HPE6-A85 Aruba Certified Campus Access Associate Exam Questions and Answers

The ideal mounting position for a typical Aruba indoor AP is horizontally, below a suspended ceiling. This positioning takes advantage of the AP's antenna radiation pattern and helps provide optimal wireless coverage and performance within the indoor environment.

A frame is the data link layer PDU that encapsulates the network layer PDU (packet) with a header and a trailer that contain information such as source and destination MAC addresses, frame type, error detection, etc. A frame is transmitted over a physical medium such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.References:https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/1-overview/networking-basics.htm

Features: 1) Clustered Instant Access Points Aruba OS version: a) Aruba OS 8

Features: 2) Dynamic Radius Proxy Aruba OS version: a) Aruba OS 8

Features: 3) Scales to more than 10,000 devices Aruba OS version: b) Aruba OS 10

Features: 4) Unifies wired and wireless management Aruba OS version: a) Aruba OS 8 

Features: 5) Wireless controllers Aruba OS version: a) Aruba OS 8

ArubaOS is the operating system for all Aruba Mobility Controllers (MCs) and controller-managed wireless access points (APs). ArubaOS 8 delivers unified wired and wireless access, seamless roaming, enterprise grade security, and a highly available network with the required reliability to support high density environments1. Some of the features of ArubaOS 8 are:

Clustered Instant Access Points: This feature allows multiple Instant APs to form a cluster and share configuration and state information. This enables seamless roaming, load balancing, and fast failover for clients2.

Dynamic Radius Proxy: This feature allows an MC to act as a proxy for RADIUS authentication requests from clients or APs. This simplifies the configuration and management of RADIUS servers and reduces the network traffic between MCs and RADIUS servers3.

Wireless controllers: Aruba wireless controllers are devices that centrally manage and control the wireless network. They provide functions such as AP provisioning, configuration, security, policy enforcement, and network optimization.

ArubaOS 10 is the next-generation operating system that works with Aruba Central, a cloud-based network management platform. ArubaOS 10 delivers greater scalability, security, and AI-powered optimization across large campuses, branches, and remote work environments. Some of the features of ArubaOS 10 are:

Scales to more than 10,000 devices: ArubaOS 10 can support up to 10,000 devices per cluster, which is ten times more than ArubaOS 8. This enables customers to scale their networks without compromising performance or reliability.

Unifies wired and wireless management: ArubaOS 10 provides a single platform for managing both wired and wireless devices across the network. Customers can use Aruba Central to configure, monitor, troubleshoot, and update their devices from anywhere.

Both ArubaOS 8 and ArubaOS 10 share some common features, such as:

Unifies wired and wireless management: Both operating systems provide unified wired and wireless access for customers who use Aruba switches and APs. Customers can use a single interface to manage their entire network infrastructure1 . References: 1 https://www.arubanetworks.com/resource/arubaos-8-fundamental-guide/  2 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/Instant_86_WebHelp/Content/instant-ug/iap-maintenance/cluster.htm  3 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/1-overview/dynamic-radius-proxy.htm https://www.arubanetworks.com/products/networking/controllers/ https://www.arubanetworks.com/products/network-management-operations/arubaos/ https://blogs.arubanetworks.com/solutions/making-the-switch/ https://www.arubanetworks.com/products/network-management-operations/aruba-central/

On Aruba switches, the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is enabled by default on all ports. This protocol is an industry-standard network discovery protocol that is used for network devices to advertise their identity, capabilities, and neighbors on a locally managed network, typical in an IEEE 802 network. This is beneficial for network mapping and troubleshooting purposes. Since LLDP is enabled by default, there is no need for any additional configuration on Switch 1 port 1/1/24 to receive LLDP messages from Router 1, as long as LLDP is not disabled on the port.

When generating a Multiple Pre-Shared Key (MPSK) for headless devices using the ClearPass self-service registration page, the MAC address of the device is required. MPSK associates a unique PSK with the MAC address of a device, providing a way to authenticate devices that may not have a user interface.

