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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Red Hat
Exam Format
240 min
Not disclosed (task-based)
210 out of 300 (70%)
Specialist
Registration
$500 USD
Red Hat testing centers, Authorized testing locations worldwide (60+ countries)
Validity
3 years (aligned with RHCE validity)
Pass the current version of the EX342 exam; Pass any higher-level Red Hat certification exam; Earn Continuing Education credits through Red Hat Learning Subscription
EX342 Exam Topics and Domains
EX342 is organized into 8 weighted domains. Expect to work with sssd, systemd, auditd, dracut, and more.
1
Understand and Employ General Methods for Troubleshooting
15%
Collect system information to aid in troubleshooting
System information collection using sosreportPerformance monitoring with Performance Co-Pilot (PCP)System monitoring with CockpitRed Hat Insights integration
- Generate and customize sosreport for Red Hat Support cases
- Use Performance Co-Pilot tools (pmstat, pmatop, pminfo, pmval, pmlogger) to monitor system performance
- Enable and use Cockpit web console for system diagnostics
- Register and use Red Hat Insights for proactive monitoring
Consult documentation resources to aid in troubleshooting
Using man pages, info pages, and /usr/share/docRed Hat Customer Portal and Knowledge Base
- Efficiently locate and use man pages, info pages, and package documentation
- Use redhat-support-tool to search the Red Hat Knowledge Base from the command line
Monitor systems for vital characteristics
File integrity monitoring with AIDESystem auditing with auditd
- Configure AIDE for file integrity monitoring on critical system files
- Create and manage auditd rules for monitoring file access and system calls
- Use ausearch and aureport to analyze audit data
Configure systems to send log messages to a centralized host
Centralized logging with rsyslogjournald configuration and log analysis
- Configure rsyslog to forward logs to a centralized server using TCP or UDP
- Set up a centralized rsyslog server to receive and organize logs from multiple hosts
- Configure journald for persistent storage and efficient log analysis
2
Diagnose and Troubleshoot System Startup Issues
15%
Identify and resolve service failures affecting boot
Analyzing failed services with systemctlUsing debug-shell.service for boot debugging
- Use systemctl to identify and analyze failed services during boot
- Enable debug-shell.service for early boot troubleshooting
- Resolve service dependency issues affecting system startup
Regain root control of a system
Root password recovery using rd.break
Reset root password using rd.break method with proper SELinux context restoration
Troubleshoot boot issues
GRUB2 troubleshooting and repairEFI boot managementInitramfs and dracut troubleshooting
- Rebuild GRUB2 configuration and reinstall boot loader
- Manage UEFI boot entries with efibootmgr
- Regenerate initramfs using dracut to resolve boot failures
Identify hardware and hardware problems
Hardware identification and diagnosticsMemory testing and error monitoring
- Use hardware identification tools to diagnose hardware-related issues
- Monitor memory errors using rasdaemon and EDAC framework
- Perform disk health checks with smartctl
Manage kernel modules and their parameters
Kernel module management
- Load, unload, and manage kernel modules and their parameters
- Blacklist kernel modules persistently
- View module information and resolve module dependency issues
3
Diagnose and Troubleshoot File System Issues
15%
Recover corrupted file systems
ext3/ext4 file system repair with e2fsckXFS file system repair with xfs_repair
- Repair corrupted ext3/ext4 file systems using e2fsck and alternate superblocks
- Repair corrupted XFS file systems using xfs_repair
- Understand when to zero the XFS journal log
Recover mis-configured or broken LVM configurations
LVM recovery and restoration
- Restore LVM volume group metadata using vgcfgrestore from /etc/lvm/archive/
- Recover LVM configurations after physical volume loss
- Use dmsetup to troubleshoot device mapper issues
Recover data from encrypted file systems
LUKS encryption recovery
- Back up and restore LUKS encryption headers
- Manage LUKS key slots for encrypted volume access
- Configure /etc/crypttab for automatic encrypted volume unlocking at boot
Identify and fix iSCSI issues
iSCSI initiator troubleshooting
- Discover, connect to, and manage iSCSI targets using iscsiadm
- Configure CHAP authentication for iSCSI connections
- Troubleshoot and resolve iSCSI connectivity issues
4
Resolve Package Management Issues
10%
Resolve package management dependency issues
YUM/DNF dependency resolution
- Diagnose and resolve RPM package dependency conflicts
- Use yum/dnf history to undo or rollback problematic transactions
- Lock package versions to prevent unwanted updates
Recover a corrupted RPM database
RPM database recovery
- Verify RPM database integrity with rpmdb_verify
- Rebuild a corrupted RPM database using rpm --rebuilddb
- Back up and restore individual RPM database files
Identify and restore changed files
RPM verification and file restoration
- Verify installed packages against RPM database to detect modifications
- Interpret rpm -V verification output codes
- Restore modified files to original state using yum reinstall or rpm --setperms
5
Troubleshoot and Fix Network Connectivity Issues
15%
Use standard tools to verify network connectivity
Network connectivity testing toolsNetwork connection testing with ncat
