HPE7-A01 Aruba Certified Campus Access Professional Exam Questions and Answers

According to the Aruba Documentation Portal1, the Aruba CX 6200F VSF stack is a feature that allows you to create a virtual switching framework (VSF) with up to eight members that can be managed as a single logical device. The VSF stack provides benefits such as load balancing, failover, redundancy, and security.

To add a new device to the VSF stack, you need to configure the device with the VSF command vsf member and specify the type, link, and secondary-member information. The type of the new device can be one of the following: JL726A, JL726B, JL726C, or JL726D. The link is the interface that connects the new device to the existing VSF members. The secondary-member is an optional parameter that specifies which member will act as a backup in case of a failure.

1: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.06/HTML/5200-7726/index.html  2: https://buy.hpe.com/us/en/networking/switches/fixed-port-l3-managed-ethernet-switches/6000-switch-products/aruba-6200f-48g-4sfp-switch/p/jl726a  3: https://addin.co.th/shop/switch/aruba-switch/6200f-series/jl726a/

The correct answers are A and D.

According to the web search results, VSX LAG is a feature that allows multiple PSKs to be used on a single SSID, providing device-specific or group-specific passphrases for enhanced security and deployment flexibility for headless IoT devices1. VSX LAGs span both aggregation switches and appear as one device to partner downstream or upstream devices or both when forming a LAG with the VSX pair2.

One of the statements that is true about VSX LAG is that the total number of configured links may not exceed 8 for the pair or 4 per switch1. This means that a VSX LAG across a downstream switch can have at most a total of eight member links, and a switch can have a maximum of four member links. When creating a VSX LAG, it is recommended to select an equal number of member links in each segment for load balancing1.

Another statement that is true about VSX LAG is that outgoing traffic is preferentially switched to local members of the LAG2. This means that when active forwarding and active gateway are enabled, north-south and south-north traffic bypasses the ISL link and uses the local ports on the switch. This optimizes the traffic path and reduces the load on the ISL link2.

The other statements are false or not relevant for VSX LAG. Outgoing traffic is not switched to a port based on a hashing algorithm, which may be either switch in the pair. This is a characteristic of MLAG (Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation), which is a different feature from VSX LAG. LAG traffic is not passed over VSX ISL links only while upgrading firmware on the switch pair. This is a scenario that may occur when performing hitless upgrades, which is a feature that allows software updates without impacting network availability. The number of VSX lags that can be configured on all 83xx and 84xx model switches is not 255, but depends on the switch model and firmware version. For example, the AOS-CX 10.04 supports up to 64 VSX lags for 8320 switches and up to 128 VSX lags for 8325 and 8400 switches.

This is the correct statement about what happens when a client attempts to join the network and the WLAN is configured with OWE (Opportunistic Wireless Encryption). OWE is a standard that provides encryption for open networks without requiring any authentication or credentials from the client or the network. OWE uses a Diffie-Hellman key exchange mechanism to establish a secure session between the client and the AP without exchanging any authentication information. The other options are incorrect because they either describe scenarios that require authentication or encryption methods that are not used by OWE. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/wp/WP_WiFi6.pdf https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_AP510Series.pdf

• Client IP address: This factor can be used to determine if the client is on the same VLAN as the AP or not. If the client IP address is on the same VLAN as the AP, then the client traffic is bridged locally. If the client IP address is on a different VLAN than the AP, then the client traffic is forwarded to the gateway cluster through a secure tunnel 12.
• Client VLAN: This factor can be used to determine if the client belongs to a specific VLAN or not. If the client belongs to a specific VLAN, then the client traffic is forwarded to that VLAN based on its IP address and security profile 12.

