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Question 1

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Which two physical link types are required to form a properly designed VSX pair on ArubaOS-CX?

A single ISL link only

An Inter-Switch Link (ISL) plus a separate Keepalive link

Two ISL links and no Keepalive

A VSF stack link

to track

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Aruba ACSP Exam

~55%

Est. Pass Rate

Industry estimate

65%

Passing Score

HPE Aruba

60 Q

Question Count

HPE Aruba

$230

Exam Fee

HPE Aruba

90 min

Exam Duration

HPE Aruba

3 yrs

Validity Period

HPE Aruba

The Aruba Certified Switching Professional (ACSP) is HPE Aruba's professional-level credential for engineers designing and operating ArubaOS-CX networks. It tests deep VSX virtual switching, advanced OSPF/BGP, VRF route leaking, PIM and IGMP snooping, EVPN-VXLAN fabrics on the 8325/8360/CX 10000, NAE Network Analytics Engine automation, REST API and pyaoscx, ClearPass Dynamic Segmentation with downloadable user roles and CoA, User-Based Tunneling, and advanced QoS scheduling.

Sample Aruba ACSP Practice Questions

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1Which two physical link types are required to form a properly designed VSX pair on ArubaOS-CX?

A.A single ISL link only

B.An Inter-Switch Link (ISL) plus a separate Keepalive link

C.Two ISL links and no Keepalive

D.A VSF stack link

Explanation: VSX requires an ISL (Inter-Switch Link, ideally a multi-link LAG) for synchronizing control-plane state and forwarding east-west traffic, and a separate Keepalive link used purely to detect peer liveness so the secondary can determine a split-brain condition.

2In an ArubaOS-CX VSX pair, what is the role of the active-gateway feature?

A.It elects a single active forwarding switch like VRRP master

B.It allows both VSX peers to answer ARP and forward traffic for the same virtual MAC and IP per SVI

C.It tunnels all traffic through the primary peer

D.It replaces OSPF on the SVI

Explanation: VSX active-gateway lets each peer locally answer ARP and route traffic for a shared virtual IP/MAC on the same SVI, providing active-active first-hop forwarding without the master/backup behavior of VRRP.

3Which statement about VSX MAC address synchronization is correct?

A.MAC entries learned on one peer are not shared

B.MAC entries learned on a VSX-LAG member are synced to the peer to enable local forwarding on either side

C.Only static MAC entries are synced

D.MAC sync requires PIM to be enabled

Explanation: VSX synchronizes MAC table entries learned across VSX-LAGs so each peer can forward locally without traversing the ISL. This is fundamental to VSX active-active forwarding and avoiding ISL hairpinning.

4Which configuration item is NOT synchronized by default between VSX peers when configuration sync is enabled?

A.VLAN definitions

B.Interface IP addresses on management or routed peer-to-peer interfaces

C.ACL definitions

D.QoS class and policy definitions

Explanation: Per-peer items such as management IPs, hostname, and the ISL/keepalive interface IPs are intentionally excluded from VSX configuration sync because they must differ between the two switches. VLANs, ACLs, and QoS objects are commonly synced.

5How does VSX present a downstream LAG to a server connected to both peers?

A.As two separate LAGs requiring active/standby NIC bonding

B.As a single multi-chassis LAG (MC-LAG / VSX-LAG) using a shared LACP system ID

C.As an EtherChannel that requires PAgP

D.As an unbundled set of physical links

Explanation: VSX-LAG presents a single logical LAG to the downstream device. Both peers advertise the same LACP system MAC/priority so the server sees one LAG and can hash flows actively across both peers.

6A network engineer must hitlessly upgrade ArubaOS-CX firmware on a VSX pair. Which sequence is correct?

A.Reboot both switches simultaneously after image install

B.Use VSX live (in-service) upgrade — secondary upgrades and reloads first while the primary forwards, then roles swap

C.Disable VSX, upgrade individually, then re-enable

D.Upgrade only the primary to avoid disruption

Explanation: The supported hitless path is the VSX in-service upgrade workflow: the secondary peer is upgraded and rebooted first while the primary keeps forwarding, then roles flip and the original primary upgrades. Active-gateway plus VSX-LAGs keep traffic flowing.

7Which VSX control-plane element is synchronized so that DHCP relay continues to function if one peer fails?

A.Active DHCP leases via DHCP snooping binding sync

B.OSPF database only

C.Spanning-tree topology

D.ARP timeout values

Explanation: VSX synchronizes DHCP snooping bindings between peers so that DHCPv4/v6 relay state, dynamic ARP inspection, and IP source guard remain consistent if one peer fails or upgrades. Without sync, clients would lose snooping protection during failover.

8Which is a key difference between Aruba VSF and VSX?

A.VSF uses a control-plane stack with one active management plane; VSX keeps two independent control planes that synchronize state

B.VSF requires a Keepalive link; VSX does not

C.VSX works only on access switches; VSF works on aggregation switches

D.Both require shared chassis backplane

Explanation: VSF (Virtual Switching Framework) is a true stack with one active control plane managing all members, used on access (e.g., 6300/6200). VSX keeps two independent control planes that sync data and treat each peer as a separately managed device, used on aggregation/core (8325/8360/8400).

