Aruba Campus Access Associate key terms

A logical Layer 2 broadcast domain that groups switch ports and wireless clients as if they shared one physical segment, letting one switch carry multiple separate networks while keeping broadcast traffic contained.

A switch interface assigned to a single VLAN that sends and receives untagged frames, typically connecting to an end device such as a laptop, printer, or access point management interface.

A switch interface that carries traffic for multiple VLANs between network devices, marking each frame with a VLAN identifier so the receiving device can keep the traffic separated.

The IEEE standard that inserts a four-byte tag into an Ethernet frame header to identify which VLAN the frame belongs to, enabling multiple VLANs to share one trunk link.

The single VLAN on an 802.1Q trunk whose frames are sent untagged; both ends of the link must agree on it, and mismatches or default use can create security and connectivity problems.

A Layer 2 protocol that blocks redundant paths between switches so frames cannot loop endlessly, automatically reopening a blocked link if the active path fails.

The single switch elected as the reference point of a Spanning Tree topology; all other switches calculate their best path toward it, and its placement shapes the traffic flow.

A configurable value combined with the switch MAC address to elect the Spanning Tree root bridge; the lowest value wins, so administrators lower it on the intended core switch.

Bundling several physical links between two devices into one logical connection that adds bandwidth and survives a single cable or port failure, using standards such as LACP.

A technology that delivers electrical power and data over the same Ethernet cable, letting access points, cameras, and phones operate without a nearby power outlet.

The total wattage a switch can supply across all its PoE ports; if connected devices demand more than this limit, some ports may be denied power or the switch may reboot.

A device that bridges wireless clients onto the wired network, converting 802.11 frames to Ethernet frames and usually receiving both data and power over its uplink cable.

The human-readable network name broadcast in wireless beacon frames that clients use to identify and join a particular wireless network.

The MAC address that uniquely identifies one radio's basic service set on an access point; clients and management tools use it to distinguish individual radios in a coverage area.

A deliberate assignment of radio channels across access points so that neighboring units on the same band use non-overlapping channels, reducing co-channel interference and improving performance.

Degraded wireless performance that occurs when multiple access points or clients share the same channel and must wait for each other to transmit, lowering overall throughput.

The amount of radio spectrum a Wi-Fi channel occupies, such as 20, 40, or 80 MHz; wider channels carry more data but consume more spectrum and increase the chance of interference.

The process where a wireless client moves its association from one access point to another with better signal while keeping its IP address and existing sessions intact.

An Aruba feature that continuously steers wireless clients toward the access point and band that offer the best experience, reducing sticky-client problems during roaming.

A technique that encourages dual-band capable clients to use the less congested 5 GHz band instead of 2.4 GHz, often by delaying or suppressing responses on the 2.4 GHz radio.

Received Signal Strength Indicator, a measure in dBm of how strongly a radio hears a signal; values closer to zero are stronger, and very low values indicate poor coverage.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio, the difference in decibels between the desired signal and background noise; higher values mean a cleaner signal and support faster, more reliable data rates.

A flood of broadcast or unknown-unicast frames that multiplies through a Layer 2 loop and saturates links and switch CPUs, often caused by miswiring or a spanning tree failure.

A switch security feature that inspects DHCP messages and blocks untrusted DHCP server replies on user ports, preventing rogue servers from handing out false addresses and gateways.

A switch feature that validates ARP packets against the DHCP snooping binding table, dropping forged replies that would otherwise let an attacker intercept traffic through ARP poisoning.

An attack in which a malicious host sends fake ARP replies to link its own MAC address with another device's IP address, causing traffic to be redirected through the attacker.

A port-based network access control standard in which a supplicant authenticates through an authenticator switch or controller to a RADIUS server before gaining network access.

A server protocol used to centralize authentication, authorization, and accounting; in campus networks it lets a switch or controller verify user and device credentials for 802.1X.

Extensible Authentication Protocol, a framework carried inside 802.1X exchanges that defines how credentials such as passwords or certificates are proven between client and server.

Aruba's multi pre-shared key feature that gives different client devices or groups their own unique Wi-Fi passphrase on a shared SSID, so one leaked key can be revoked individually.

Assigning network permissions according to a user or device role rather than a fixed port, so policies such as VLAN assignment or ACLs follow the client wherever it connects.

An ordered set of permit and deny rules applied to traffic on an interface or role, matching on fields such as source, destination, protocol, and port to filter packets.

A switch port configuration marking a link as connected to an approved device, such as an uplink or DHCP server, so security features like DHCP snooping accept its messages.

A cloud-based management platform that configures, monitors, and troubleshoots Aruba access points, switches, and gateways from a single dashboard across many sites.

A logical container in Aruba Central that holds devices sharing configuration and software settings, so changes made to the group apply to all its member devices.

A reusable set of device configuration settings stored in Aruba Central and pushed to devices in a group, keeping deployments consistent and reducing manual per-device work.

The state in which a device runs the software version its group or site requires; Aruba Central flags noncompliant devices so administrators can schedule upgrades.

The process of adding a new device to a management platform, including discovering it, verifying its identity, and assigning it to the correct group or site.

Aruba's cloud service that lets devices find and securely register with their management platform using a provisioning code or serial number, without manual controller configuration.

A physical location defined in Aruba Central that groups devices and floor plans for a building or campus, enabling location-based monitoring and reporting.

A standard protocol for sending event and error messages from network devices to a central log server, where they can be stored, searched, and used for auditing.

An unsolicited alert a network device sends to a management station when a significant event occurs, such as a link going down or a power supply failing.

A basic reachability test that sends ICMP echo requests to a target address and measures whether and how quickly replies return, helping isolate connectivity problems.

A diagnostic tool that reveals the hop-by-hop path packets take to a destination, showing where delays or drops occur along the route.

Recording raw frames or packets on a device or link so they can be analyzed later, useful for confirming whether traffic is being sent, received, or dropped.