HPE Aruba Networking Certified Associate - Campus Access (ACA) HPE6-A85 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which port does SNMP use by default for polling?

UDP 161 (Correct answer)
TCP 443
TCP 22
UDP 514

Correct answer: UDP 161

SNMP uses UDP port 161 for polling requests from the management station to network devices.

Question 2: What Aruba AOS-CX feature can act as a DHCP server to assign IP addresses to clients on directly connected VLANs?

DHCP Binding
DHCP Relay
DHCP Snooping
DHCP Server Pool (Correct answer)

Correct answer: DHCP Server Pool

Aruba AOS-CX switches can be configured with a DHCP Server Pool to act as a local DHCP server, assigning IP addresses to clients connected to local VLAN interfaces.

Question 3: Which Aruba feature allows an administrator to restrict a user role so that the client can only communicate with the ClearPass server for remediation?

Captive portal redirect role
DMZ placement
Quarantine role with limited ACL (Correct answer)
SSID blacklisting

Correct answer: Quarantine role with limited ACL

A quarantine role uses a restrictive ACL that only permits traffic to the remediation server (e.g., ClearPass OnGuard), blocking all other destinations.

Question 4: What does Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) bring to wireless networks?

Increased channel bandwidth for HD video
QoS prioritization of voice, video, best-effort, and background traffic (Correct answer)
Higher encryption standards for multimedia streams
Automatic frequency selection for multimedia devices

Correct answer: QoS prioritization of voice, video, best-effort, and background traffic

WMM is a Wi-Fi Alliance certification that implements QoS by defining four access categories — voice, video, best effort, and background — to prioritize traffic over wireless links.

Question 5: Which well-known port number is used by HTTPS (HTTP Secure)?

8080
22
80
443 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 443

HTTPS uses TCP port 443 to establish TLS/SSL-encrypted sessions for secure web browsing.

Question 6: Which Aruba CLI command on the Mobility Controller displays the current firewall policy applied to a specific connected client?

show rights
show datapath user (Correct answer)
show user-table
show ap bss-table

Correct answer: show datapath user

'show datapath user' reveals the client's applied role, firewall ACLs, VLAN, and session details in the controller's datapath.

Question 7: Which attack does Aruba Wireless Intrusion Protection (WIP) counter by sending de-authentication frames to clients attempting to associate with a rogue AP?

DNS cache poisoning
Rogue AP containment (Correct answer)
DHCP starvation
ARP spoofing

Correct answer: Rogue AP containment

WIP containment sends 802.11 de-authentication frames to clients associating with a classified rogue AP, preventing them from staying connected to it.

Question 8: Which Aruba tool is used for network configuration management with version control capabilities?

Aruba NetEdit (Correct answer)
Aruba ClearPass
Aruba Central
Aruba AirWave

Correct answer: Aruba NetEdit

Aruba NetEdit provides network configuration management with version control, allowing administrators to track and roll back changes.

Question 9: In Aruba AirWave, what does the 'Rogue AP' detection feature identify?

Access points with outdated firmware
APs operating on non-standard channels
APs with low signal strength
Unauthorized access points not managed by the organization (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Unauthorized access points not managed by the organization

Rogue AP detection in AirWave identifies unauthorized access points that may pose a security risk to the network.

Question 10: What is the valid range of 802.1p Class of Service (CoS) values in an 802.1Q tag?

0–7 (Correct answer)
0–15
0–63
0–3

Correct answer: 0–7

802.1p CoS uses a 3-bit Priority Code Point (PCP) field in the 802.1Q tag, providing 8 possible values from 0 to 7.

Question 11: What DSCP value is assigned to Best Effort (BE) traffic, which receives no special QoS treatment?

DSCP 0 (Correct answer)
DSCP 8
DSCP 32
DSCP 16

Correct answer: DSCP 0

DSCP 0 (Default Forwarding / DF) represents Best Effort traffic and receives no guaranteed service — it is the baseline with no QoS marking.

Question 12: What is the primary purpose of WAN optimization in Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN?

To provide wireless connectivity between branch offices
To reduce WAN bandwidth consumption and improve application performance through compression, deduplication, and caching (Correct answer)
To encrypt all WAN traffic using AES-256
To replace MPLS circuits with cheaper fiber optic links

Correct answer: To reduce WAN bandwidth consumption and improve application performance through compression, deduplication, and caching

WAN optimization in Aruba EdgeConnect reduces the volume of data traversing WAN links through data deduplication, compression, and application-layer caching, improving performance and reducing costs.

