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100+ Free Aruba Data Center Professional Practice Questions

Pass your HPE Aruba Networking Certified Professional - Data Center (HPE7-A05) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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In a spine-leaf EVPN fabric, how does the fabric handle a spine node failure?

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Aruba Data Center Professional Exam

75

Exam Questions

HPE7-A05 datacard

65%

Passing Score

About 49 of 75 correct

120 min

Time Limit

Pearson VUE proctored

$350/$195

Exam Fee

Standard / retake

3 yrs

Validity

From issue date

7 domains

Coverage

Configuration 23% top weight

The HPE Aruba Networking Certified Professional - Data Center (HPE7-A05) is a professional-level certification delivered through Pearson VUE. The exam is 75 multiple-choice and scenario-based questions in 120 minutes with a 65% passing score. Fees are $350 standard or $195 for retakes. Configuration is the heaviest domain at 23%, followed by Troubleshooting at 15%, Design at 14%, Installation at 13%, Monitoring and Maintenance each at 12%, and Integration at 11%. Valid for 3 years. Available in English, Japanese, and Latin American Spanish.

Sample Aruba Data Center Professional Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Aruba Data Center Professional exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In a spine-leaf data center architecture, what is the recommended oversubscription ratio for a typical leaf-to-spine uplink design?
A.1:1 (no oversubscription)
B.8:1
C.16:1
D.3:1
Explanation: A 3:1 oversubscription ratio is commonly recommended for leaf-to-spine uplinks in modern data centers, balancing cost and performance. East-west traffic patterns in data centers benefit from lower oversubscription compared to traditional three-tier designs.
2Which EVPN route type is used to advertise MAC and IP address bindings in a VXLAN fabric?
A.Type 1 (Ethernet Auto-Discovery)
B.Type 2 (MAC/IP Advertisement)
C.Type 3 (Inclusive Multicast Ethernet Tag)
D.Type 5 (IP Prefix)
Explanation: EVPN Type 2 routes carry MAC and IP address information, enabling MAC learning and host mobility in VXLAN fabrics. They are fundamental to the BGP EVPN control plane for data center overlays.
3What is the standard UDP port used for VXLAN encapsulation?
A.4790
B.6081
C.4789
D.5000
Explanation: VXLAN uses UDP port 4789 as defined in RFC 7348. This is the IANA-assigned destination port for VXLAN traffic, used for encapsulating Layer 2 frames within UDP packets for transport across the underlay network.
4In an AOS-CX EVPN-VXLAN fabric, what is the role of a VTEP?
A.It routes traffic between different VNIs at Layer 3
B.It encapsulates and decapsulates VXLAN packets at the edge of the overlay network
C.It provides centralized management for the data center fabric
D.It acts as a DNS resolver for the underlay network
Explanation: A VTEP (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoint) is responsible for encapsulating Layer 2 Ethernet frames into VXLAN packets for transport across the IP underlay and decapsulating received VXLAN packets back into Ethernet frames.
5What is the maximum number of VNIs supported in a VXLAN overlay network?
A.4,094
B.16,777,215
C.65,535
D.1,048,576
Explanation: VXLAN uses a 24-bit VNI (VXLAN Network Identifier) field, allowing up to approximately 16.7 million (2^24 - 1) unique VNIs. This massively exceeds the 4,094 VLAN limit of 802.1Q, enabling large-scale multi-tenancy.
6Which AOS-CX switch series is purpose-built for data center spine-leaf deployments with integrated EVPN-VXLAN support?
A.CX 6300
B.CX 4100
C.CX 6200
D.CX 10000
Explanation: The HPE Aruba CX 10000 is specifically designed for data center deployments with built-in EVPN-VXLAN capabilities, high-density 100GbE ports, and features optimized for spine-leaf architectures.
7In BGP EVPN, what is the purpose of a Type 3 (Inclusive Multicast Ethernet Tag) route?
A.To advertise host MAC and IP addresses
B.To perform inter-subnet routing between VNIs
C.To discover Ethernet segments for fast convergence
D.To enable BUM traffic flooding using head-end replication
Explanation: Type 3 routes are used to establish the forwarding state for BUM (Broadcast, Unknown Unicast, Multicast) traffic. They allow VTEPs to discover each other for ingress replication, forming the flooding domain for each VNI.
8What is the recommended minimum MTU setting for the underlay network in a VXLAN fabric?
A.9100 bytes
B.1500 bytes
C.1600 bytes
D.9000 bytes
Explanation: A minimum MTU of 9100 bytes (jumbo frames) is recommended for the VXLAN underlay to accommodate the 50-byte VXLAN encapsulation overhead (14-byte Ethernet + 20-byte IP + 8-byte UDP + 8-byte VXLAN header) without fragmenting the original 9000-byte jumbo frames.
9In an AOS-CX spine-leaf fabric, which layer connects directly to end hosts such as servers?
A.Spine layer
B.Leaf layer
C.Core layer
D.Distribution layer
Explanation: In spine-leaf architecture, leaf switches are the access layer that connect directly to servers and other end hosts. Every leaf connects to every spine, and spines connect only to leaves, creating a predictable any-to-any topology.
10Which protocol is used as the control plane for VXLAN in modern Aruba data center deployments?
A.BGP EVPN
B.OSPF
C.IS-IS
D.LDP
Explanation: BGP EVPN (Border Gateway Protocol with Ethernet VPN address family) is the standards-based control plane for VXLAN. It provides MAC address learning, host mobility, and forwarding state distribution without relying on flood-and-learn.

