HP HPE6-A86 - HPE Network Switching Associate Exam

The correct answer is C. The existing 5406R configuration uses an LACP trunk, with VLANs 100, 200, and 300 tagged and VLAN 50 untagged. The equivalent HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX configuration is to create a LAG, enable LACP using lacp mode active, allow the tagged VLANs on the trunk, and configure VLAN 50 as the native VLAN. In AOS-CX, the vlan trunk native < VLAN-ID > command assigns the native VLAN to the trunk or LAG interface. Native VLAN traffic is untagged unless native VLAN tagging is specifically configured. HPE Aruba documentation also shows the command syntax for assigning native VLANs to LAG interfaces and the use of vlan trunk allowed for the VLANs carried on the trunk. Option A and option B are incorrect because lacp mode enable and the shown native VLAN syntax are not the correct CX syntax. Option D is less correct because VLAN 50 is the native untagged VLAN and does not need to be included with the tagged VLAN list. The correct CX equivalent is therefore LACP active, allowed VLANs 100, 200, and 300, and native VLAN 50.

The correct answer is B. CX 6200. The feature being described is the HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX Network Analytics Engine, or NAE. HPE Aruba Networking documentation states that NAE uses Python scripts to define which switch resources to monitor and optionally what actions to take when certain conditions are true. The NAE guide specifically applies to the CX 6200, 6300, 6400, 8xxx, 9300, and 10000 switch series, and the supported maximums page lists the CX 6200 as supporting up to 10 scripts and 10 agents. This makes the CX 6200 the correct choice from the available options. The CX 6000, CX 6100, and CX 4100i are lower access platforms and are not listed in the NAE guide’s supported product set for onboard NAE scripting. Therefore, for a customer with Python skills who wants to use self-made or Aruba-provided onboard analytics scripts, the CX 6200 is the appropriate recommendation.

The correct answer is D. The VSF stack remains fully operational. The output shows the VSF topology is a ring. In a ring topology, each member has an alternate VSF path through another member. If only the VSF link between members 1 and 2 is disconnected, members 1 and 2 can still communicate through member 3: member 1 connects to member 3, and member 3 connects to member 2. This changes the physical topology from a ring to a chain, but it does not split the stack. HPE Aruba Networking VSF documentation states that a ring topology provides resiliency against link and member hardware failures because any single failure does not isolate the remaining stack members from each other, and Aruba strongly recommends ring topology where possible. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because a single link failure in this three-member ring does not isolate the conductor, standby, or member. Split detection using the management interface would become relevant only if the stack actually split into separate fragments.

The correct answer is A. Disable SSH and HTTPS in the data plane. After connecting the out-of-band management, or OOBM, interface, management access should be restricted to the management plane rather than left available through user/data-plane interfaces. HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX hardening guidance explains that the default VRF is associated with non-management interfaces, while the management VRF is associated with the dedicated management interface. It also lists SSH on TCP 22 and HTTPS/Web UI on TCP 443 as management services enabled by default. For hardening, if OOBM is being used, management services such as SSH and HTTPS should be disabled or restricted from the default/data VRF so users cannot manage the switch through production-facing ports. Option B is incorrect because disabling SSH and HTTPS in the management plane would remove the secure OOBM management path. Option C is incorrect because Telnet and HTTP are insecure protocols. Option D is incorrect because enabling SSH and HTTPS in the data plane increases the exposed management surface.

The correct answer is D. 3311. HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX documentation identifies valid VLAN IDs as being in the range of 1 to 4094 for VLAN-related configuration, including access VLANs and trunk/native VLANs. Because 3311 falls inside the valid configurable VLAN ID range, it is the only valid option listed. Option A, 4096, is invalid because it is above the supported VLAN ID range. Option B, 0, is invalid because configurable VLAN IDs begin at 1. Option C, 32768, is far outside the supported VLAN ID range and cannot be configured as a VLAN ID on a CX switch. This question tests the standard IEEE 802.1Q VLAN ID range as applied in HPE Aruba Networking CX configuration. The supported configurable VLAN range is 1 through 4094, with VLAN 1 commonly used as the default VLAN and VLAN IDs such as 3311 available for administrator-defined VLANs.

The correct answer is C. The port is removed from the switch’s data plane. On HPE Aruba Networking CX switches that support VSF, including the CX 6200 family, VSF ports are dedicated to the VSF stack fabric. HPE Aruba Networking’s AOS-CX VSF documentation explains that when an interface becomes part of a VSF link, no standard network-layer protocol or standard feature can run on that interface because it becomes part of the VSF stack fabric. This means the interface is no longer used like a normal front-panel data port for regular switching or routing traffic. Option A is incorrect because a VSF port does not become a routed port. Option B is incorrect because the statement is not the general rule for CX 6200 VSF ports. Option D is incorrect because ISL LAG terminology is associated with VSX designs, not VSF stacking. VSF uses VSF links to combine supported switches into a single logical switch with one control and management plane.

The correct answer is D. A DHCP server must be configured with the required options. HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX documentation explains that ZTP is used to automatically load a switch configuration from a server when the switch boots from a factory-default configuration. The AOS-CX Fundamentals Guide for the 4100i, 6000, and 6100 switch series states that ZTP supports DHCP standards and DHCP options, and that support is limited to the listed DHCP options for ZTP on AOS-CX. The same guide describes setting up ZTP on a trusted network by preparing the configuration, setting up a TFTP server, and configuring DHCP-related information. Option B is incorrect because the guide references TFTP, not SFTP, for the ZTP server workflow. Option C is incorrect because the listed process does not use SCP for the initial template download. Option A is misleading because ZTP is enabled only when the switch is in factory-default configuration; the key requirement is the DHCP-based provisioning environment with the proper options.

The correct answer is B. RESTful API is a secure way to monitor CX switches. HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX supports a REST API as a management and automation interface. The REST API is accessed through HTTPS, which provides encrypted communication for management operations. This makes it a secure monitoring and automation option for a customer using an open-source network management platform that can integrate through APIs. Option A is incorrect because RMON is a monitoring feature, but it is not the best answer for secure modern monitoring access. Option C is not the best answer because using a dedicated out-of-band management port improves management-plane isolation, but it is not itself a monitoring protocol or method. Option D is incorrect because SNMPv2 is not considered secure; HPE Aruba hardening guidance recommends SNMPv3 instead of older SNMP versions because older versions lack authentication and encryption protections. Therefore, from the listed options, RESTful API is the best secure monitoring method for CX switches. ( arubanetworking.hpe.com )

The correct answer is A. operators. HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX documentation for the CX 8400 identifies built-in user groups that exist by default on the switch. These include administrators, operators, and auditors. The operators group has limited privileges, such as basic display-only CLI access and the ability to view nonsensitive switch configuration information. It does not have full switch configuration privileges. The other options—helpdesk, servicedesk, and support—are not listed as built-in default user groups for the CX 8400. Those names could be created manually as custom local user groups in some environments, but they are not default AOS-CX groups. Therefore, from the available choices, the default group is operators.