USE CASE: a) Controls the dynamic addition and removal of ports to groups Technology: 3) LACP

USE CASE: b) Tags Ethernet frames with an additional VLAN header Technology: 1) 802.1Q

USE CASE: c) Used to authenticate EAP-Capable client on a switch port Technology: 2) 802.1X

USE CASE: d) Used to identify a voice VLAN to an IP phone Technology: 4) LLDP

The following table summarizes the switching technologies and their use cases:

Technology

Use case

1) 802.1Q

802.1Q is a standard that defines how to create and manage virtual LANs (VLANs) on a network. VLANs allow network administrators to logically segment a network into different broadcast domains, improving security, performance, and manageability. 802.1Q tags Ethernet frames with an additional VLAN header that contains a VLAN identifier (VID), which indicates which VLAN the frame belongs to1.

2) 802.1X

802.1X is a standard that defines how to provide port-based network access control (PNAC) on a network. PNAC allows network administrators to authenticate and authorize devices before granting them access to network resources. 802.1X uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to exchange authentication messages between a supplicant (a device that wants to access the network), an authenticator (a device that controls access to the network, such as a switch), and an authentication server (a device that verifies the credentials of the supplicant, such as a RADIUS server)2.

3) LACP

LACP stands for Link Aggregation Control Protocol, which is part of the IEEE 802.3ad standard that defines how to bundle multiple physical links into a single logical link, also known as a link aggregation group (LAG) or an EtherChannel. LAGs provide increased bandwidth, load balancing, and redundancy for network connections. LACP controls the dynamic addition and removal of ports to groups, ensuring that only ports with compatible configurations can form a LAG3.

4) LLDP

LLDP stands for Link Layer Discovery Protocol, which is part of the IEEE 802.1AB standard that defines how to discover and advertise information about neighboring devices on a network. LLDP operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model and uses TLVs (type-length-value) to exchange information such as device name, port number, VLAN ID, capabilities, and power requirements. LLDP can be used to identify a voice VLAN to an IP phone by sending a TLV that contains the voice VLAN ID and priority.

References: 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.1Q  2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.1X  3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggregation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Layer_Discovery_Protocol

In Aruba Central's network check page, you can run several diagnostic tests on switches. A ping test is a common utility to check the reachability of a host on an IP network. A Power over Ethernet (PoE) check can help verify the power delivery status to PoE-capable devices. These tests are crucial for ensuring connectivity and power supply to network devices

Aruba AirMatch is a feature that optimizes RF Radio Frequency. RF is any frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space. performance and user experience by using machine learning algorithms and historical data to dynamically adjust AP power levels, channel assignments, and channel width. AirMatch performs live firmware upgrades on Aruba APs by partitioning all the APs based on RF neighborhood data and minimizing the impact on clients. AirMatch uses a rolling upgrade process that upgrades one partition at a time while ensuring that adjacent partitions are not upgraded simultaneously. References: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_AirMatch.pdf https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/arm/AirMatch.htm

OSPF Open Shortest Path First. OSPF is a link-state routing protocol that uses a hierarchical structure to create a routing topology for IP networks. OSPF routers exchange routing information with their neighbors using Hello packets, which are sent periodically on each interface. To establish an adjacency Adjacency is a relationship formed between selected neighboring routers for the purpose of exchanging routing information., OSPF routers must agree on several parameters, including Hello timers, which specify how often Hello packets are sent on an interface. If the Hello timers do not match between neighboring routers, they will not form an adjacency and will not exchange routes. References:https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS_86_Web_Help/Content/arubaos-solutions/osfp/osfp.htm