9Why is it considered best practice to avoid spanning tree from blocking on the ISL of a VSX pair?

A.The ISL must remain forwarding to carry sync traffic and ISL-traversed data flows

B.STP improves ISL throughput when blocking

C.Blocking the ISL prevents broadcast storms

D.ISL bandwidth is unrelated to STP behavior

Explanation: The ISL must always forward because it carries control-plane sync (MAC, ARP, snooping bindings, IGMP) and any data that must traverse from a single-attached host on one peer to a peer-only path. STP blocking the ISL would break VSX.

10A multi-vendor LAG is being formed between an Aruba VSX pair and a third-party server. Which statement is most accurate?

A.Standards-based LACP with matching LAG hashing is required; vendor-specific extensions like PAgP are not supported

B.The third-party device must run Aruba-proprietary signaling

C.LAG only works between identical vendor hardware

D.Static (non-LACP) LAG must be used for interoperability

Explanation: Aruba VSX-LAG uses standards-based 802.3ad LACP, so any LACP-capable third-party server or switch can form the LAG. Both ends should use compatible hashing to avoid asymmetric flow distribution.

About the Aruba ACSP Exam

The Aruba Certified Switching Professional (ACSP) validates advanced ArubaOS-CX switching skills, including VSX, EVPN-VXLAN fabric, multi-area OSPF and BGP, VRF and route leaking, multicast, NAE automation, ClearPass-driven Dynamic Segmentation, and advanced QoS.

Questions

60 scored questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

65%

Exam Fee

$230 (HPE Aruba / Pearson VUE)

Aruba ACSP Exam Content Outline

30%

VSX & Advanced Switching

VSX ISL/Keepalive, active-gateway, MAC sync, VSX-LAG, hitless upgrade, VSF vs VSX, MACsec, LACP interop

25%

Advanced Layer 3 (OSPF, BGP, VRF, BFD)

Multi-area OSPFv2/v3, NSSA, BGP communities, prefix-lists, route-maps, BGP unnumbered, BFD, ECMP, VRF route leaking, MP-BGP

20%

Data Center Fabric (EVPN-VXLAN, CX 10000)

VTEPs, Type-2/3/4/5 routes, anycast gateway, multi-homing with ESI/DF, L3 VNI, route-targets, CX 10000 with Pensando DPU

15%

Automation & Telemetry

NAE agents/scripts/action handlers, NetEdit, REST API, pyaoscx, Ansible aos-cx collection, gNMI streaming telemetry, Aruba Central ZTP

10%

Advanced Security, QoS & Troubleshooting

ClearPass Dynamic Segmentation, downloadable user roles, 802.1X + MAC-Auth + CoA, UBT, CoPP, queue scheduling, ECN/RED, TCAM and OSPF/BGP troubleshooting

How to Pass the Aruba ACSP Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 65%
Exam length: 60 questions
Time limit: 90 minutes
Exam fee: $230

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 ACSP Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master VSX cold: ISL + Keepalive design, active-gateway, MAC/DHCP snooping sync, VSX-LAG, and the hitless in-service upgrade workflow

2Practice OSPF area design (stub, totally stubby, NSSA), LSA types, and avoid virtual links in lab scenarios

3Build a small EVPN-VXLAN spine-leaf in the lab and trace Type-2, Type-3, Type-4, and Type-5 routes plus L3 VNI mapping

4Write at least one NAE script with a monitor, rule, and action handler, and call AOS-CX REST APIs with pyaoscx and Ansible

5Configure ClearPass Dynamic Segmentation with downloadable user roles, 802.1X + MAC-Auth fallback, and CoA to fully understand role enforcement

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Aruba ACSP exam format?

The HPE6-A73 Aruba Certified Switching Professional exam has approximately 60 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute time limit, delivered at Pearson VUE test centers. A passing score of approximately 65% is required. HPE has refreshed the credential under the HPE7-A08 code for the current generation, with similar topic coverage.

Is ACSA required before taking ACSP?

ACSA (Aruba Certified Switching Associate) is strongly recommended as a prerequisite, but not formally required. The ACSP exam assumes you already understand AOS-CX VLAN, LAG, OSPF, ACL, and STP fundamentals so it can focus on professional-level VSX, EVPN-VXLAN, NAE automation, and ClearPass integration.

How long is the ACSP certification valid?

The Aruba Certified Switching Professional certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass. To recertify, you can pass the current professional-level switching exam again or earn a higher-level Aruba credential covering the same domain.

What ArubaOS-CX topics are most heavily tested?

VSX is the single largest topic area: ISL plus Keepalive design, active-gateway, MAC and DHCP-snooping sync, VSX-LAG with downstream LACP, hitless in-service upgrades, and VSF vs VSX. Advanced OSPF/BGP, EVPN-VXLAN fabric on 8325/8360/CX 10000, NAE automation, and ClearPass Dynamic Segmentation round out the exam.

How long should I study for the ACSP?

Plan for 80-150 hours over 8-14 weeks if you already have the ACSA. Hands-on lab time with a VSX pair, an EVPN-VXLAN fabric, NAE scripts, and ClearPass integration is essential. HPE provides official training and the ACSP study guide via HPE Press.