Aruba ACSP flashcards

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

Collapsed-core campus design

A campus topology that combines the aggregation and core layers into one redundant pair, reducing hop count and cabling while preserving access-layer connectivity.

Management VRF

A separate routing table on AOS-CX used by the out-of-band management interface, isolating management traffic from the default data-plane VRF.

Zero-touch provisioning

A deployment method in which a switch obtains management reachability and a configuration source automatically, using DHCP, Aruba Central, or USB, without manual CLI entry.

VSF versus VSX

VSF combines switches into one logical stack with a shared control plane; VSX pairs two switches that keep independent control planes and use multi-chassis LAGs.

Native VLAN mismatch

A condition where the untagged VLAN differs on the two ends of an 802.1Q trunk, causing untagged frames to be forwarded into different VLANs.

MAC address aging

The process that removes a dynamically learned MAC entry from the forwarding table after it is not refreshed within the aging time; AOS-CX default is 300 seconds.

Unknown unicast flooding

Layer 2 behavior in which a frame with a destination MAC absent from the forwarding table is sent out all ports in the same VLAN except the ingress port.

Voice VLAN

A separate VLAN for IP telephony traffic, often signaled to the phone by LLDP-MED, keeping voice and data traffic in distinct broadcast domains.

Bridge ID

The STP identifier composed of bridge priority and system MAC address; the lowest bridge ID wins the root bridge election.

Root path cost

The cumulative STP cost from a bridge to the root bridge; the lowest-cost path becomes the root port, with ties broken by bridge ID and port ID.

BPDU guard

An STP edge-port protection feature that shuts down or blocks a port when it receives a BPDU, preventing an unauthorized switch from affecting the topology.

MSTP region

A group of MSTP switches that share the same region name, revision number, and VLAN-to-instance mapping, allowing multiple spanning-tree instances across VLANs.

LACP active mode

An LACP mode in which the port actively sends LACPDUs to negotiate a dynamic LAG; at least one side of a LAG must use active mode.

LAG hash

The algorithm that selects a member link for a frame by hashing Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 fields; all frames in one flow typically use one link.

Multi-chassis LAG

A LAG whose member links terminate on two different switches, allowing both switches to forward traffic for the same logical link and providing active-active redundancy.

VSX keepalive

A dedicated peer-liveness path between VSX switches, separate from the inter-switch link, used to detect peer failure and control split-brain behavior.

OSPF router ID

A 32-bit identifier chosen manually or from the highest loopback address, then the highest active interface address; it must be unique within the OSPF domain.

OSPF DR/BDR

On a broadcast network, the designated router and backup designated router are elected by highest interface priority and then highest router ID; priority 0 cannot be elected.

OSPF passive interface

An interface that includes its connected network in OSPF advertisements but does not send or receive OSPF hello packets.

OSPF cost

The metric calculated as reference bandwidth divided by interface bandwidth; lower cost is preferred, and the default reference bandwidth is 100 Mbps.

VSF conductor

The elected member that manages the VSF stack's control plane and configuration; other members operate as standby or line-card members under the conductor.

VSX inter-switch link

The high-bandwidth link that carries data and synchronization traffic between VSX peers; it is distinct from the keepalive path used for peer liveness.

VSX LAG

A multi-chassis LAG configured on both VSX peers with matching LAG ID and member links, providing active-active forwarding and redundant uplinks.

Implicit deny

The final rule in an ACL that drops all traffic not matched by an earlier permit or deny entry; an ACL without a permit drops all traffic.

Port security sticky MAC

A port-security mode that learns source MAC addresses and adds them to the running configuration, so only those devices remain authorized on the port.

802.1X supplicant

The client device that requests network access through EAPOL frames and is authenticated by the authenticator using a RADIUS server.

RADIUS CoA

A RADIUS change-of-authorization message that lets the server modify an active session, such as changing VLAN or reauthenticating, without a new 802.1X exchange.

NetEdit

An on-premises Aruba management application for AOS-CX that plans, validates, and deploys configuration changes across multiple switches.

Network Analytics Engine

An AOS-CX feature that runs Python-based agents against time-series data and can raise alerts or take corrective actions when conditions match.

REST API versioning

AOS-CX REST URIs include a firmware-specific version such as /rest/v10.04/; the client must use a version supported by the switch.

Port mirroring

A diagnostic feature that copies traffic from a source interface or VLAN to a destination interface, where a protocol analyzer can capture it.

Show tech

An AOS-CX command that collects configuration, logs, and diagnostic output into a support bundle for troubleshooting and escalation.