The reason why you would configure OSPF Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a link-state routing protocol that dynamically calculates the best routes for data transmission within an IP network. OSPF uses a hierarchical structure that divides a network into areas and assigns each router an identifier called router ID (RID). OSPF uses hello packets to discover neighbors and exchange routing information. OSPF uses Dijkstra’s algorithm to compute the shortest path tree (SPT) based on link costs and build a routing table based on SPT. OSPF supports multiple equal-cost paths, load balancing, authentication, and various network types such as broadcast, point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, non-broadcast multi-access (NBMA), etc. OSPF is defined in RFC 2328 for IPv4 and RFC 5340 for IPv6. to use the IP address IP address Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. There are two versions of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long and written in dotted-decimal notation, such as 192.168.1.1. IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long and written in hexadecimal notation, such as 2001:db8::1. IP addresses can be either static (fixed) or dynamic (assigned by a DHCP server). 10.1.200.1 as the router ID Router ID (RID) Router ID (RID) is a unique identifier assigned to each router in a routing domain or protocol. RIDs are used by routing protocols such as OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP, BGP, etc., to identify neighbors, exchange routing information, elect designated routers (DRs), etc. RIDs are usually derived from one of the IP addresses configured on the router’s interfaces or loopbacks, or manually specified by network administrators. RIDs must be unique within a routing domain or protocol instance. is that the loopback interface state Loopback interface Loopback interface is a virtual interface on a router that does notcorrespond to any physical port or connection. Loopback interfaces are used for various purposes such as testing network connectivity, providing stable router IDs for routing protocols, providing management access to routers, etc. Loopback interfaces have some advantages over physical interfaces such as being always up unless administratively shut down, being independent of any hardware failures or link failures, being able to assign any IP address regardless of subnetting constraints, etc. Loopback interfaces are usually numbered from zero (e.g., loopback0) upwards on routers. Loopback interfaces can also be created on PCs or servers for testing or configuration purposes using special IP addresses reserved for loopback testing (e.g., 127.x.x.x for IPv4 or ::1 for IPv6). Loopback interfaces are also known as virtual interfaces or dummy interfaces . Loopback interface state Loopback interface state refers to whether a loopback interface is up or down on a router . A loopback interface state can be either administratively controlled (by using commands such as no shutdown or shutdown ) or automatically determined by routing protocols (by using commands such as passive-interface or ip ospf network point-to-point ). A loopback interface state affects how routing protocols use the IP address assigned to the loopback interface for neighbor discovery , router ID selection , route advertisement , etc . A loopback interface state can also affect how other devices can access or ping the loopback interface . A loopback interface state can be checked by using commands such as show ip interface brief or show ip ospf neighbor . is independent of any physical interface and reduces routing updates.

The loopback interface state is independent of any physical interface because it does not depend on any hardware or link status. This means that the loopback interface state will always be up unless it is manually shut down by an administrator. This also means that the loopback interface state will not change due to any physical failures or link failures that may affect other interfaces on the router.