Question 13: What is a key feature of SD-WAN that allows organizations to reduce costs compared to traditional MPLS-only WAN?

SD-WAN uses satellite links to bypass ISP charges
SD-WAN compresses all WAN traffic to reduce bandwidth requirements
SD-WAN eliminates the need for branch routers entirely
SD-WAN can use lower-cost broadband Internet links alongside or instead of expensive MPLS circuits (Correct answer)

Correct answer: SD-WAN can use lower-cost broadband Internet links alongside or instead of expensive MPLS circuits

SD-WAN allows organizations to augment or replace expensive MPLS circuits with lower-cost broadband Internet connections while maintaining application performance through intelligent traffic steering.

Question 14: What is the purpose of a 'virtual AP' (VAP) in an Aruba WLAN deployment?

It allows a single physical AP to broadcast multiple SSIDs with different policies (Correct answer)
It acts as a DHCP server for wireless clients
It creates a mesh link between two APs
It replaces a physical AP with software

Correct answer: It allows a single physical AP to broadcast multiple SSIDs with different policies

A virtual AP (VAP) is a logical entity on a physical Aruba AP that maps an SSID to a specific VLAN and security policy.

Question 15: What is a DHCP relay agent used for?

To forward DHCP broadcasts across routed network boundaries to a centralized DHCP server (Correct answer)
To cache DHCP leases locally on each switch
To encrypt DHCP traffic between clients and servers
To assign static IP addresses from a preconfigured list

Correct answer: To forward DHCP broadcasts across routed network boundaries to a centralized DHCP server

A DHCP relay agent (IP helper) forwards DHCP broadcast messages across Layer 3 boundaries, allowing a centralized DHCP server to serve clients on multiple subnets.

Question 16: What is 'jitter' in the context of network QoS for real-time applications?

The percentage of packets lost during transmission
The variation in packet arrival delay over time (Correct answer)
The maximum throughput of a network path
The total one-way delay from source to destination

Correct answer: The variation in packet arrival delay over time

Jitter is the variation (inconsistency) in packet delay over time; excessive jitter degrades real-time applications like VoIP and video conferencing because packets arrive unevenly.

Question 17: What is the purpose of a default route (0.0.0.0/0) in routing?

To serve as a loopback address for the router
To forward packets with no more-specific matching route, typically toward the internet gateway (Correct answer)
To block all traffic with unrecognized destinations
To advertise all connected subnets to neighbors

Correct answer: To forward packets with no more-specific matching route, typically toward the internet gateway

A default route matches any destination with no more-specific route in the routing table and typically points traffic toward the internet or upstream router.

Question 18: What does BGP stand for and where is it primarily used?

Basic Gateway Protocol; used within a single enterprise campus
Bridged Gateway Protocol; used for Layer 2 extensions
Border Gateway Protocol; used between autonomous systems on the internet (Correct answer)
Backup Gateway Protocol; used for redundant default routes

Correct answer: Border Gateway Protocol; used between autonomous systems on the internet

BGP is the path-vector routing protocol used between autonomous systems and is the routing protocol of the internet.

Question 19: Which ARP security feature on Aruba switches prevents ARP spoofing attacks by validating ARP packets against the DHCP Snooping binding table?

Gratuitous ARP Blocker
ARP Proxy
ARP Guard
Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI)

Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) validates ARP packets against the DHCP Snooping binding table, dropping ARP packets with invalid MAC-to-IP mappings to prevent ARP spoofing.

Question 20: What does GRE stand for in the context of Aruba tunnel configurations?

Global Remote Endpoint
Gateway Routing Extension
Grouped Radio Encryption
Generic Routing Encapsulation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Generic Routing Encapsulation

GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) is a tunneling protocol that encapsulates packets inside IP packets to create virtual point-to-point links.

Question 21: Which Aruba feature steers dual-band capable clients to the 5 GHz band instead of 2.4 GHz?

ClientMatch
ARM
AirMatch
Band Steering (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Band Steering

Band Steering encourages dual-band clients to connect to the less congested 5 GHz band by delaying probe responses on 2.4 GHz.

