its evidence appears, and how to verify the result.
Startup, recovery, filesystems, and storage
System startup requires more than recalling bootloader terms. The current objectives include BIOS and UEFI, NVMe booting, GRUB version 2 and GRUB Legacy, kernel loading, initialization, and service startup. “System recovery” has weight 4, while “Alternate Bootloaders” has weight 2. Practice tracing a boot path on a disposable system and identifying where a failure belongs before attempting a change.
Filesystem work includes standard filesystem navigation and configuration, maintenance, and options such as AutoFS. “Operating the Linux filesystem” has weight 4; “Maintaining a Linux filesystem” has weight 3; and “Creating and configuring filesystem options” has weight 2. The maintenance objective specifically names /etc/fstab, /etc/mtab, /proc/mounts, mount, umount, blkid, sync, swapon, and swapoff, along with UUID-based mounting and systemd mount units.
Advanced storage combines RAID, device access, and LVM. “Configuring RAID” has weight 3 and includes RAID 0, 1 and 5. “Adjusting Storage Device Access” has weight 2. “Logical Volume Manager” has weight 3 and includes creating, removing, resizing, renaming, and activating physical volumes, volume groups, logical volumes, and snapshots. Build a lab in which storage can be broken and rebuilt without risking personal files.
Networking and maintenance
Networking configuration is split across basic setup, advanced configuration, and troubleshooting. “Basic networking configuration” has weight 3. “Advanced Network Configuration” has weight 4 and includes Ethernet utilities and basic wireless access with ip, ifconfig, route, arp, iw, iwconfig, and iwlist. “Troubleshooting network issues” has weight 4 and names diagnostic utilities including ss, netstat, lsof, ping, ping6, nc, tcpdump, and nmap.
System maintenance covers source builds, backup operations, and user communication. “Make and install programs from source” has weight 2. “Backup operations” has weight 3 and includes dd, tar, tape-device paths, mt, and rsync. “Notify users on system-related issues” has weight 1 and includes /etc/issue, /etc/issue.net, /etc/motd, wall, shutdown, and systemctl. Do not dismiss the final objective because it is small: low weight means fewer questions, not no questions.
Turn the objectives into a study system
The most reliable preparation plan is an objective-by-objective system that combines reading, lab work, retrieval practice, and error review. Do not study from an undated outline or from remembered questions. The official objectives are the scope control document; your notes should map directly to them.
For each objective, create a short evidence sheet with four fields: purpose, configuration locations, commands and options, and verification or troubleshooting signals. Add a fifth field for mistakes you made in the lab. This converts a long tool list into decisions you can make under exam conditions.
Build a safe laboratory first
Use disposable virtual machines or other isolated systems where you can reboot, alter storage, change boot configuration, create network faults, and restore from backups. Keep a baseline snapshot or an equivalent recovery point before each exercise. The goal is not to create a production-like environment; it is to make cause and effect visible.
Choose exercises that require validation. After creating an LVM snapshot, inspect the state using the relevant LVM tools. After modifying a mount configuration, confirm the active mount and its source of truth. After changing network settings, test address, route, reachability, listening services, and packet flow separately. A command that completes without an error is not sufficient evidence that the intended result occurred.
Sequence work by dependency, then weight
Start with filesystem, storage, and basic networking because later troubleshooting exercises depend on a working system with predictable disks and connectivity. Continue with resource measurement and kernel/runtime management, then system startup and recovery. Finish with source installation, backup operations, and user notices. This sequence reduces the risk that every lab failure becomes a mystery caused by an earlier configuration gap.
Within a topic, give additional repetitions to the higher-weight objectives. For example, “Measure and Troubleshoot Resource Usage” has weight 6, so it deserves sustained practice distinguishing CPU, memory, I/O, process, and network symptoms. “Notify users on system-related issues” has weight 1, so a focused configuration-and-command review may be proportionate after you have mastered its stated tools.
Do not turn weights into a calculation of passing probability. LPI’s explanation is that higher weights receive more questions, while the exact question set varies. Weights guide emphasis; the complete published blueprint defines the required scope.
Use an exercise cycle that exposes weak reasoning
A productive cycle has five steps: read the objective wording; perform one controlled task; verify the result through a second command or file; introduce one safe fault; and explain the repair without looking at notes. For capacity planning, compare an observed symptom with the metric that confirms or disproves your first hypothesis. For boot topics, describe the handoff from firmware through bootloader and kernel to service initialization.
