Overview

This course teaches you the fundamental skills necessary to configure and manage modern, open standards-based networking solutions using Aruba's OS-CX routing and switching technologies. This course consists of approximately 60% lecture and 40% hands-on lab exercises to help you learn how to implement and validate small to medium enterprise network solutions. This 5-day course prepares network professionals for the Aruba Certified Switching Associate exam.

In this course, participants learn about ArubaOS-CX switch technologies including: Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), secure access using features like dynamic segmentation, redundancy technologies such as Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP), link aggregation techniques including Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), and switch virtualization with Aruba’s Virtual Switching Framework (VSF). You also learn about IP Routing including static and dynamic IP routing with Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).

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Prerequisites

  • None

Who should attend?

Ideal candidates are IT Professionals who deploy small-to-medium scale enterprise network solutions based on Aruba products and technologies.

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Delegates will learn how to

After you successfully complete this course, expect to be able to:

  • Explain Networking Fundamentals
  • Describe and review the Aruba Switching portfolio with customers
  • Install and configure devices running the ArubaOS-CX Network Operating System
  • Describe and configure VLANs
  • Explain, describe and configure Spanning Tree Protocol
  • Understand when to use VRRP and how to configure it
  • Explain and configure Link Aggregation
  • Understand and configure IP Routing
  • Explain IP Subnetting
  • Understand and configure OSPFv2 – Single Area
  • Describe and configure Switch Stacking using VSF
  • Configuration of Aruba solutions using Secure Management and Maintenance methodologies
  • Manage, monitor, administer and operate Aruba solutions using Aruba's NetEdit tool
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Outline

Network Fundamentals
  • What is a network?
  • What is a Protocol?
  • OSI Reference Model
  • Encapsulation, frames, packets, segments
  • Layer 2 to Layer 7 headers
  • Media, cabling, Ethernet/wifi headers
  • Binary/Hex/Decimal theory and conversion
  • TCP/IP Stack (IP addressing & Transport Protocols TCP/UDP)
  • Types of traffic: Unicast, Broadcast, Multicast
TCP/IP Stack
  • Overview
  • Ethernet frames
  • IPv4 Header
  • TCP Header – Three-way Handshake
  • TCP Header – Sequence Numbers
  • TCP Header – Port Numbers
  • TCP Header
  • UPD Header
Basic Networking with Aruba Solutions
  • Networking devices: Switches, Routers, Multilayer Switches, APs, Mobility Controllers, Firewalls, Servers (HTTP, DHCP, DNS, Telnet, FTP)
  • 2-Tier vs 3-Tier hierarchy
  • Switching Portfolio (AOS switches & AOS-CX switches) is this introducing both portfolio on a couple of slide and few slides on AOS-CX hardware architecture, software architecture and intro to NAE high level.
  • Introduction to AOS-CX and feature set
  • Port numbering
  • Accessing Aruba OS-CX CLI
  • Prompt modes/levels and navigation
  • Context sensitive help
  • Show logs, configuration, interfaces, transceivers, flash, version
  • Hostname/interface name, enabling interfaces
  • Link Layer Discovery Protocol
  • ICMP and reachability testing tools: Ping and Traceroute
  • PoE (standards one slide and what we support and one or two slide on configuration and verifications.)
VLANs
  • Broadcast/collision domains
  • VLAN benefits
  • VLAN creation
  • DHCP server configuration in switches (optional)
  • 802.1Q tagging
  • Switchports vs. Routed ports
  • MAC address table
  • ARP table
  • Packet Delivery part 1
Spanning Tree Protocol
  • Redundant network
  • L2 loops
  • 802.1D
  • Common Spanning Tree
  • 802.1s
  • 802.1w overview
  • 802.1w load balancing
  • 802.1w region configuration
Link Aggregation
  • Static Aggregation
  • LACP
  • Load Balancing
IP Routing - Part 1
  • Default Gateway
  • DHCP IP Helper Address
  • IP Routing Service
  • Inter-VLAN routing
  • Packet Delivery Part 2
  • Need for layer 3 redundancy
  • Introduction to VRF
VRRP
  • VRRP overview
  • VRRP basic operation
  • VRRP failover and preempt
  • VRRP and MSTP coordination
IP Routing - Part 2
  • Subnetting
  • CIDR
  • Static routes
  • Administrative Distance
  • Floating routes
  • Scalability issues
IP Routing - Part 3
  • IGP vs EGP
  • Distance Vector vs Link State
  • OSPF Router-ID and Hello Messages
  • Passive interfaces
  • States
  • DR and BDR
  • LSDB: LSA 1 and 2
  • Path selection and convergence
  • Using cost to manipulate routes
Stacking
  • Control Plane, Management Plane, and Data Plane
  • Introduction to Stacking technologies
  • Stacking Benefits
  • Centralized control and management plane
  • Distributed Data Plane and Distributed Link Aggregation
  • VSF
  • VSF requirements
  • VSF Link and member roles
  • VSF member IDs and port numbers
  • VSF Configuration
  • VSF Provisioning use cases
  • Tracing Layer 2 traffic: Unicast
  • Tracing Layer 2 traffic: Broadcast, Multicast, and Unknown Unicast
  • VSF Failover and OSFP Graceful-Restart
  • VSF Link failure without MAD
  • MAD
  • VSX Introduction
Secure Management and Maintenance
  • OOBM port
  • Management VRF
  • Secure Management Protocols: AAA, SSH, HTTPS, RBAC
  • Radius-based management auth (VSA)
  • SNMP
  • Web interface
  • Configuration file management (Backup, restore, checkpoint and roll back)
  • Operating System image management (backup and restore)
  • Factory default/password recovery
AOS-CX Management tools
  • Intro to NetEdit
  • NetEdit installation
  • Basic monitoring with NetEdit
  • AOS-CX Mobile App
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Special Notices

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Dates & Locations

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