HPE Aruba Switching Expert (Written, HPE7-A06) study plan
HPE Aruba Switching Expert (Written, HPE7-A06) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Routing and Switching
Configure and verify OSPFv2/v3 adjacencies and area types on AOS-CX switches in a lab
Compare static, OSPF, and BGP route selection by building a topology and predicting the RIB before verification
Configure VSX and verify active-gateway behavior with a downstream dual-homed host
Explain and demonstrate spanning-tree variants (MSTP/RPVST) interoperability on Aruba switches
Your checkpoint
Lab topology diagram plus captured show ip route / show spanning-tree outputs annotated with a one-paragraph explanation of each forwarding decision
Routing and Switching
Configure BGP peering, route reflection, and prefix filtering between Aruba switches
Configure VRRP and verify failover timing under link failure
Differentiate routed vs. switched campus designs and justify a chosen design for a given requirement set
Tune OSPF/BGP timers and verify convergence behavior
Your checkpoint
Written design justification (one page) for a two-tier campus with the routing protocol choices and failover test results
Security
Configure 802.1X with ClearPass-style RADIUS attributes and verify authorization roles
Configure and verify MAC authentication and captive-portal fallback on an Aruba switch/controller
Implement port security, DHCP snooping, and Dynamic ARP Inspection and confirm blocking behavior
Configure role-based access (UDP/PEF-style roles) and test enforcement
Your checkpoint
Configuration bundle plus a test matrix showing pass/fail for authenticated, failed, and unauthenticated client scenarios
Security & Troubleshooting
Configure management-plane hardening (SSH, AAA, RBAC, control-plane policing) and verify access restrictions
Diagnose a simulated authentication failure using logs and RADIUS debugs
Correlate syslog, SNMP traps, and show commands to isolate a security-policy misconfiguration
Document a rollback procedure for a failed security change
Your checkpoint
Incident-style writeup: symptom, evidence gathered, root cause, fix, and rollback steps for one injected security fault
Connectivity
Configure VLANs, trunks, and link aggregation (LACP) and verify with show commands
Configure PoE budgeting and verify power allocation to attached devices
Explain and configure stacking/VSF or VSX connectivity and verify redundancy
Compare 802.1Q tagging behavior across uplink and access ports
Your checkpoint
Connectivity lab report with LLDP neighbor maps and PoE power tables for each scenario
Performance Optimization
Configure QoS trust boundaries, DSCP marking, and queuing and verify with show qos
Configure multicast (IGMP snooping, PIM) and verify group membership and forwarding
Tune storm control and broadcast/multicast suppression thresholds
Measure and document baseline throughput/latency impacts of QoS changes
Your checkpoint
Before/after performance table for QoS and multicast scenarios with configuration diffs
Campus Mobility & Troubleshooting
Configure a WLAN with AP onboarding, VLAN mapping, and role assignment
Troubleshoot a simulated client roaming/association failure using controller and AP logs
Apply a structured troubleshooting method (layers 1-7) to a multi-symptom scenario
Verify roaming behavior and document handoff observations
Your checkpoint
Troubleshooting log for two injected faults (wireless association and wired path) with the decision tree used to isolate each
Routing and Switching & Security & Connectivity & Performance Optimization & Troubleshooting & Campus Mobility
Complete timed practice scenarios spanning all six domains
Re-test weak objectives identified in weeks 1-7
Summarize key command syntax and verification steps per domain
Build a personal one-page quick-reference sheet
Your checkpoint
Scored practice-set results with a remediation list and a finalized one-page command/verification cheat sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can configure and verify OSPF, BGP, VSX, and VRRP from blank configs without reference, and correctly predict route selection in a 3-switch topology
Week 4: Can deploy 802.1X plus role-based access end to end and diagnose an authentication failure from logs alone
Week 6: Can explain and demonstrate QoS trust/queuing and multicast forwarding, with measured before/after results
Week 8: Scores at or above target on a full-length timed practice set across all six domains and has closed every item on the remediation list