RedHat Linux 7.3 was released in May of 2002. I took my RHCE test a few weeks after, and the test was already updated to 7.3. I passed, and was given RHCE ID 807302814505848. According to RedHat, the RHCE certification is good for two full releases following the tested release. This means that my RHCE is considered current from RH 7 until RH 9. Five months after my test, RedHat releases RedHat 8.0. Five months f RedHat Linux 7.3 was released in May of 2002. I took my RHCE test a few weeks after, and the test was already updated to 7.3. I passed, and was given RHCE ID 807302814505848.According to RedHat, the RHCE certification is good for two full releases following the tested release. This means that my RHCE is considered current from RH 7 until RH 9. Five months after my test, RedHat releases RedHat 8.0. Five months following that, RedHat releases RedHat 9. The RHCE test is an 8-hour lab test, costing $850. Less than one year following the test, my RHCE certification is now expired? That certification should have lasted at least two years.RedHat responds: Dear Paul Venezia: Yesterday, Red Hat announced the early availability of ISOs via RHN for Red Hat Linux 9, the next release. The official announcement of Red Hat Linux 9 is forthcoming. News travels quickly, however, and many RHCEs and RHCTs have learned that the next version is 9, not 8.1. A number have expressed concerns about the effect this will have on their certification. Our policy has been that a certificate is considered current for two major releases following the major release under which it was earned. Consequently, certificate holders are concerned that the period for which their certificates remain current has been shortened. In order to accomodate the release of Red Hat Linux 9, the policy described in the RHCE FAQ at https://www.redhat.com/training/rhce/rhce_faq.html will be changed to the text below. Regards and best wishes, Red Hat Certification Central