The loopback interface state reduces routing updates because it provides a stable router ID for OSPF that does not change due to any physical failures or link failures that may affect other interfaces on the router. This means that OSPF will not have to re-elect DRs Designated Routers (DRs) Designated Routers (DRs) are routers that are elected by OSPF routers in a broadcast or non-broadcast multi-access (NBMA) network to act as leaders and coordinators of OSPF operations in that network. DRs are responsible for generating link-state advertisements (LSAs) for the entire network segment, maintaining adjacencies with all other routers in the segment, and exchanging routing information with other DRs in different segments through backup designated routers (BDRs). DRs are elected based on their router priority values and router IDs . The highest priority router becomes the DR and the second highest priority router becomes the BDR . If there is a tie in priority values , then the highest router ID wins . DRs can be manually configured by setting the router priority value to 0 (which means ineligible) or 255 (which means always eligible) on specific interfaces . DRs can also be influenced by using commands such as ip ospf priority , ip ospf dr-delay , ip ospf network point-to-multipoint , etc . DRs can be verified by using commands such as show ip ospf neighbor , show ip ospf interface , show ip ospf database , etc . , recalculate SPT Shortest PathTree (SPT) Shortest Path Tree (SPT) is a data structure that represents the shortest paths from a source node to all other nodes in a graph or network . SPT is used by link-state routing protocols such as OSPF and IS-IS to compute optimal routes based on link costs . SPT is built using Dijkstra’s algorithm , which starts from the source node and iteratively adds nodes with the lowest cost paths to the tree until all nodes are included . SPT can be represented by a set of pointers from each node to its parent node in the tree , or by a set of next-hop addresses from each node to its destination node in the network . SPT can be updated by adding or removing nodes or links , or by changing link costs . SPT can be verified by using commands such as show ip route , show ip ospf database , show clns route , show clns database , etc . , or send LSAs Link-State Advertisements (LSAs) Link-State Advertisements (LSAs) are packets that contain information about the state and cost of links in a network segment . LSAs are generated and flooded by link-state routing protocols such as OSPF and IS-IS to exchange routing information with other routers in the same area or level . LSAs are used to build link-state databases (LSDBs) on each router , which store the complete topology of the network segment . LSAs are also used to compute shortest path trees (SPTs) on each router , which determine the optimal routes to all destinations in the network . LSAs have different types depending on their origin and scope , such as router LSAs , network LSAs , summary LSAs , external LSAs , etc . LSAs have different formats depending on their type and protocol version , but they usually contain fields such as LSA header , LSA type , LSA length , LSA age , LSA sequence number , LSA checksum , LSA body , etc . LSAs can be verified by using commands such as show ip ospf database , show clns database , debug ip ospf hello , debug clns hello , etc . due to changes in router IDs.

The other options are not reasons because:

The IP address associated with the loopback interface is non-routable and prevents loops: This option is false because the IP address associated with the loopback interface is routable and does not prevent loops. The IP address associated with the loopback interface can be any valid IP address that belongs to an existing subnet or a new subnet created specifically for loopbacks. The IP address associated with the loopback interface does not prevent loops because loops are caused by misconfigurations or failures in routing protocols or devices, not by IP addresses.

The loopback interface state is dependent on the management interface state and reduces routing updates: This option is false because

the loopback interface state is independent of any physical interface state, including the management interface state Management interface Management interface is an interface on a device that provides access to management functions such as configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, etc . Management interfaces can be physical ports such as console ports, Ethernet ports, USB ports, etc., or virtual ports such as Telnet sessions, SSH sessions, web sessions, etc . Management interfaces can use different protocols such as CLI Command-Line Interface (CLI) Command-Line Interface (CLI) is an interactive text-based user interface that allows users to communicate with devices using commands typed on a keyboard . CLI is one of the methods for accessingmanagement functions on devices such as routers, switches, firewalls, servers, etc . CLI can use different protocols such as console port serial communication protocol Serial communication protocol Serial communication protocol is a method of transmitting data between devices using serial ports and cables . Serial communication protocol uses binary signals that represent bits (0s and 1s) and sends them one after another over a single wire . Serial communication protocol has advantages such as simplicity, low cost, long

In a Virtual Switching Extension (VSX) stack, the Virtual IP (VIP) provides a single default gateway IP address for clients connected to the access switch. This VIP is a floating IP that is active on the primary VSX switch. In the event of a failure of the primary switch, the VIP will failover to the secondary switch, ensuring that client traffic can continue to be routed without disruption.

When a wireless client’s countdown timer (also known as a backoff timer) reaches zero during contention-based access periods, and it receives a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP), it has the right to transmit its data frames on the medium. After sending the data frames, it expects an acknowledgment (ACK) from the Access Point (AP) to ensure the frames were received successfully.

In a 2.4GHz WLAN environment, channels 1, 6, and 11 are recommended for use simultaneously to avoid co-channel interference because these channels do not overlap with each other. Each of these channels is separated by enough frequency space to ensure that the signals do not interfere, which is not the case with other channel combinations.