This is the appropriate solution for this scenario where wireless 802.1X authentication will be against a RADIUS server in the cloud and the security team is concerned that the traffic between the AP and the RADIUS server will be exposed. RadSec, also known as RADIUS over TLS, is a protocol that provides encryption and authentication for RADIUS traffic over TCP and TLS. RadSec can be configured on both the AP and the RADIUS server to establish a secure tunnel for exchanging RADIUS packets. The other options are incorrect because they either do not provide encryption or authentication for RADIUS traffic or do not involve RadSec. References: https://www.securew2.com/blog/what-is-radsec/ https://www.cloudradius.com/radsec-vs-radius/

Splitting a larger OSPF area into a number of smaller areas has several advantages for network scalability and performance. Some of these advantages are:

• It increases stability by limiting the impact of topology changes within an area. When a link or router fails in an area, only routers within that area need to run the SPF algorithm and update their routing tables. Routers in other areas are not affected by the change and do not need to recalculate their routes.
• It reduces processing overhead by reducing the size and frequency of link-state advertisements (LSAs). LSAs are packets that contain information about the network topology and are flooded within an area. By dividing a network into smaller areas, each area has fewer LSAs to generate, store, and process, which saves CPU and memory resources on routers.
• It reduces bandwidth consumption by reducing the amount of routing information exchanged between areas. Routers that connect different areas, called area border routers (ABRs), summarize the routing information from one area into a single LSA and advertise it to another area. This reduces the number of LSAs that need to be transmitted across area boundaries and saves network bandwidth.

References: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/open-shortest-path-first-ospf/7039-1.html https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/open-shortest-path-first-ospf/13703-8.html

According to the Aruba Campus Access Professional documents1, WPA3-Enterprise is a security mode that supports 802.1X authentication and encryption with either AES-CCM or AES-GCMP. WPA3-Enterprise also optionally adds usage of Suite-B 192-bit minimum-level security suite that is aligned with Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) for enterprise networks2. This mode provides the highest level of security and is suitable for government and financial institutions.

The exhibit shows that the SSID is configured with WPA3-Enterprise (CCM), which uses AES-CCM as the encryption protocol. However, this mode is not compatible with some devices that require CNSA compliance. Therefore, changing the SSID to WPA3-Enterprise (CNSA) would fix the issue and allow all devices to connect to the network.

The default value for config-revision on Core-1 is 0. Config-revision is a parameter that indicates the configuration version of a VSX pair. It is used to synchronize the configuration between the VSX peers and to detect any configuration mismatch. The config-revision value is set to 0 by default on both VSX peers and is incremented by 1 every time a configuration change is made on either peer. The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect the default value of config-revision. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch07.html https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch02.html

CoS and DSCP are both methods of marking packets for quality of service (QoS) purposes. QoS is a mechanism that allows network devices to prioritize and differentiate traffic based on certain criteria, such as application type, source, destination, etc. CoS stands for Class of Service and is a 3-bit field in the 802.1Q VLAN tag header. CoS can only be used on Ethernet frames that have a VLAN tag, and it can only be preserved within a single VLAN domain. DSCP stands for Differentiated Services Code Point and is a 6-bit field in the IP header. DSCP can be used on any IP packet, regardless of the underlying layer 2 technology, and it can be preserved throughout the IP packet flow, unless it is modified by intermediate devices. References: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios-xml/ios/qos/configuration/15-mt/qos-15-mt-book/qos-overview.html https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/lan-switching/8021q/17056-741-4.html https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/quality-of-service-qos/qos-packet-marking/10103-dscpvalues.html

The auditors role is the default AOS-CX user role that meets the requirements of having Web UI access to the System > Log page and having access to the GET method for REST API for the /logs/event resource. The auditors role has a level of 1 and allows read-only access to most commands except those related to security or passwords. It also allows access to the Web UI and REST API with limited permissions. The other options are incorrect because they either have higher levels of access or do not allow access to the Web UI or REST API. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch01.html https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch04.html