End each cycle with a brief closed-book prompt. Examples include: Which file or command controls this behavior? What output would show that it is active? Which similar tool would not answer the question? What is the safest first rollback? These prompts prepare you for multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank formats without claiming to reproduce exam items.
A practical roadmap for current Exam 201-450
Use milestones instead of a fixed calendar. The time required depends on your LPIC-1 retention, access to a lab, and prior administration work. Move to the next phase only when you can complete the previous phase without relying on step-by-step notes.
This roadmap is a practical recommendation, not an LPI-mandated schedule. Keep the official objective page open throughout and revise the plan if the current objectives change.
Phase 1: Establish the baseline
Download or save the current 201-450 objectives and create a checklist for every objective under Topics 200 through 206. Mark each line as unfamiliar, recognized, usable with notes, or reproducible without notes. Be strict: recognizing a command name is not the same as knowing when to use it.
Set up the lab and verify that you can create and recover test systems. Prepare storage that can be repartitioned or represented by virtual disks. Confirm that you can inspect processes, mounts, routes, and logs before you create failures. This baseline prevents wasted study sessions caused by an unstable practice environment.
Phase 2: Build the storage and filesystem core
Work through filesystem operations, fstab concepts, UUID identification, swap handling, AutoFS, RAID, and LVM in a connected sequence. Make configuration changes deliberately and record the state before and after each operation. Use the objective’s tool lists as a cue to practice both the configuration task and the inspection task.
A common mistake is learning only the creation path. Include maintenance and recovery decisions: identify what is mounted, distinguish persistent configuration from current runtime state, recognize when a filesystem requires repair, and verify RAID or volume-group state before making another change. Keep experiments isolated because storage mistakes can destroy data.
Phase 3: Diagnose performance, kernel, and boot behavior
Practice resource troubleshooting as a hypothesis process. Begin with a stated symptom, select an observation tool, identify the likely constrained resource, and explain what additional evidence would change your conclusion. Include process inspection, open-file inspection, I/O and memory observations, and network-related measurements named in the objectives.
Then connect the kernel and startup topics. Review kernel components, compilation concepts, runtime modules, initialization artifacts, GRUB, firmware modes, recovery, and alternate bootloaders. The goal is a mental model that explains why a system fails early in boot, late in initialization, or after modules and services load. Avoid experimentation on the only machine you need for work or study.
Phase 4: Configure and troubleshoot networks
Build a repeatable network checklist: interface state, addressing, routes, neighbor information, name resolution where relevant, reachability, listening sockets, and traffic capture. Practice using ip as well as the other named utilities, because the objectives list multiple tools and a question may test their distinct roles.
Create simple faults one at a time: an incorrect route, a missing address, a service listening on an unexpected interface, or a connectivity path that requires packet inspection. Do not change several variables at once. The purpose is to learn the evidence that separates a local interface problem from routing, service, or packet-flow trouble.
Phase 5: Finish maintenance and rehearse decisions
Review source installation from archive handling through configure, make, installation, and patching concepts. For backup operations, practice selecting an appropriate tool and verifying that a recoverable copy exists; a backup task is incomplete if you cannot identify how restoration would work. Review system communication files and commands as part of planned maintenance behavior.
Use the final review to revisit every unchecked objective, not to reread everything equally. Assemble short mixed-topic drills from your own notes: a resource issue followed by an LVM question, a boot question followed by a network diagnostic question. Mixed practice exposes whether you can select the right domain and tool rather than merely repeat the last lab.
Avoid outdated and low-value preparation traps
The central risk with a 117-201 search is confusing a historical code with a current blueprint. The most effective countermeasure is simple: verify the current code and objectives on LPI’s official pages before committing study time or money.
A second risk is substituting answer recall for operational understanding. Practice material can help you find gaps, but it should never be your source of truth. Use it to ask why an answer is correct, what command or configuration supports it, and what evidence would verify the outcome.
Do not mix objective versions silently
The LPI Wiki explicitly marks the LPIC-2 Objectives V4 page as outdated and no longer available since August 31st, 2017. It is useful for understanding why legacy materials differ, but it is not the preparation target for a candidate pursuing the current exam. The current official objective page identifies version 4.5 and the current 201-450 and 202-450 codes.
