Aruba CX 10000 Advanced study plan
Aruba CX 10000 Advanced · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
CX 10000 architecture and hardware platform & Distributed services and stateful firewall (AMD Pensando DPU)
Diagram the CX 10000 data plane path from a physical port through the DPU to the host-facing interface, labeling where policy is enforced
List the hardware components (ASIC, DPU, management, power/cooling) and state the role of each in one sentence
Explain the split between switch ASIC forwarding and DPU-hosted distributed services in your own words
Identify the management and console access paths and describe initial provisioning steps
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated architecture diagram plus a 15-line component glossary written from memory
Distributed services and stateful firewall (AMD Pensando DPU) & Security policy, segmentation, and micro-segmentation
Define stateful firewall behavior on the DPU and contrast it with stateless ACLs on the switch ASIC
Map how a security policy is expressed and where it is applied relative to the DPU pipeline
Distinguish segmentation constructs from micro-segmentation and give one use case for each
Trace a new TCP flow through policy evaluation and describe how return traffic is handled
Your checkpoint
A flow-walkthrough write-up for one permitted and one denied connection, including where state is kept
Distributed services and stateful firewall (AMD Pensando DPU) & Security policy, segmentation, and micro-segmentation
Design a micro-segmentation scheme for a three-tier application with east-west controls
Write the intent of each policy rule in plain language before any configuration syntax
Describe how policy scales as endpoints are added and what breaks first
Explain how segmentation interacts with routing boundaries on the platform
Your checkpoint
A three-tier segmentation design with a rule-intent table covering at least eight flows
AOS-CX fundamentals and configuration management & Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking on CX 10000
Perform and verify a configuration checkpoint and rollback in a lab or simulator
Configure and validate VLANs, trunks, and a link aggregation group
Configure and validate an SVI and a static route, then confirm with show commands
Describe the AOS-CX configuration model and how candidate/running/startup relate
Your checkpoint
A lab log with commands, expected output, and actual output for each of the four tasks
EVPN-VXLAN and data center fabric integration & Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking on CX 10000
Explain EVPN route types 2, 3, and 5 and what each carries in a VXLAN fabric
Describe the roles of VTEP, underlay routing, and the overlay in forwarding a frame
Trace a packet from an access port on one VTEP to a host behind a remote VTEP
Contrast symmetric and asymmetric IRB for inter-subnet traffic
Your checkpoint
A packet-walk narrative plus a route-type reference table built without notes
EVPN-VXLAN and data center fabric integration & Security policy, segmentation, and micro-segmentation
Describe how distributed services integrate with an EVPN-VXLAN fabric at the VTEP boundary
Explain where policy is enforced for traffic that leaves the local VTEP
Identify failure modes when overlay and policy state disagree and how to detect them
Design segmentation that spans two VTEPs and state the enforcement points
Your checkpoint
A two-VTEP fabric design showing enforcement points and a list of five failure modes with detection signals
Telemetry, monitoring, and analytics & High availability, operations, and troubleshooting
List the telemetry and analytics sources available and what question each answers
Set a baseline for what normal looks like and describe how to spot drift
Describe HA options and what happens to stateful flows during a failover event
Build a troubleshooting sequence for loss of connectivity that starts at Layer 1 and ends at policy
Your checkpoint
A troubleshooting runbook with an ordered decision tree and the show/verify command for each step
High availability, operations, and troubleshooting & Distributed services and stateful firewall (AMD Pensando DPU) & EVPN-VXLAN and data center fabric integration
Re-derive the domain weightings and allocate remaining study time accordingly
Complete timed practice sets weighted to domains 4, 5, and 6
Review every missed item and write the underlying principle, not the answer
Rehearse the architecture and flow walkthroughs aloud without notes
Your checkpoint
A scored practice summary with a written correction note for every miss and a final weak-area list
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain where stateful policy is enforced and walk one flow end to end without notes
Week 4: Can perform checkpoint/rollback and basic L2/L3 configuration in a lab with correct verification output
Week 6: Can trace a cross-VTEP packet and name the enforcement points and failure modes
Week 8: Scores at or above target on weighted practice sets and has no unresolved weak-area items