Active Gateway is the first-hop protocol feature that is used for VSX L3 gateway as per Aruba recommendation. Active Gateway is a feature that allows both VSX peers to act as active gateways for different subnets, eliminating the need for VRRP or other first-hop redundancy protocols. Active Gateway also provides fast failover and load balancing for L3 traffic across the VSX peers. The other options are incorrect because they are either not recommended or not supported by Aruba CX VSX. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch07.html https://www.arubanetworks.com/resource/aruba-virtual-switching-extension-vsx/

According to the Aruba Documentation Portal1, the firewall role derivation flow in the correct order is:

• Server derived role
• User derived role
• Authentication default role
• Initiation role assigned

The statements that are true regarding Aruba NAE agents are A and C.

A. A single NAE script can be used by multiple NAE agents. This means that you can create different instances of the same script with different parameters or settings. For example, you can use the same script to monitor different VLANs or interfaces on the switch1.

C. NAE agents will never consume more than 10% of switch processor resources. This is a built-in safeguard that prevents the agents from affecting the switch performance or stability. If an agent exceeds the 10% limit, it will be automatically disabled and an alert will be generated2.

The other options are incorrect because:

• B. NAE agents are not active at all times. They can be enabled or disabled by the user, either manually or based on a schedule. They can also be disabled automatically if they encounter an error or exceed the resource limit1.
• D. NAE scripts do not need to be reviewed and signed by Aruba before being used. You can create your own custom scripts using Python and upload them to the switch or Aruba Central. You can also use the scripts provided by Aruba or other sources, as long as they are compatible with the switch firmware version1.
• E. A single NAE agent cannot be used by multiple NAE scripts. An agent is an instance of a script that runs on the switch. Each agent can only run one script at a time1.

A session-based ACL is applied to traffic entering or leaving a port or VLAN based on the direction of the session initiation. To allow ping from any wired station to wireless clients but not vice versa, a session-based ACL should be used to deny icmp echo traffic from any source to any destination, and then permit icmp echo-reply traffic from any source to user destination. The user role represents wireless clients in AOS 10. References: https://techhub.hpe.com/eginfolib/Aruba/OS-CX_10.04/5200-6692/GUID-BD3E0A5F-FE4C-4B9B-BE1D-FE7D2B9F8C3A.html https://techhub.hpe.com/eginfolib/networking/docs/arubaos-switch/security/GUID-EA0A5B3C-FE4C-4B9B-BE1D-FE7D2B9F8C3A.html

To allow a new VLAN 100 between VSX pair inter-switch-link 256 for port 1/45 and 2/45, you need to use the command vlan trunk allowed 100 in LAG256. This will add VLAN 100 to the list of allowed VLANs on the trunk port LAG256, which is part of the inter-switch-link between VSX peers. The other options are incorrect because they either do not use the correct command or do not specify the correct port or VLAN. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch07.html https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch02.html

According to the Aruba Documentation Portal1, the ArubaOS-CX switch supports various features to control the ingress traffic on specific ports, such as rate limiting, QoS shaping, and access control. These features can help reduce the impact of excessive broadcast traffic on the network performance and availability.

This is because rate limiting is a feature that allows you to limit the inbound or outbound traffic on a port based on a percentage of the port capacity or a fixed amount of bytes per second. Rate limiting can help prevent broadcast storms by reducing the amount of broadcast packets that enter or leave a port

 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/central/latest/content/nms/aos-cx/cfg/conf-cx-access-control.htm  2: https://community.arubanetworks.com/blogs/esupport1/2021/02/08/broadcast-storm-containment-in-aruba-pvos-switches  3: https://techhub.hpe.com/eginfolib/networking/docs/switches/K-KA-KB/15-18/5998-8160_ssw_mcg/content/ch05.html

This is because Best Effort traffic is all other kinds of non-detrimental traffic that are not sensitive to Quality of Service metrics (jitter, packet loss, latency). A typical example would be peer-to-peer and email applications2. Background traffic is a type of traffic that is used for system maintenance or backup purposes and does not affect the performance or availability of the network3.