When a resource uses an old service name, boot mechanism, tool list, or objective title, annotate it as legacy rather than trying to merge it automatically into your checklist. Compare it against the current objective text. If it does not support a current objective, it may still be technically educational, but it should not displace required coverage.
Do not memorize tool lists without context
Command lists are compact prompts, not complete learning objectives. For example, a tool may inspect state, make a configuration change, validate syntax, or generate traffic; knowing its name alone does not establish which role it serves. Pair each listed utility with an input, expected output, limitation, and related configuration location.
Also avoid assuming that a familiar tool works identically on every distribution. LPI’s vendor-independent, distribution-neutral positioning makes it especially important to learn the underlying administration task. In a lab, note distribution-specific packaging or service-management differences separately from the portable concept the objective expects.
Do not schedule on confidence alone
Schedule after completing a written objective audit and at least one closed-note review of the full 201-450 scope. Your readiness evidence should include successful lab verification, not only favorable scores from one source of practice questions. Revisit areas where you can execute commands but cannot explain the result or recovery path.
LPI says exam prices vary by region, so use the official country pricing path rather than relying on a price shown in an old study advertisement. Confirm the currently offered exam, language, and appointment options directly through LPI and Pearson VUE before making travel or study-deadline decisions.
Know the current exam and scheduling facts
For the current LPIC-2 route, each exam is 90 minutes and contains 60 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. LPI ranks exams on a scale from 200 to 800, with a passing score of 500. Because question difficulty varies, LPI says the number of correct answers needed to reach 500 depends on the particular question set.
These facts apply to the current LPIC-2 exams, not automatically to the historical 117-201 code. Do not carry current timing, question-format, or scoring details backward as claims about a past exam.
Languages and delivery options
LPI states that current LPIC-2 exams at VUE test centers are available in English, German, Japanese, and Portuguese (Brazilian). Through OnVUE online delivery, current LPIC-2 exams are available in English and Japanese. LPI also notes that the OnVUE exam interface itself is available in English only.
Availability can change, and the official statements concern current LPIC-2 exams rather than 117-201. Before booking, check the official scheduling path for your location, exam code, selected language, and delivery choice. Do not assume that a language offered at a test center is also available through online delivery.
Certification status and renewal planning
The current LPIC-2 certification validity period is 5 years. To receive LPIC-2, candidates must pass both 201 and 202 and hold an active LPIC-1 certification. Treat these as certification requirements, not necessarily as a required order for taking the two exams; LPI’s historical objectives information states that exams may be taken in any order while all requirements must be met.
If your immediate goal is only one current exam, document that distinction in your plan. Passing 201-450 alone is progress toward LPIC-2, but it is not the complete LPIC-2 credential. Before setting a target date for 202-450, make sure you can maintain LPIC-1 eligibility and give each exam its own objective-based preparation cycle.
Make the next decision
If you are a new candidate, stop treating 117-201 as a live exam target and open the current 201-450 objectives. Confirm your active LPIC-1 status, build a Topics 200–206 checklist, and choose a safe lab arrangement before purchasing or scheduling anything.
If you hold a historical 117-201 result, verify your record and current status directly with LPI. Keep the historical code in context, but use current LPI guidance for every new certification, renewal, pricing, language, and scheduling decision.
A short action checklist
First, compare every study resource against current objectives version 4.5 and remove items that only support a retired blueprint. Second, establish a lab capable of storage, boot, kernel, and network experiments. Third, allocate repeated practice to capacity measurement, kernel runtime work, system recovery, filesystem operations, advanced networking, and troubleshooting according to the published objective weights.
Finally, review the full current objective list under closed-note conditions, identify the gaps that still require hands-on work, and use LPI’s official pages to confirm the current exam code and appointment details. This path is slower than chasing a legacy label, but it aligns your effort with the certification route that LPI currently publishes.
Conclusion
117-201 belongs to LPIC-2 history, not to a new candidate’s current scheduling plan. The practical replacement is current Exam 201-450, followed by 202-450 for the full LPIC-2 requirement, with an active LPIC-1 certification. Study from the active objectives, use hands-on verification rather than answer recall, and confirm all current delivery and booking details with LPI before committing to an appointment.
