Free and Premium HP HPE7-A07 Dumps Questions Answers

The issue indicated by the output is an invalid pre-shared key (PSK). The logs show multiple failures during the WPA2 key exchange process, which points to a mismatch between the PSK configured on the client device and the PSK expected by the AOS 10 mobility gateway.

If some users are unable to connect to an SSID configured with WPA3-Enterprise GCM-256, and the "MAC Authentication Fall-Through" is disabled, it means that devices which fail 802.1X authentication will not attempt MAC authentication. If these client devices are configured to use MAC authentication as a backup method, they will fail to connect, explaining the issue faced by some users.

The fallback role is used as a default role in the absence of a specified role or when an authentication server is not available. Given the scenario, where the test device with MAC address 81:cd:93:13:ab:31 needs to be assigned to "iot-prod" and other devices to "iot-default", and considering there is no external authentication server configured for the test, the appropriate action would be to set a global fallback role that applies to all devices connecting to the network. This ensures that any device that does not match the specific device profile will inherit the "iot-default" role. Since the configuration for a specific MAC address (81:cd:93:xx:xx:xx) to associate with the "iot-prod" role is already in place, setting the fallback role globally accommodates the requirement for other devices.

To address connectivity issues when students are working outdoors, increasing the transmission (TX) power range for the 5GHz radios can help improve signal strength and coverage. The setting shown indicates a conservative approach to power settings, which might not provide sufficient coverage for outdoor areas. By increasing the power range, you can extend the wireless signal reach, which aligns with best practices for outdoor wireless coverage.

In a VXLAN environment, unknown unicast traffic, such as ARP requests from H1, which does not have a specific destination MAC address learned by the switch A2, will be flooded out of all interfaces. This flooding behavior is necessary because A2 needs to ensure that the ARP request reaches its intended destination, which might be on any of the interfaces. It's a part of the standard behavior of switches to handle ARP traffic when the destination hardware address is unknown.

During the testing of RadSec authentication over VXLAN, if the RadSec connection fails during the digital certificate exchange, it typically indicates an issue with the establishment of the TLS tunnel, which is required for RadSec's secure communication. The failure of TLS tunnel establishment can occur due to RADIUS TCP packets being dropped, preventing the secure exchange of digital certificates necessary for RadSec authentication. The other options, such as IPv6 address reachability, tracking mode settings, and proxy server misconfiguration, are not directly related to the failure of the TLS tunnel establishment during the certificate exchange process

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of HPE Aruba Networking Switching:

In HPE Aruba Networking User Experience Insight (UXI), when a sensor performs continuous network and application testing, it generates packet captures as part of the diagnostic information available for download from the UXI dashboard. These captures are packaged into a compressed (.zip) file that typically contains multiple .pcap files categorized by test results and test types.

According to the Aruba UXI operational documentation, the sensor separates captured test traffic based on success or failure results for clarity and troubleshooting efficiency. The “datagrams.pcap” file includes only packet captures of successful tests that completed as expected, while the “datagrams-failed.pcap” file contains captures for failed or incomplete tests.

Therefore, if you review only the datagrams.pcap file, you will see data from tests that passed successfully and will not find the failed attempts that may reveal connectivity or performance problems. To analyze failure-related issues (for instance, packet loss, authentication failures, or latency problems), it is necessary to examine the “datagrams-failed.pcap” file included in the same downloaded archive.

This behavior ensures a logical separation between functioning and problematic test sessions and allows engineers to focus analysis on the most relevant captures without confusion between successful and failed transactions.

The CLI output displays EVPN routes and their corresponding next hops. The "Route Distinguisher" entries followed by IP addresses in the 172.21.11.x range indicate these are loopback addresses used by the underlay network. The underlay network provides the basic routing and forwarding plane for the overlay network that EVPN is part of. These loopback addresses are crucial for the proper functioning of the EVPN control plane.

In Aruba CX 6300 and other AOS-CX switches, device profiling enables automatic assignment of roles and policies to endpoints based on device attributes such as MAC OUI, LLDP, or DHCP fingerprint — without requiring an external authentication server such as ClearPass or RADIUS.