Question 22: What networking functions does an Aruba gateway provide at the branch edge?

Only physical switch port aggregation
Only DHCP and DNS services
Routing, firewall, VPN termination, and WAN optimization in a single device (Correct answer)
Only wireless LAN controller functions

Correct answer: Routing, firewall, VPN termination, and WAN optimization in a single device

An Aruba gateway consolidates routing, stateful firewall, VPN termination, and WAN optimization into a single branch edge device.

Question 23: When Aruba's Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is used, what determines which firewall policy is applied to a wireless client?

The VLAN tag from the upstream switch
The SSID name alone
The user role assigned after authentication (Correct answer)
The AP group the client connects to

Correct answer: The user role assigned after authentication

The user role — assigned by ClearPass or the controller based on authentication outcome — determines which firewall policy governs the client's traffic.

Question 24: Which Aruba diagnostic tool performs active tests simulating real user traffic to measure network performance?

Aruba AirWave Reports
Aruba Central Network Tests (Correct answer)
Aruba NetEdit Diff Tool
ClearPass Policy Simulator

Correct answer: Aruba Central Network Tests

Aruba Central Network Tests perform synthetic active measurements simulating real user traffic to identify performance degradation proactively.

Question 25: What distinguishes Aruba Instant On from standard Aruba Instant (IAP) products?

Instant On is designed for small business while IAP targets enterprise deployments (Correct answer)
Instant On only supports 2.4 GHz radio
Instant On requires a mobility controller
Instant On supports more VLANs

Correct answer: Instant On is designed for small business while IAP targets enterprise deployments

Aruba Instant On is a simplified networking solution targeted at small and medium businesses with easy setup, while Aruba Instant (IAP) is the enterprise-grade controller-less solution with advanced features.

Question 26: In OSPF, what triggers a Shortest Path First (SPF) recalculation?

An administrator manually triggering the process
A change in the link-state database due to a new or changed LSA (Correct answer)
A change in VLAN configuration
A scheduled timer regardless of topology changes

Correct answer: A change in the link-state database due to a new or changed LSA

OSPF triggers an SPF recalculation whenever the link-state database changes due to a new, updated, or withdrawn LSA from any router.

Question 27: What is the difference between a routing protocol and a routed protocol?

A routing protocol runs only on edge routers; a routed protocol runs on all devices
A routing protocol exchanges routing information between routers; a routed protocol is the protocol whose traffic is being routed (Correct answer)
A routing protocol uses UDP; a routed protocol uses TCP
A routing protocol carries user data; a routed protocol only manages router tables

Correct answer: A routing protocol exchanges routing information between routers; a routed protocol is the protocol whose traffic is being routed

A routing protocol like OSPF exchanges topology information between routers, while a routed protocol like IPv4 is the actual payload being forwarded.

Question 28: What is the purpose of SSID tunneling back to a mobility controller?

To provide dynamic VLAN assignment without a RADIUS server
To connect APs in different buildings wirelessly
To improve wireless speed by eliminating the controller as a bottleneck
To centralize traffic forwarding and policy enforcement at the controller for a specific SSID (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To centralize traffic forwarding and policy enforcement at the controller for a specific SSID

SSID tunneling sends client traffic through a GRE tunnel back to the controller where centralized policies, firewalling, and forwarding are applied.

Question 29: What is a common cause of wireless clients experiencing slow speeds despite good signal strength?

RF interference or co-channel interference from neighboring APs on the same channel (Correct answer)
Incorrect VLAN assignment on the switch uplink
Spanning tree blocking the uplink port
DHCP server unreachable

Correct answer: RF interference or co-channel interference from neighboring APs on the same channel

Co-channel interference from APs operating on the same channel causes contention and retransmissions, degrading throughput even with strong signal.

Question 30: In Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), what is the maximum number of spatial streams supported?

4
6
8 (Correct answer)
12

Correct answer: 8

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) supports up to 8 spatial streams for MIMO transmission, doubling the theoretical throughput per radio.

HPE Aruba Networking Certified Associate - Campus Access (ACA) HPE6-A85

The ACA Campus Access certification validates foundational knowledge of HPE Aruba Networking wired and wireless campus access solutions, covering switching, WLAN, routing, security, and network management. It targets entry-level network professionals and field technicians working with Aruba products.

Questions

35 min

Time Limit

67%

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