Once upon a time in 1999, the Linux Professional Institute began its existence with a three-tiered certification program conceived that spring (April 4, to be exact) at a La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah. (It might even be this La Quinta Inn — it’s not like Orem, Utah is the sort of bustling metropolis that could boast of more than a single La Quinta Inn. Want to experience a slice of IT certification history? Go stay at the La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah.)

This is not a story about the Linux Professional Institute. (Nor is it about the La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah, notwithstanding the preceding parable-esque parenthetical.) It is a story about the Linux+ certification offered by tech industry association CompTIA, however, and the history of the Linux+ credential starts with an arm-in-arm linkage to the Linux Professional Institute and its tri-tiered core credential (cooked up, lest you forget at a La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah.)

Over the first phase of its existence, CompTIA’s long-lived Linux+ was cosponsored by the Linux Professional Institute, uniting the distinct and different certification spheres of Port Hope, Ontario (in Canada), where the Linux Professional Institute is based, and Downers Grove, Illinois (in the United States), which is hearth and home to CompTIA.

At some point lost to history in the misty annals of the mid-2010s, Linux+ became formally decoupled from the Linux Professional Institute, first spreading its wings, then stumbling over the brink of its nest, and finally soaring into the certification stratosphere. (The annals are so misty that we cannot report conclusively whether the La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah was involved. Also, we just wanted one more chance to mention the La Quinta Inn in Orem, Utah.)

At any rate, Linux+ may not carry with it the centrally crucial certification clout of A+, Security+, and Network+, but it does have an august lineage all its own (including the La Quinta Inn in Orem Utah — yes!), and the next chapter of that credentialing chronicle will unfold next year with the second-quarter release of XK0-005, the newest version of the Linux+ certification exam.

We told you all of that to tell you this: Up through at least mid-February of 2022, you can insert yourself into the story of Linux+ and add a log to the communal cookfire for the new Linux+ exam by taking that new exam in its beta format. The fully furbished new exam will not be available until June 2022, and the final score of test takers who complete the Linux+ beta exam will not be released until that time.

If you choose to take the new exam during the beta period, on the other hand, you can save a not-inconsiderable chunk of change: You can register to take the beta exam (before Feb. 18) at the rock-bottom rate of just $50. (Full price is $338.) As noted by CompTIA in a press release announcing the beta period, “CompTIA Linux+ is intended for early career IT professionals who support Linux systems in a range of applications, including the cloud, cybersecurity, mobile and web administration.”

CompTIA recommends that beta test takers have at least 12 months of firsthand experience “working with Linux servers in a junior Linux support engineer or junior cloud/DevOps support engineer job role.” If that describes your Linux background (especially if you already have the A+, Network+, or Server+ certifications), then this is an excellent opportunity for you grow your certification portfolio and enroll yourself in the annals of Linux+ history at the same time.

And if you’re looking for an appropriately historic site to complete the Linux+ beta exam, then it may intrigue you to learn that the exam “may be taken online from home, a closed-door office, or any private location with an internet connection.” We’re just saying that there’s probably an internet connection at most La Quinta Inns. And we know where you could find one of those.