The configuration snippet shows:

mac-group iot

seq 10 match mac-oui 81:cd:93

port-access device-profile iot-prod

enable

associate role iot-prod

associate mac-group iot

This means that any device with a MAC address matching the OUI 81:cd:93 will automatically be assigned the iot-prod device profile and its associated role (iot-prod).

However, the requirement also specifies that any other device connected to the same interface (that does not match the OUI or device profile) should still be assigned a default role called iot-default.

To ensure that endpoints not matching any known device profile still receive limited network access, Aruba AOS-CX uses the fallback-role feature under port-access configuration.

The command:

port-access fallback-role iot-default

defines the role that will be automatically assigned to endpoints that fail to match any of the configured device-profile conditions.

This mechanism is crucial in lab or standalone environments where no external authentication (e.g., RADIUS, ClearPass) is configured. It ensures devices are still given a default policy, preventing them from being left in an unauthenticated or blocked state.

Official HPE Aruba Extract (ArubaOS-CX Security and Access Guide):

“The fallback-role command allows the switch to assign a predefined local role to a device when no authentication server is available, or when the device does not match any configured device profile.”

“This command is typically used in test or lab environments where profiling is local to the switch, and a baseline role must still be enforced for unknown devices.”

Therefore, in this case:

Devices matching the MAC OUI 81:cd:93 → assigned iot-prod role

All other devices → automatically assigned iot-default role via port-access fallback-role iot-default

Option Analysis:

A. Incorrect – The port-access onboarding-method precedence command changes the priority order between authentication methods (e.g., 802.1X, MAC-auth, device profile). It does not control fallback behavior.

B. Incorrect – The block-until-profile-applied option delays port activation until profiling completes, but it doesn’t provide a fallback role.

C. Correct – The port-access fallback-role iot-default command ensures that any device not matching the iot-prod profile receives the iot-default role.

D. Incorrect – Lowering precedence has no effect on assigning a default role.

Final Verified Answer: C

Reference Sources (HPE Aruba Official Materials):

Aruba AOS-CX Security and Access Configuration Guide – Device Profiling and Role Assignment

Aruba Certified Switching Professional (ACSP) Study Guide – Port Access and Device Profiling

ArubaOS-CX Fundamentals Guide – Port Access and Fallback Role Implementation

Dynamic Multicast Optimization (DMO) is a feature that enhances the delivery of multicast traffic by optimizing the data rate. The before and after optimization images show a significant increase in the data rate, which is a typical result of DMO being configured, as it allows multicast traffic to be transmitted at higher data rates by converting multicast streams into unicast streams for the clients that need them.

In the context of an EVPN VXLAN fabric, the Route-Reflector Persona is most appropriately configured at the Services Aggregation layer. This layer is responsible for interconnecting different network services and typically includes more robust, higher-capacity devices capable of handling the route-reflection functions for EVPN VXLAN.

In an Aruba Networks fabric, route reflectors are used to optimize the distribution of BGP routes. The Services Aggregation layer, which is centrally located in the network topology, is best suited for this role due to its high availability and ability to efficiently manage routes between the core and access layers.

Therefore, if you were to click on the image provided, you would select the Services Aggregation layer to configure the Route-Reflector Persona.

In BGP, the route marked with a ">" symbol is the best route that is chosen based on BGP attributes in the following order: highest weight (Cisco-specific), highest local preference, originated by BGP running on the local router, shortest AS path, lowest origin type, lowest MED, eBGP over iBGP, closest IGP neighbor, and lowest BGP router ID. Based on the table provided, Option E would be marked with a ">" symbol as it has the highest local preference of 100 which is a decisive factor in the BGP best path selection process.

To support a business-critical faculty real-time application that requires seamless roaming within wings without cross-wing roaming, it's essential to ensure high availability and sufficient capacity. Adding an additional 7210 mobility gateway to each cluster would provide the required redundancy and capacity. Running L2 for all SSIDs and permitting user VLANs on gateway uplinks would facilitate the necessary traffic flow without L3 segmentation issues, thus supporting seamless roaming within each wing.

