Aruba ACMA study plan

Diagram the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, including common channel widths and non-overlapping channel sets.

Compare 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax PHY features such as MIMO, MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and modulation.

Calculate basic RF link-budget and free-space path-loss examples to explain coverage and cell-edge behavior.

Build a channel reuse plan for a three-floor office with 40 APs, separating 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz assignments.

Explain co-channel interference, adjacent-channel interference, and airtime consumption using a written scenario.

Map the ArubaOS configuration hierarchy from SSID profile through virtual AP, AP group, and AAA profile.

Configure two lab SSIDs with different VLAN assignments and verify client IP addressing.

Configure band steering and client match settings, then record the resulting behavior.

Export the lab configuration and annotate each profile with its role in the virtual AP chain.

Compare named VLANs, pool VLANs, and VLAN assignment methods in a written summary.

Compare WPA2-PSK, WPA3-SAE, WPA2-Enterprise, and WPA3-Enterprise in terms of authentication and encryption.

Configure an 802.1X SSID with a RADIUS server and test successful and failed authentications.

Create role-based firewall policies that restrict client access by destination and application.

Configure a captive portal SSID and verify the pre-authentication and post-authentication roles.

Document common authentication failure causes, including certificate, shared-secret, and VLAN mismatch errors.

Integrate AAA profiles, server groups, and user roles into a single lab SSID policy.

Explain when to use Mobility Master, Mobility Controller, Instant AP, Aruba Central, and gateways in a design.

Design a small branch with a gateway, two APs, and centralized authentication, labeling traffic flows.

Troubleshoot three intentionally broken authentication or role-mapping cases and record root causes.

Score at least 80% on a 30-question mixed quiz covering Domains 1 and 4.

Compare standalone, controller-managed, Instant, and Central-managed operational models using a decision table.

Configure monitoring alerts for AP down, client authentication failure, and high channel utilization.

Capture and interpret controller logs for a simulated client connectivity failure.

Build a five-scenario troubleshooting runbook covering DHCP, DNS, VLAN, RADIUS, and RF causes.

Validate each runbook scenario against the lab and mark the first diagnostic step and expected evidence.

Measure channel utilization, noise floor, retry rate, and client health in the lab or a simulated dataset.

Identify at least three RF or configuration causes of poor client experience from the measurements.

Tune transmit power and channel assignment, then document before-and-after metrics.

Explain how airtime fairness and band steering affect client distribution in a mixed-client environment.

Create a monthly wireless health-report template with thresholds and recommended actions.

Explain 802.11k, 802.11v, and 802.11r and identify which roaming problems each feature addresses.

Configure fast roaming and client-match settings in the lab, then test roaming with a moving client.

Set minimum RSSI and band-steering thresholds, and record their effect on sticky clients.

Build a roaming test plan with at least ten roam attempts and pass/fail criteria for roam time and packet loss.

Analyze coverage overlap and cell-edge design for voice versus data clients.

Re-score weak objectives from Domains 2 and 4 using a written error log and targeted review notes.

Complete two timed 60-question practice sets and classify every miss by domain and root cause.

Reconfigure one SSID from PSK to 802.1X or WPA3-SAE and validate client behavior end to end.

Explain channel-planning tradeoffs for high-density and voice deployments in a written summary.

Create a final one-page exam-day checklist of formulas, configuration dependencies, and troubleshooting order.