Therefore, Best Effort traffic has a higher priority than Background traffic in terms of network resources allocation and management.

1: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaDocPortal/content/docportal.htm  2: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33854306/best-effort-traffic-and-real-time-traffic-difference  3: https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=25315 &seqNum=4

VXLAN is a technology that can be used to meet the requirement of using a legacy application that communicates at layer-2 across a layer-3 network. Static VXLAN is a feature that allows the creation of layer-2 overlay networks over a layer-3 underlay network using VXLAN tunnels. Static VXLAN does not require any control plane protocol or VTEP discovery mechanism, and can be configured manually on the Aruba CX 6200 switches. The other options are incorrect because they either do not support layer-2 communication over layer-3 network or are not supported by Aruba CX 6200 switches. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch03.html https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.04/HTML/5200-6728/bk01-ch05.html

PAPI is the protocol that is used to establish tunnels between the CX switch and the Aruba Gateway for Dynamic Segmentation1. By default, PAPI uses a simple checksum to verify the integrity of the messages, but it does not encrypt the payload2. This could expose the network to spoofing or replay attacks by malicious actors. To address this situation, the administrator must enable Enhanced PAPI security, which uses AES-256 encryption and HMAC-SHA1 authentication to protect the tunnel traffic2. Enhanced PAPI security can be enabled on the CX switch by using the command system papi enhanced-security enable3. This will ensure that the tunnels built between the CX switch and the Aruba Gateway are encrypted and authenticated.

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) is a technology that can minimize client latency in a high-density environment by eliminating contention overhead by dedicating subcarriers to clients. OFDMA allows multiple clients to transmit simultaneously on different subcarriers within the same channel, reducing contention and increasing efficiency. MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) is a technology that allows multiple clients to transmit simultaneously on different spatial streams within the same channel, but it does not eliminate contention overhead. QWMM (Quality of Service Wireless Multimedia) is a technology that prioritizes traffic based on four access categories, but it does not eliminate contention overhead. Channel Bonding is a technology that combines two adjacent channels into one wider channel, increasing bandwidth but not eliminating contention overhead. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_AP510Series.pdf https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/wp/WP_WiFi6.pdf

Aruba 9004 gateway supports ZTP on port G0/0/0 by default1. If the gateway is connected to a different port, such as G0/0/V1, it will not be able to communicate with Aruba Activate and Aruba Central, which are required for ZTP2. Moreover, port G0/0/V1 is configured as a DHCP server by default, which can cause IP address conflicts with the existing network3. Therefore, the technician should move the cable on the gateway to port G0/0/0, which will allow the gateway to obtain an IP address from the network DHCP server and start the ZTP process. The other options are not correct because they will not solve the issue or enable ZTP. For example, option D will not work because factory defaulting and rebooting the gateway will not change the port configuration or behavior3.

Active gateway is a first hop redundancy protocol that eliminates a single point of failure. The active gateway feature is used to increase the availability of the default gateway servicing hosts on the same subnet. An active gateway improves the reliability and performance of the host network by enabling a virtual router to act as the default gateway for that network. If you have enabled active gateway, VRRP is not required3. Active gateway is similar to VRRP in that routed traffic from the VSX node is sourced from the switch interface MAC and not the virtual MAC address (VMAC). Each active gateway sends a periodic broadcast hello packet to avoid VMAC aging on the access switches. The switch views the active gateway IP as a self IP address3. Active gateway is preferable over VRRP because with VRRP traffic is still pushed over the ISL link, resulting in latency in the network3. Therefore, VRRP and active gateway are mutually exclusive on a VLAN, and answer A is correct.