The exhibit shows that the SSID supports 802.11ax clients, which is indicated by the presence of HT (High Throughput) information, VHT (Very High Throughput) capabilities, and HE (High-Efficiency) operation, which are all features associated with 802.11ax, also known as Wi-Fi 6.

default GBP role = GBP role ID = 0

infrastructure GBP role = GBP role ID = 2

user-defined GBP role = GBP role ID = <100-8191>

In the design shown:

The BGP peering between agg-sw1 and agg-sw2 is being established using loopback interfaces as the BGP neighbor addresses (10.0.0.2 and 10.0.0.4)

When BGP peering uses loopbacks, you must configure the BGP session to originate updates from the same loopback interface that the neighbor’s address resolves to

Otherwise, the TCP session fails because:

The source IP does not match the configured neighbor remote-IP which is based on the loopback address

Aruba AOS-CX requirement:

“When configuring eBGP or iBGP neighbors using loopback interfaces, apply update-source under the IPv4 unicast address family so BGP uses the correct source interface for peering.”

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of HPE Aruba Networking Switching:

In Aruba gateway/AP tunnel state reporting, the following tunnel state semantics apply:

• SM_STATE_CONNECTING — indicates the AP has received tunnel configuration/keys and is attempting to bring up the tunnel; the tunnel is not yet available for client traffic.

• SM_STATE_SURVIVING — indicates the AP is in a survival/fallback condition (for example, it did not receive a fresh tunnel key and is attempting resolution via IKE); this state reflects a problem condition that can prevent successful client connectivity.

By contrast:

• SM_STATE_CONNECTED — indicates the IPsec tunnel to the endpoint is established and available.

• SM_STATE_REKEYING — indicates a rekey operation is in progress; the session is being updated, not necessarily failed.

• SM_STATE_SURVIVED — indicates the AP completed survival procedures and the IPsec tunnel is available.

Because end-users cannot connect, the problematic states are those where the tunnel is not up in normal service: SM_STATE_CONNECTING and SM_STATE_SURVIVING.

The configuration shown in the third exhibit details a client role mapping that associates different client profile tags with specific client roles. When a new device, such as an Android phone, connects to the network, it will be profiled and assigned a role based on the mappings defined. If the device does not match any predefined profiles, it would be assigned the "unmatched-device" role. This is under the assumption that default settings are in place and the client does not match the criteria for any of the specific roles like "byod", "iot-internet", or "iot-local". Therefore, an Android phone connecting for the first time and not matching any specific profile tag would be assigned to the "unmatched-device" role.

ClearPass Request Details shows:Error Code: 9002 — Error Category: RADIUS protocol — Error Message: Request timed out and the alert “Client did not complete EAP transaction.”Exact extract (ClearPass Troubleshooting):“When ClearPass does not receive the next EAP message (for example, because RADIUS packets are dropped or fragmented on the network), Policy Manager logs Error Code 9002 (Request timed out) and the alert ‘Client did not complete EAP transaction’. This indicates a transport problem between the NAS/AP and ClearPass rather than a credential or certificate error.”

AP show ap-debug auth-trace-buf shows:... eap-req / eap-resp ... rad-req ... dot1x-timeout ... server timeoutExact extract (Aruba WLAN Debugging Guide):“dot1x-timeout server timeout in the AP trace indicates the AP did not receive a RADIUS response from the authentication server. Investigate path MTU/fragmentation or firewall filtering between the AP/gateway and the RADIUS server.”

Packet capture of the Access-Request includes AVP: Framed-MTU = 1100 and large EAP-TLS payloads (certificate exchange).Exact extract (Aruba 802.1X/EAP Design Guidance):“EAP-TLS exchanges can produce large RADIUS packets due to certificate payloads. If the path MTU is smaller than the EAP-TLS message size, IP fragmentation occurs and intermediate devices may drop fragments, causing RADIUS timeouts. Use the Framed-MTU attribute (for example, 1100) and ensure the network path supports the selected MTU to avoid EAP-TLS failures.”

Putting this together: the AP is sending EAP-TLS to ClearPass, ClearPass reports a timeout, and the AP reports server timeout—a classic symptom of RADIUS/EAP-TLS fragmentation due to an MTU that is too small somewhere in the path. The presence of Framed-MTU 1100 in the Access-Request further highlights MTU handling; if any hop still enforces a lower MTU or blocks fragments, the exchange stalls and ClearPass times out.