About the Aruba Data Center Professional Exam

The HPE Aruba Networking Certified Professional - Data Center (HPE7-A05) validates professional-level knowledge of Aruba data center networking. The exam covers low-level design planning, solution installation, advanced configuration including EVPN-VXLAN and spine-leaf architectures, troubleshooting, monitoring setup, maintenance and optimization, and integration with external systems.

Assessment

75 multiple-choice and scenario-based questions covering Low-Level Design, Installation, Configuration, Troubleshooting, Monitoring, Maintenance/Optimization, and Integration

Time Limit

120 minutes

Passing Score

65%

Exam Fee

$350 / $195 (HPE / Pearson VUE)

Aruba Data Center Professional Exam Content Outline

14%

Plan the Low-Level Design

Data center network topology design, spine-leaf architecture planning, IP addressing schemes, underlay and overlay design, and technology selection criteria.

13%

Install the Solution

Physical deployment of Aruba CX data center switches, cabling standards, rack installation, power and cooling considerations, and initial device provisioning.

23%

Configure the Solution

EVPN-VXLAN overlay configuration, spine-leaf underlay routing, VLAN-to-VNI mapping, BGP EVPN control plane, virtual router redundancy, and multi-tenancy setup.

15%

Troubleshoot

Diagnosing EVPN-VXLAN control and data plane issues, underlay routing problems, BGP session failures, MTU mismatches, and data center connectivity troubleshooting.

12%

Create a Monitored Environment

SNMP configuration, gRPC streaming telemetry, Aruba Central data center dashboards, alerting rules, and health monitoring setup.

12%

Maintain and Optimize

Firmware upgrade strategies, configuration backup and restore, performance tuning, capacity planning, and ongoing data center network optimization.

11%

Integration

Integration with cloud platforms, external management systems, third-party monitoring tools, compute virtualization, and storage networking infrastructure.

How to Pass the Aruba Data Center Professional Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 65%
  • Assessment: 75 multiple-choice and scenario-based questions covering Low-Level Design, Installation, Configuration, Troubleshooting, Monitoring, Maintenance/Optimization, and Integration
  • Time limit: 120 minutes
  • Exam fee: $350 / $195

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Aruba Data Center Professional Study Tips from Top Performers

1Focus heavily on the Configuration domain (23%) - master EVPN-VXLAN setup, spine-leaf underlay routing, BGP EVPN configuration, VLAN-to-VNI mapping, and multi-tenancy
2Study EVPN route types (Type 2 MAC/IP, Type 3 Inclusive Multicast, Type 5 IP Prefix) and how they enable VXLAN overlay learning - this is core to the exam
3Practice data center troubleshooting scenarios including BGP session failures, VXLAN tunnel issues, MTU mismatches, and underlay routing problems for the 15% Troubleshoot domain
4Take the 5-day Implementing Data Center Networks (Rev. 23.41) ILT/VILT course for structured learning and hands-on lab experience with Aruba CX data center switches
5Review low-level design methodology (14%) including spine-leaf topology selection, IP addressing schemes, and technology selection criteria for data center environments
6Build monitoring and maintenance skills with SNMP, gRPC telemetry, Aruba Central dashboards, firmware upgrade procedures, and performance optimization techniques

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HPE7-A05 Aruba Data Center Professional exam?

The HPE7-A05 is the proctored exam for the HPE Aruba Networking Certified Professional - Data Center credential. It validates professional-level knowledge of Aruba data center networking including EVPN-VXLAN, spine-leaf design, advanced configuration, troubleshooting, and integration.

How many questions are on the HPE7-A05 exam and how long is it?

The HPE7-A05 contains 75 multiple-choice and scenario-based questions with a 120-minute time limit. The passing score is 65%, meaning you need approximately 49 of 75 correct answers to pass.

What topics carry the most weight on HPE7-A05?

Configure the Solution is the largest domain at 23%, followed by Troubleshoot at 15%, Plan the Low-Level Design at 14%, Install the Solution at 13%, Create a Monitored Environment and Maintain/Optimize both at 12%, and Integration at 11%.

How much does the HPE7-A05 exam cost?

The HPE7-A05 exam costs $350 USD for a standard attempt and $195 USD for retakes. It is delivered through Pearson VUE at test centers or via online proctoring.

What experience is recommended for HPE7-A05?

HPE recommends 2-5 years of networking experience with data center technologies and an HPE Aruba Associate-level certification. The 5-day Implementing Data Center Networks (Rev. 23.41) ILT/VILT course is the recommended training.

How long is the Aruba Data Center Professional certification valid?

The credential is valid for 3 years from the issue date. To renew, candidates must pass the current Data Center Professional exam or a higher-level HPE Aruba credential before expiration.

What is EVPN-VXLAN and why is it important for this exam?

EVPN-VXLAN is the overlay network technology used in modern Aruba data center architectures. EVPN provides the control plane for MAC and IP learning, while VXLAN provides the data plane encapsulation. Configuration is worth 23% of the exam, making EVPN-VXLAN mastery essential.