- Use ping, traceroute, nmap, and ncat to verify network connectivity
- Perform host discovery and port scanning with nmap
- Test TCP and UDP connectivity using ncat
Identify and fix network connectivity issues
NetworkManager troubleshootingFirewall troubleshootingDNS troubleshooting
- Configure and troubleshoot network connections using nmcli and nmtui
- Diagnose and resolve firewall-related connectivity issues
- Troubleshoot DNS resolution problems
Inspect network traffic to aid troubleshooting
Packet capture and analysis
- Capture and filter network traffic using tcpdump
- Save packet captures for offline analysis
- Use iptraf-ng for real-time network traffic monitoring
6
Diagnose Application Issues
15%
Identify library dependencies for third-party software
Shared library management
- Identify missing shared library dependencies using ldd
- Configure custom library paths using ldconfig and /etc/ld.so.conf.d/
- Resolve shared library dependency issues for third-party applications
Identify if an application suffers from memory leaks
Memory leak detection with Valgrind
- Use valgrind memcheck to detect memory leaks in applications
- Interpret valgrind output to classify memory leak severity
Use standard tools to debug an application
System call tracing with straceLibrary call tracing with ltrace
- Use strace to trace system calls and identify application issues
- Filter strace output to focus on specific system call categories
- Use ltrace to trace library calls for application debugging
Identify and fix issues related to SELinux
SELinux troubleshooting
- Diagnose SELinux AVC denials using sealert, ausearch, and audit2why
- Set and restore correct SELinux file contexts
- Manage SELinux booleans to allow specific application behaviors
- Search SELinux policy rules with sesearch and seinfo
7
Identify and Fix Authentication Issues
10%
Identify and fix pluggable authentication module (PAM) issues
PAM configuration and troubleshootingPAM module verification
- Understand PAM configuration file structure, module types, and control flags
- Diagnose and fix authentication failures related to PAM misconfiguration
- Use authselect or authconfig to manage authentication profiles
- Configure account lockout and resource limits using PAM modules
Identify and fix LDAP and Kerberos identity management issues
LDAP troubleshootingKerberos troubleshootingSSSD configuration and troubleshooting
- Test and troubleshoot LDAP client connectivity using ldapsearch
- Diagnose and resolve Kerberos authentication issues including clock skew
- Configure and troubleshoot SSSD for centralized identity management
- Manage Kerberos keytabs and tickets
8
Gather Information to Aid Third Party Investigation of Issues
5%
Create kernel crashdumps
kdump configuration and crash dump creationKernel panic triggers and sysctl settings
- Configure and verify kdump for kernel crash dump collection
- Test kdump by triggering a manual kernel crash
- Analyze vmcore crash dumps using the crash utility
- Configure kernel panic behavior for OOM, hung tasks, and soft lockups
Compile and execute SystemTap modules
SystemTap scripting and module compilation
- Install and configure SystemTap with required kernel debug packages
- Write, compile, and execute basic SystemTap scripts
- Compile SystemTap scripts into reusable kernel modules
- Manage SystemTap user permissions through group membership
How do I earn this certification?
Passing EX342 earns the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting certification. It sits in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux track.
Next Level Options
Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) EX342 counts as one of five required specialist exams for RHCA
Alternative Paths
- EX280 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift AdministrationComplementary container platform administration skills
- EX358 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in Identity ManagementDeepens authentication and identity management skills covered in Domain 7
- EX415 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in Security: LinuxExtends SELinux and security troubleshooting skills from Domain 6
- EX447 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Best Practices Automation skills for scaling troubleshooting and remediation processes
- EX436 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in High Availability ClusteringHigh availability cluster troubleshooting builds on EX342 Linux diagnostics skills
Practice with Precision
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How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for EX342 is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2025-10-27
Updates
- Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) Core monitoring tool tested in Domain 1
- systemd Critical for boot troubleshooting in Domain 2
- SELinux Key topic in Domain 6 for application issue troubleshooting
- kdump/kexec Core topic in Domain 8 for crash dump collection
Who should take this exam?
This exam is typically taken by System administrators who manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems and System administrators who wish to demonstrate problem solving and analysis skills.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting course (RH342) or equivalent experience
- Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or equivalent systems administration experience
- Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) or similar experience