The Linux Foundation has announced a new way for IT professionals to validate their open source software skills—and for enterprises to measure the talent of prospective employees—through a Web-based certification program.

The Linux Certification Program, as the Linux Foundation is calling the offering, will provide credentials to professionals who pass an online test in Linux skills. The organization offers two distinct tests and designations, the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) and the Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE).

The exams test applicants' "ability to solve real problems in the command line" rather than abstract theory, according to the Linux Foundation, a non-profit consortium that promotes Linux and open source software. That approach also allows the program to be Linux-distribution agnostic; while candidates must choose between the OpenSUSE, CentOS or Ubuntu Linux distributions when taking the tests, the exams focus on testing skills that are important on any Linux platform, according to the organization.

By making the certification available online, the Linux Foundation hopes to provide "testing opportunities to people who previously were not able to access testing centers with exams available as early as the next day after registration." In turn, it said, the program will help to speed the development and validation of expertise in Linux and open source software, which remains in high demand among employers.

"Our mission is to address the demand for Linux that the industry is currently experiencing. We are making our training program and Linux certification more accessible to users worldwide, since talent isn’t confined to one geography or one distribution," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at the Linux Foundation. "Our new Certification Program will enable employers to easily identify Linux talent when hiring and uncover the best of the best. We think Linux professionals worldwide will want to proudly showcase their skills through these certifications and that these certificates will become a hallmark of quality throughout our industry."

The LFCS and LFCE each cost $300, but the Linux Foundation is offering exams at $50 a piece to the first 500 applicants.