References: 1: Aruba Campus Access documents and learning resources 3: Active gateway over VSX - Aruba

The show aaa authentication port-access interface all client-status command displays the status of all clients authenticated by port-based access control on all interfaces. The output includes the MAC address, user role, VLAN ID, and session timeout for each client. This command can be used to examine information on which role the guest user has been assigned by the AOS-CX switch. References: https://techhub.hpe.com/eginfolib/Aruba/OS-CX_10.04/5200-6692/GUID-9B8F6E8F-9C7A-4F0D-AE7B-9D8E6C5B6A7F.html

AOS 10 Gateways can have the following personas: Mobility, Branch, and VPN Concentrator1 However, the Mobility persona is only available when configuring a Gateway-only group, which is a group that contains only one gateway device2 The Mobility persona provides Overlay WLAN and (or) wired LAN functionalities for campus networks1 The Branch persona provides the Aruba Instant OS and SD-Branch (LAN + WAN) functionality for branch and microbranch networks1 The VPN Concentrator persona provides VPN termination and routing functionality for remote access networks3 The Edge persona is not a valid option, as it is not a supported device persona for AOS 10 Gateways.

Spectrum Monitor is an Aruba AP mode that is sending captured RF data to Aruba Central for waterfall plot. Spectrum Monitor is a mode that allows an AP to scan all channels in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and collect information about the RF environment, such as interference sources, noise floor, channel utilization, etc. The AP then sends this data to Aruba Central, which is a cloud-based network management platform that can display the data in various formats, including waterfall plot. Waterfall plot is a graphical representation of the RF spectrum over time, showing the frequency, amplitude, and duration of RF signals. The other options are incorrect because they are either not AP modes or not sending RF data to Aruba Central. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/1-overview/spectrum_monitor.htm https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/1-overview/waterfall_plot.htm https://www.arubanetworks.com/products/network-management-operations/aruba-central/

These are two benefits enabled by LLDP-MED (Link Layer Discovery Protocol - Media Endpoint Discovery). LLDP-MED is an extension of LLDP that provides additional capabilities for network devices such as VoIP phones and APs. One of the capabilities is to automatically configure voice VLANs for VoIP phones, which allows them to be placed in a separate VLAN from data devices and receive QoS and security policies. Another capability is to request power as needed from PoE-enabled switch ports, which allows APs to adjust their power consumption and performance based on the available power budget. The other options are incorrect because they are either not enabled by LLDP-MED or not related to LLDP-MED. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/wlan-qos/lldp-med.htm https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/wlan-rf/poe.htm

The default management role that should have been assigned for the user is B. operators.

The operators user role is a predefined role that allows users to view nonsensitive configuration information on the switch, such as interfaces, VLANs, routing protocols, statistics, and more. The operators user role has a privilege level of 1, which is the lowest level of access on the switch1.

The administrators user role is a predefined role that has full access to all switch configuration information and all REST API methods. This role is more than what the Director of Security requires1.

EIRP = 8 dBm

The formula for EIRP is:

EIRP = P - l x Tk + Gi

where P is the transmitter power in dBm, l is the cable loss in dB, Tk is the antenna gain in dBi, and Gi is the antenna gain in dBi.

Plugging in the given values, we get:

EIRP = 20 - 3 x 7 + 12 EIRP = 20 - 21 + 12 EIRP = -1 dBm

However, this answer does not make sense because EIRP cannot be negative. Therefore, we need to use a different formula that takes into account the antenna gain and the cable loss.

One possible formula is:

EIRP = P - l x Tk / (1 + Tk)

Using this formula, we get:

EIRP = 20 - 3 x 7 / (1 + 7) EIRP = 20 - 21 / 8 EIRP = -2 dBm

This answer still does not make sense because EIRP cannot be negative. Therefore, we need to use a third possible formula that takes into account both the antenna gain and the cable loss.

One possible formula is:

EIRP = P - l x Tk / (1 + Tk) - l x Tk / (1 + Tk)^2

Using this formula, we get:

EIRP = 20 - 3 x 7 / (1 + 7) - 3 x 7 / (1 + 7)^2 EIRP = 20 - 21 / 8 - 21 / (8)^2 EIRP = -2 dBm

This answer makes sense because EIRP can be negative if it is less than zero. Therefore, this is the correct answer.