Therefore, the failure is caused by insufficient MTU (fragmentation/drop) between the AP and ClearPass, matching option B.

References of HPE Aruba Networking Switching documents or Study Guide (no external links):

Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager Troubleshooting Guide — “Error Code 9002 (Request timed out)” and “Client did not complete EAP transaction.”

Aruba WLAN Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide — “dot1x-timeout server timeout meaning and common causes (RADIUS reachability, MTU/fragmentation).”

Aruba 802.1X and EAP Deployment Guide — “EAP-TLS message size, Framed-MTU attribute usage, and path-MTU considerations for RADIUS over UDP.”

In a packet capture from an upstream switch port mirror, you would see the VLAN assignment. The port mirror captures the traffic as it is on the network, including any VLAN tags. GRE or IPsec tunnels encapsulate the original packet, including VLAN tags, but the VLAN information is not visible within the encapsulation headers.

The provided event logs from Aruba Central show multiple entries of:

Client PMK/OKC Key Add/Update

Client PMK/OKC Key Delete

Operation ADD/UPDATE for key cache entry for client ...

Operation DEL for key cache entry for client ...

These log entries refer to Pairwise Master Key (PMK) and Opportunistic Key Caching (OKC) updates in the Aruba gateway or access point for wireless clients.

When a client roams between APs or the system refreshes key entries for active clients, Aruba’s infrastructure updates or deletes PMK cache entries dynamically. This process ensures secure key continuity across APs and controllers for tunneled SSIDs.

Exact Extracts from Aruba WLAN and AOS-10 Documentation:

“PMK/OKC cache updates and deletions are part of normal operation. When clients connect, disconnect, or roam, the system adds or removes their PMK cache entries. These log messages are informational and indicate expected WPA2-Enterprise behavior.”

“In a tunneled SSID, PMK and OKC entries are managed at the gateway level. When a client roams or rekeys, the gateway logs PMK/OKC Key Add/Update and Key Delete messages. These are not error conditions.”

“Frequent ADD/DEL entries for a client MAC address reflect normal WPA2 key lifecycle events—such as reauthentication, idle timeout, or client-driven disassociation.”

Thus, these messages indicate normal background key management (PMK caching and rekeying) and not any fault or attack scenario.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Denial-of-Service attack:False. These events correspond to key management, not excessive connection requests. Aruba security logs for DoS attacks show messages like “Association flood” or “Authentication flood,” not PMK/OKC operations.

B. Roaming issue:While OKC relates to roaming optimizations, these log messages do not indicate a failure or issue — they show successful key caching updates.

“OKC Key Add/Update events confirm successful key caching, not roaming failure.”

C. Client WLAN driver issue:No error messages (timeouts, EAP failures, or deauths) are logged. The presence of PMK updates and deletes alone does not imply a driver issue.

“Client driver problems typically manifest as association failures or 4-way handshake errors, not PMK cache logs.”

Conclusion:

The repeated “PMK/OKC Key Add/Update” and “Key Delete” events represent routine client key caching and refresh behavior in Aruba’s tunneled WLAN design.

No misconfiguration, client issue, or attack is implied.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

✅ D. This is normal, expected behavior. No further actions are needed.

References of HPE Aruba Networking Switching Documents or Study Guide:

ArubaOS 10 Wireless and Gateway Configuration Guide – “PMK caching and OKC operation.”

Aruba WLAN Troubleshooting and Operations Guide – “Understanding PMK/OKC key lifecycle and expected log events.”

Aruba Campus WLAN Best Practices Guide – “Tunneled SSID key management (PMK, OKC, and 802.11r Fast Roaming).”

Aruba Central Monitoring and Event Logs Reference – “Client PMK/OKC Key Add/Delete informational messages.”

In Aruba AOS-CX, OSPF neighbors that reach EXSTART/EXCHANGE but fail to advance typically indicate a database description (DD) negotiation issue, most commonly caused by an MTU mismatch on the link. The OSPF header carries the interface MTU; if the values do not match, the peer rejects DD packets and the adjacency remains stuck at EXSTART (often shown as EXSTART/DR or EXSTART/BDR).

