Aruba ACSA flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

ArubaOS-CX config database

CX stores configuration in a centralized database managed by daemons; 'write memory' persists running config to startup config.

Interface naming on CX

CX interfaces use member/slot/port notation such as 1/1/1, where the first number is the stack member.

ArubaOS-Switch interface naming

Fixed ArubaOS-Switch platforms use simple port numbers or letter-number IDs (e.g., 1 or A1) rather than member/slot/port.

Show running-config command

Displays the active configuration in CLI; use 'show running-config' to verify changes before saving to startup.

VSX requirement

ArubaOS-CX VSX needs an ISL link between peers plus a separate keepalive link to detect peer failure.

Default VLAN

VLAN 1 is the default VLAN on Aruba switches; it exists by default and cannot be deleted.

Access port behavior

An access port carries traffic for exactly one VLAN, sending frames untagged to attached end devices.

802.1Q trunk tagging

A trunk port tags frames with a 12-bit VLAN ID, supporting up to 4094 VLANs; the native VLAN is sent untagged.

Native VLAN

The untagged VLAN on an 802.1Q trunk; both ends of the trunk must agree on it to avoid VLAN mismatch.

MAC address aging

Dynamically learned MAC entries age out after a default of 300 seconds on ArubaOS-CX if no traffic refreshes them.

Voice VLAN via LLDP-MED

LLDP-MED advertises a voice VLAN and QoS policy to IP phones so they tag voice traffic automatically.

STP root bridge election

The switch with the lowest bridge ID (priority then MAC) becomes root; priority is tunable in multiples of 4096.

RSTP port states

RSTP uses Discarding, Learning, and Forwarding states, converging faster than classic STP's five states.

MSTP purpose

MSTP maps VLANs to multiple spanning-tree instances, allowing per-instance load balancing across redundant links.

Edge port (PortFast)

An edge port skips listening/learning and forwards immediately; configure only on ports connected to end hosts.

BPDU protection

BPDU protection err-disables an edge port that receives a BPDU, preventing rogue switches from affecting topology.

LACP active mode

LACP active mode actively negotiates link aggregation with a peer; both ends must use compatible LACP settings.

LAG member requirements

All member links in a LAG must share identical speed, duplex, VLAN membership, and MTU settings.

Enable IP routing

The global 'ip routing' command enables Layer 3 forwarding; without it, SVIs route only locally.

SVI creation

A switched virtual interface is created by assigning an IP address to a VLAN interface, enabling routing for that VLAN.

Default static route

A route to 0.0.0.0/0 pointing to a next-hop gateway; used when no more specific route matches.

DHCP relay helper

The 'ip helper-address' command on an SVI forwards DHCP broadcasts to a configured server on another subnet.

VRRP master election

VRRP elects the router with the highest priority (default 100, higher wins) as Master for the virtual IP.

OSPF neighbor verification

'show ip ospf neighbor' confirms adjacency state; Full state indicates successful database synchronization.

Longest prefix match

When multiple routes match a destination, the router installs the route with the most specific prefix length.

Management VRF

A dedicated VRF isolates out-of-band management traffic from the data plane, improving security and separation.

Authorized managers

An 'ip authorized-managers' entry restricts which source IP subnets may access the switch CLI or web UI.

TACACS+ vs RADIUS

TACACS+ encrypts the full payload and supports command accounting; RADIUS encrypts only the password field.

802.1X authenticator role

The switch acts as authenticator, relaying EAP between the supplicant and a RADIUS server before granting port access.

MAB authentication

MAC Authentication Bypass authenticates devices that lack 802.1X supplicants by using their MAC address as credentials.

DHCP snooping trust

Only trusted ports (typically uplinks to the DHCP server) may forward DHCP server replies; others are dropped.

Config backup via TFTP

'copy startup-config tftp://<server>/file' exports the saved configuration for backup and disaster recovery.