The command that is used to set a default route to 10.4.5.1 on an Aruba CX switch when in-band management using an SVI is being used is ip route 0.0 0 0/0 10.4.5.1 . This command specifies the destination network address (0.0 0 0) and prefix length (/0) and the next-hopaddress (10.4.5.1) for reaching any network that is not directly connected to the switch. The default route applies to the default VRF Virtual Routing and Forwarding. VRF is a technology that allows multiple instances of a routing table to co-exist within the same router at the same time. VRFs are typically used to segment network traffic for security, privacy, or administrative purposes. , which is used for in-band management traffic that goes through an SVI Switch Virtual Interface. SVI is a virtual interface on a switch that allows the switch to route packets between different VLANs on the same switch or different switches that are connected by a trunk link. An SVI is associated with a VLAN and has an IP address and subnet mask assigned to it12. References: 1 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10_08/HTML/ip_route_4100i-6000-6100-6200/Content/Chp_StatRoute/def-rou.htm  2 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/AOS-CX/10_08/HTML/ip_route_4100i-6000-6100-6200/Content/Chp_VRF/vrf-overview.htm

a) Alerts on config changes via email - Foundation b) Group-based firmware compliance - Foundation c) Heat maps of deployed APs - Advanced d) Live upgrades of an AOS10 cluster - Advanced

According to the Aruba Central Licensing Guide1, the Foundation License provides basic device management features such as configuration, monitoring, alerts, reports, firmware management, etc. The Advanced License provides additional features such as AI insights, WLAN services, NetConductor Fabric, heat maps, live upgrades, etc.

https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/central/2.5.3/content/pdfs/licensing-guide.pdf

In the context of the OSI model, the network layer is responsible for packet forwarding including routing through intermediate routers. Hence, the network layer PDU is known as a packet.

 EAP-TLS is an authentication method that requires client certificates when authenticating to the network. It provides mutual authentication between the client and the server using public key cryptography and digital certificates. References:https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ClearPass/6.9/Guest/Content/CPPM_UserGuide/EAP-TLS/EAP-TLS.htm

EAP-TLS (Extensible Authentication Protocol-Transport Layer Security) is an EAP method that requires both server-side and client-side certificates for authentication. It is considered one of the most secure EAP methods because it uses a mutual authentication process where both the user and the authentication server must prove their identities to each other through the use of certificates. Implementing user and device certificates via a Group Based Policy (GPO) aligns well with EAP-TLS requirements for client-side certificates.

EAP-TEAP is a tunnel-based authentication method that supports both device and user authentication within a single RADIUS session. ClearPass 6.9 supports EAP-TEAP as an authentication method for Windows 10 clients.References:https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ClearPass/6.9/Guest/Content/CPPM_UserGuide/EAP-TEAP/EAP-TEAP.htm

For the requirement to authorize both device and user credentials within one Radius session, the correct solution would be ClearPass 6.9 with EAP-TEAP (EAP-Tunneled Extensible Authentication Protocol). EAP-TEAP is a tunneling protocol that creates a secure communication channel between the client and the server, allowing for the transmission of multiple authentication transactions within a single session. This capability is particularly useful in scenarios where both user and device credentials need to be verified before granting access to network resources, providing an additional layer of security and ensuring that both the user and the device are authorized to access the network.

In Aruba Central during group creation, users can define various configuration groups to manage settings for multiple devices. A Security group allows you to apply consistent security settings across devices, and a Template group enables you to apply pre-defined configurations to devices. These groups help streamline the deployment and management of network devices in Aruba Central.