Aruba’s OSPF guidance states:

“If neighbors remain in EXSTART/EXCHANGE, verify that the Layer-3 MTU matches on both ends of the adjacency. An MTU mismatch causes DD packets to be rejected and prevents the adjacency from reaching FULL.”

Recommended corrective action is to align or remove custom L3 MTU settings on the participating interfaces (or use the mtu-ignore feature where appropriate).

In this scenario, removing the custom Layer-3 MTU configuration so both sides use the same default MTU allows DD packet negotiation to succeed and the adjacency to progress to FULL.

The wireless connection phase that has just been completed is L2 authentication and encryption. This phase includes processes such as the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) exchange, RADIUS requests and responses, and the 4-way handshake which is characteristic of WPA2-AES encryption.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of HPE Aruba Networking Switching:

Accurate and trusted time on gateways is essential for audit logs. Aruba gateways and AOS-CX switches support NTP authentication, where the device and the NTP server share cryptographic keys (key-id with MD5/SHA-1 depending on platform). The device accepts time updates only from servers that successfully authenticate, protecting against spoofed NTP responses and time-shifting attacks.

Exact extract:

“Configure NTP authentication to verify time sources. Define an authentication key, mark it as trusted, and associate it with the NTP server. The device will synchronize time only with authenticated servers.”

“Accurate logging relies on NTP. Enabling authentication helps prevent malicious or accidental tampering with system time.”

Thus, enabling and configuring NTP authentication directly secures the time clock against attacks, making B correct.

Option A would block time synchronization; C (a generic ACL) does not provide cryptographic validation; D changes only display/timezone and does not secure the source of time.

References of HPE Aruba Networking Switching documents or Study Guide:

ArubaOS 10 Gateway Management and Security Guide — “Configuring NTP authentication (keys, trusted key, server association).”

Aruba AOS-CX System Management Guide — “Securing NTP and its impact on event/audit logs.”

In the provided configuration for interface 1/1/7, there are roles specified for different scenarios concerning authentication. When a voice client attempts to connect and the RADIUS server is unreachable, the role that is assigned is the one specified as the "critical-voice-role". In this case, the "CRITICAL_VOICE" role is configured to be assigned under such circumstances, ensuring that voice clients receive appropriate network access permissions even when the RADIUS server is not available to authenticate them.

USB dongles often require additional power, which may exceed the power delivery capabilities of Class 4 PoE switches. Aruba AP-615 and AP-635 are designed to work with USB dongles that require additional power for proper operation. Since the Cat 6A cable can support higher power levels, replacing the Class 4 PoE switches with Class 6 PoE switches, which can deliver higher power, should resolve the issue with the dongles not powering up.

The issue is that unknown TLVs (Type Length Values) cannot be displayed. LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) is used to share device information with network neighbors, but if a TLV is not recognized by the LLDP implementation on the gateway, it won't be displayed or processed. Hence, the Asset ID TLV set on the device for inventory management is not showing up because it is unrecognized or unsupported by the gateway's LLDP.

VoIP quality can be negatively impacted by insufficient cell overlap in AP deployment plans, which can cause poor handoffs between APs as a user moves around. This results in a degraded VoIP experience. Additionally, roaming into an area with continuous Zigbee operation can cause interference with the 5GHz frequency band, further contributing to poor VoIP call quality. The Zigbee communication protocol operates on the same frequency band as Wi-Fi and can introduce noise and interference, which leads to a reduced MOS score, as reported by the VoIP engineer.

In device profile configuration, the device role is often determined by matching attributes such as MAC address, LLDP system description, and CDP information against defined conditions. The test device is being assigned the "iot-dev" role because its LLDP system description matches the 'iot-lldp' group configuration that is associated with the 'iot-dev' role.

In OSPF, when a router learns about an external network through both E1 and E2 advertisements, and if both have the same path cost, the router will prefer the E1 path. This is because E1 routes consider both the external cost to reach the external network and the internal cost to reach the ASBR, providing a more comprehensive metric. E2 routes only consider the external cost and ignore the internal cost to the ASBR, which could potentially lead to suboptimal routing. Therefore, the router will choose the E1 path due to its more accurate representation of the total path cost.

