Aruba Switching Associate flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Operator privilege level
- The lowest CLI privilege context on ArubaOS-Switch, shown by the '>' prompt. It permits display commands only, not configuration changes.
- Manager privilege level
- The CLI context shown by the '#' prompt. It allows display commands and some operational actions but not global configuration until 'configure terminal' is entered.
- configure terminal command
- Moves the CLI from Manager mode into Global Configuration mode (config)#, where global settings such as hostname and spanning tree are applied.
- write memory command
- Copies the running configuration from RAM to the startup configuration in flash, ensuring changes persist across a reboot.
- show running-config command
- Displays the currently active configuration held in RAM, including unsaved changes made since the last write memory operation.
- show interfaces brief command
- Lists every switch port with its link state, speed, duplex, and VLAN membership in a compact table for quick troubleshooting.
- show version command
- Reports the running firmware image, boot image, uptime, serial number, and MAC address of the switch.
- Factory default management access
- On many ArubaOS-Switch platforms the dedicated out-of-band management port requests an address by DHCP, while console access is always available.
- Access port behavior
- A switch port assigned to exactly one untagged VLAN. Frames leaving the port are untagged, so attached hosts see no VLAN tag.
- Trunk port behavior
- A port carrying multiple VLANs with 802.1Q tags, plus one untagged native VLAN for untagged traffic such as management or legacy devices.
- 802.1Q tag fields
- A 4-byte tag inserted into Ethernet frames containing a 12-bit VLAN identifier supporting VLAN IDs 1 through 4094.
- MAC address learning
- The switch records each frame's source MAC on its ingress port. Frames to unknown destination MACs are flooded within the VLAN.
- show mac-address command
- Displays the switch MAC address table, listing learned addresses, their associated ports, and VLAN membership for forwarding verification.
- LACP bundle limits
- Link Aggregation Control Protocol combines up to 8 active member links into one logical trunk, requiring matching speed, duplex, and VLAN settings.
- VLAN 1 default status
- VLAN 1 exists by default on Aruba switches, carries the default untagged traffic, and cannot be deleted from the VLAN database.
- Jumbo frame requirement
- Frames larger than 1518 bytes need matching MTU configuration on switch ports and end devices; mismatched MTU silently drops large frames.
- Root bridge election
- Spanning tree elects the switch with the lowest bridge ID as root. Bridge ID combines a configurable priority, default 32768, and the MAC address.
- STP port roles
- Root port provides the best path to the root bridge, designated ports forward on a segment, and alternate or blocked ports prevent loops.
- Classic STP port states
- 802.1D states are Blocking, Listening, Learning, Forwarding, and Disabled. Convergence through listening and learning takes roughly 30 to 50 seconds.
- RSTP convergence
- Rapid Spanning Tree (802.1w) converges in seconds using edge ports and proposal/agreement handshakes instead of timer-based state transitions.
- MSTP instance mapping
- Multiple Spanning Tree (802.1s) maps groups of VLANs to spanning tree instances, allowing different forwarding topologies for load balancing.
- Root path cost rule
- A switch selects the root port with the lowest cumulative path cost, breaking ties by lowest sender bridge ID then lowest port ID.
- LACP active versus passive
- Active mode initiates LACP negotiation; passive mode only responds. A bundle forms when at least one side is active and settings match.
- show spanning-tree command
- Displays the elected root bridge, per-port roles and states, and path costs used to verify loop-free Layer 2 topology operation.
- Enabling Layer 3 routing
- An Aruba Layer 3 switch needs global IP routing enabled and an IP address on each VLAN interface (SVI) to route between VLANs.
- Static route syntax
- The command 'ip route <destination> <mask> <next-hop>' installs a static route; the default route uses destination 0.0.0.0 with mask 0.0.0.0.
- Administrative distance values
- Route preference ranking: connected equals 0, static equals 1, OSPF equals 110, and RIP equals 120. Lower values are preferred.
- show ip route command
- Displays the routing table with destination networks, next hops, outgoing interfaces, and route sources for verifying forwarding paths.
- Port security violation modes
- Protect silently drops frames from unknown MACs, restrict drops and logs them, and shutdown disables the port until manually re-enabled.
- DHCP snooping function
- Blocks rogue DHCP servers by forwarding DHCP offers only on trusted uplink ports, while client ports remain untrusted by default.
- Dynamic ARP inspection
- Validates ARP packets against the DHCP snooping binding table, dropping spoofed ARP replies that attempt man-in-the-middle attacks on the LAN.
- 802.1X authentication roles
- Port-based access control where the supplicant is the client, the switch is the authenticator, and a RADIUS server makes the authentication decision.