Proves knowledge of the PMK

Exchanges messages for generating PTK

Distributes an encrypted GTK to the client

Sets first initialization vector (IV)

A solid amber radio status LED on an Aruba Access Point (AP) typically indicates a power issue, specifically that not enough Power over Ethernet (PoE) is being provided from the switch to fully power all functionalities of the AP, including both of its radios. In environments where APs are powered via PoE, it is crucial to ensure that the switch supplying the power is capable of delivering sufficient power for the AP's requirements. If the AP does not receive enough power, it may disable certain features or radios to conserve energy, which is indicated by the solid amber LED. This situation is common in scenarios where the switch provides only 802.3af PoE rather than the more powerful 802.3at PoE+ needed by some high-performance APs to operate all features, including dual radios, at full capacity.

The RADIUS message that you should look for to ensure a successful connection via 802.1X is Access-Accept. This message indicates that the RADIUS server has authenticated and authorized the supplicant (the device that wants to access the network) and has granted it access to the network resources. The Access-Accept message may also contain additional attributes such as VLAN ID, session timeout, or filter ID that specify how the authenticator (the device that controls access to the network, such as a switch) should treat the supplicant’s traffic.

The other options are not RADIUS messages because:

Authorized: This is not a RADIUS message, but a state that indicates that a port on an authenticator is allowed to pass traffic from a supplicant after successful authentication and authorization.

Success: This is not a RADIUS message, but a status that indicates that an EAP Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) is an authentication framework that provides support for multiple authentication methods, such as passwords, certificates, tokens, or biometrics. EAP is used in wireless networks and point-to-point connections to provide secure authentication between a supplicant (a device that wants to access the network) and an authentication server (a device that verifies the credentials of the supplicant). exchange has completed successfully between a supplicant and an authentication server.

Authenticated: This is not a RADIUS message, but a state that indicates that a port on an authenticator has received an EAP-Success message from an authentication server after successful authentication of a supplicant.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RADIUS#Access-Accept https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/security-vpn/remote-authentication-dial-user-service-radius/13838-10.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.1X#Port-based_network_access_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Authentication_Protocol#EAP_exchange

Based on the exhibit showing the logging server configurations, server 172.17.17.43 will receive the smallest quantity of data because it is set to the "Warning" event log level. This means it will only log events that are categorized as warnings or higher severity, which are typically less frequent than lower severity levels such as "Information," "Debug," or "Emergency."

When a client roams from one access point to another, it must change the destination MAC address on its 802.11 frames to match the new access point to which it is associated. The SSID does not change since it is typically consistent across an entire WLAN, and the default gateway remains the same as long as the client stays within the same IP subnet. The association to a new access point involves updating the destination MAC address in the frames that the client sends.

Multiple Pre-Shared Key (MPSK) is a feature that allows device-specific or group-specific passphrases to securely add headless devices to the WLAN Wireless Local Area Network. WLAN is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building. . MPSK enhances the WPA2 PSK Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 Pre-Shared Key. WPA2 PSK is a method of securing your network using WPA2 with the use of the optional Pre-Shared Key (PSK) authentication, which was designed for home users without an enterprise authentication server. mode by allowing different PSKs for different devices on the same SSID Service Set Identifier. SSID is a case-sensitive, 32 alphanumeric character unique identifier attached to the header of packets sent over a wireless local-area network (WLAN). The SSID acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect to the basic service set (BSS) — a component of the IEEE 802.11 WLAN architecture. . MPSK passwords can be generated or user-created and are managed by ClearPass Policy Manager12. References: 1 https://blogs.arubanetworks.com/solutions/simplify-iot-authentication-with-multiple-pre-shared-keys/  2 https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ClearPass/6.8/Guest/Content/AdministrationTasks1/Configuring-MPSK.htm

To provide an LACP connection with the maximum available bandwidth, one should configure a link aggregation group (LAG) using all available ports that can be used for data transfer. Since the SFP56 portsare used for stacking, the next best option is to use the 2 SFP28 ports and as many SmartRate 5G (SR5) ports as possible on each switch, which would allow for a 16-member LAG, with 2 SFP28 and 6 SR5 ports on each switch contributing to the LAG.