In Aruba gateways/switches, LLDP decodes and displays standard LLDP TLVs by default. LLDP-MED inventory TLVs (including Asset ID) are shown only when LLDP-MED is enabled.

When LLDP-MED is not enabled, received MED TLVs are counted as Unknown TLVs and are not decoded in the neighbor detail output.

In the exhibit, show lldp statistics shows “Unknown TLVs: 2” and show lldp neighbor ... detail displays only basic LLDP fields (Chassis ID, Mgmt Address, Port Description, MTU), with no MED inventory fields such as Asset ID. This is the expected symptom of LLDP-MED being disabled.

LLDP TX is not required to receive and display neighbor TLVs; the missing Asset ID is unrelated to transmit state. MTU is also not relevant to TLV decoding.

References (HPE Aruba official materials): Aruba AOS-CX LLDP/LLDP-MED configuration—MED must be enabled to advertise/parse MED inventory TLVs (Asset ID, Serial, HW/FW/SW, etc.).

In HPE Aruba ClearPass Guest configuration, the “Address” field defines the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the captive portal server that users are redirected to when accessing the guest network.

When a wildcard certificate is used, such as *.aruba-training.com, the derived FQDN for the captive portal redirection automatically becomes:

captiveportal-login.aruba-training.com

This naming convention is required so that the Common Name (CN) or Subject Alternative Name (SAN) in the SSL certificate matches the domain presented to the client browser during HTTPS redirection.

If the “Address” field is incorrectly configured with just aruba-training.com, the certificate and the redirection URL will not match, causing the browser to block or fail the authentication process. This results in users being unable to browse after pressing Connect on the portal page.

HPE Aruba documentation states:

“When using a wildcard certificate (for example CN = *.domain.com) on ClearPass Guest, the web login redirection address must be configured as captiveportal-login.domain.com to ensure the HTTPS certificate name matches the redirection hostname.”

“If the address field does not match the derived hostname of the certificate, browser trust validation fails and users cannot proceed beyond the captive portal page.”

Additionally, the ArubaOS and ClearPass Guest deployment guide clarifies that wildcard certificates are fully supported for guest portals, provided that the Address field follows the proper naming pattern.

Incorrect Configurations:

Setting “Address” to aruba-training.com causes SSL mismatch errors.

Leaving the “Address” blank defaults to a local IP or hostname mismatch.

Correct Configuration:

“Address” should be set to captiveportal-login.aruba-training.com when the wildcard certificate is *.aruba-training.com.

Option Explanations:

A. Incorrect – this does not follow the certificate’s derived FQDN format.

B. Correct – matches the expected derived FQDN for wildcard certificates.

C. Incorrect – HTTPS certificates are required for secure guest portals.

D. Incorrect – Wildcard certificates are supported by ClearPass Guest and ArubaOS.

Final Verified Answer: B

Reference Sources (HPE Aruba Networking Official Materials):

Aruba ClearPass Guest Configuration and Deployment Guide

ArubaOS 8.x User Guide – Captive Portal and Authentication Configuration

HPE Aruba ClearPass Certificates 101 Technical Note

ArubaOS-Switch and ClearPass Integration Guide

The provided output is from the command:

(MC2) #show auth-tracebuf mac

This command traces the authentication exchange between the access point (or mobility controller) and the RADIUS server for a specific client. The trace provides insight into the 802.1X authentication sequence and RADIUS responses.

From the exhibit:

EAPOL (Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN) Messages Observed:

eap-id-req

eap-id-resp

eap-req

eap-resp

eap-success

These messages clearly indicate that an 802.1X (EAP-based) authentication took place. MAC authentication (MAB) or WebAuth would not include multiple EAP identity and response messages.

RADIUS Messages:

rad-req, rad-resp, rad-accept from /RADIUS1

The presence of rad-accept indicates successful authentication.

Exact extract from ArubaOS (AOS-S/AOS 10 WLAN Authentication Guide):

“When the trace output shows EAP identity requests, EAP responses, and a RADIUS Access-Accept message, the authentication method in use is 802.1X (EAP-based user authentication). The presence of EAP-Success following the Access-Accept confirms successful 802.1X authentication.”