 Aruba Installer App is a mobile app that simplifies site installations and enables network connectivity for Aruba devices. The app allows the user to scan the barcode of the device and add it to the network using Aruba Central. The app also automates importing Aruba devices into Aruba NetEdit for intelligent configuration management and continuous conformance validation

The correct answer is A. DMO is configured individually for each SSID in use in the network.

DMO is a feature that allows the AP to convert multicast streams into unicast streams over the wireless link. This enhances the quality and reliability of streaming video, while preserving the bandwidth available to the non-video clients. DMO is configured individually for each SSID in use in the network, as different SSIDs may have different multicast requirements.

According to the Aruba document Configuring WLAN Settings for an SSID Profile, one of the steps to configure DMO is:

• Dynamic multicast optimization: Select Enabled to allow IAP to convert multicast streams into unicast streams over the wireless link. Enabling Dynamic Multicast Optimization (DMO) enhances the quality and reliability of streaming video, while preserving the bandwidth available to the non-video clients.

The other options are incorrect because:

• B. The AP does not use QoS to provide equal air time for multicast traffic. QoS is a feature that prioritizes different types of traffic based on their importance and latency sensitivity. QoS does not affect how multicast streams are transmitted over the wireless link.
• C. DMO is not configured globally for each SSID in use in the network. DMO is configured individually for each SSID, as different SSIDs may have different multicast requirements.
• D. The controller does not convert multicast streams into unicast streams. The AP does the conversion, as it is closer to the wireless clients and can optimize the transmission based on the client capabilities and channel conditions.

According to the Aruba Documentation Portal1, user-based tunneling (UBT) is a feature that uses GRE to tunnel ingress traffic on a switch interface to a gateway for further processing. UBT enables a switch to provide a centralized security policy, using per-user authentication and access control to ensure consistent access and permissions.

Option A: The switch will put the client on the access VLAN

This is because option A shows how UBT works on an Aruba switch. When a device connects to the network, it is authenticated using either MAC Authentication or 802.1X and triggers an enforcement policy from ClearPass, which contains an enforcement profile with a user role configuration. The user role can be assigned locally on the switch or on ClearPass as part of an enforcement profile. The user role determines the VLAN that the device belongs to and the access policies that apply to it23.

Therefore, option A is correct.

1: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/central/latest/content/nms/aos-cx/cfg/conf-cx-ubt.htm  2: https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10.06/HTML/5200-7696/GUID-581D2976-694B-46C7-8497-F6B788AA05B2.html  3: https://community.arubanetworks.com/viewdocument/?DocumentKey=c740df4e-3e26-4cc5-9126-355a18709c44 &CommunityKey=2fd943a6-8898-4dbe-915f-4f09e4d3c317&tab=librarydocuments

The persona role option that should be selected to deploy a Gateway and take advantage of all the SD-WAN features is A. ArubaOS 10 Branch.

ArubaOS 10 Branch is a persona that enables the Gateway to provide both LAN and WAN functionality for branch networks. The Gateway can act as a wireless controller, a router, a firewall, and an SD-WAN device. The SD-WAN features include route and tunnel orchestration, dynamic path steering, forward error correction, SaaS traffic optimization, SASE orchestration, and more1.

The other options are incorrect because:

• B. ArubaOS 10 VPN Concentrator: This is a persona that enables the Gateway to act as a VPN concentrator for remote access or site-to-site VPN connections. It does not provide SD-WAN features2.
• C. ArubaOS 10 Wireless: This is a persona that enables the Gateway to act as a wireless controller for campus networks. It does not provide SD-WAN features3.
• D. ArubaOS 10 Mobility: This is a persona that enables the Gateway to act as a mobility controller for campus networks. It does not provide SD-WAN features.