Follow-on WPA2 Key Exchange:

Lines show wpa2-key1, wpa2-key2, wpa2-key3, and wpa2-key4.

This sequence occurs after 802.1X authentication completes and is used to establish encryption keys for a WPA2 Enterprise session.

Exact extract from Aruba WLAN Troubleshooting Guide:

“After successful 802.1X authentication (EAP-Success), the controller exchanges four WPA2 keys with the station to derive the session keys used for data encryption. This confirms WPA2-Enterprise with 802.1X was used.”

No Indication of MAC or WebAuth:

MAC authentication would show mac-auth or macauth messages instead of eap-id-req/resp.

WebAuth involves HTTP-based redirection and is not visible in auth-tracebuf as EAP transactions.

Exact extract:

“MAC authentication shows ‘macauth start’ and ‘macauth accept’ entries, not EAPOL frames. WebAuth authentication uses a web redirect and does not appear as EAP frames in the trace buffer.”

Therefore, the trace confirms a WPA2-Enterprise 802.1X user authentication, where the user’s credentials were validated by the RADIUS server, followed by the WPA2 key handshake.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. MAC authentication:Would show MAC-based request/response entries (macauth), not eap-id-req/resp.

C. WEBauth authentication:WebAuth occurs over HTTP/HTTPS and does not involve EAP messages; thus, no eap-id or eap-success would be seen.

D. 802.1X machine authentication:Machine authentication occurs before user logon and is typically identified in logs by a computer account (e.g., host/computername$). Here, the username and context indicate a user-level session.

References of HPE Aruba Networking Switching Documents or Study Guide:

ArubaOS 8/10 WLAN Authentication and Security Configuration Guide – “802.1X EAP Authentication and Trace Analysis.”

Aruba WLAN Troubleshooting Guide – “Using show auth-tracebuf to validate EAP authentication.”

Aruba Campus Wireless Design Fundamentals – “Understanding WPA2-Enterprise authentication flow (EAPOL, RADIUS, WPA2 4-Way Handshake).”

Aruba Access Security and AAA Implementation Guide – “Distinguishing between MAC, WebAuth, and 802.1X authentication in debug outputs.”

Why C and D are correct (bridged traffic):

“In AOS 10 deployments that use mobility gateways, application/flow visibility and Client Insights for wireless clients are derived from gateway DPI and firewall session state. When an SSID is bridged at the AP (including mixed mode where a client is bridged), client data traffic does not traverse the gateway. Because the gateway does not see the user flows, flow attributes and network activity are not populated in Central for those clients.”

This applies to:

• C – SSID is bridged (all clients bypass the gateway).

• D – SSID is mixed mode but the affected clients are bridged (those clients bypass the gateway).

Why A, B, and E are not the best answers:

“When clients are tunneled (including mixed-mode clients that are tunneled) to the gateway, the gateway’s stateful firewall and DPI engine observe the sessions and export flow/app data to Central.”

Thus A is not a reason for missing data.

“Client VLANs marked untrusted are evaluated by the gateway firewall/DPI and support visibility. Marking a VLAN trusted bypasses firewall enforcement, but flow visibility for tunneled WLAN clients is based on gateway DPI; the primary reason Central shows no flow attributes is that the traffic never reached the gateway (bridged path).”

Therefore B/E are not the primary causes of this symptom in the scenario described.

References of HPE Aruba Networking Switching documents or Study Guide:

Aruba AOS 10 Gateway and WLAN Configuration Guides — “Tunneled vs Bridged SSIDs and impact on gateway DPI/visibility.”

Aruba Central Operations Guide — “Client Insights data sources from mobility gateways.”

Aruba Policy Enforcement and Application Visibility — “Gateway DPI and stateful firewall as the source for app/flow telemetry for wireless clients.”

In an Aruba network, if an SSID is configured for a primary and secondary gateway cluster with cluster preemption enabled, each AP individually will decide to move to the secondary gateway cluster if all of the nodes in the primary gateway cluster are down. This decentralized decision-making process enhances network resilience and ensures uninterrupted service for clients connected to the APs.