HPE3-U01 HP Aruba Certified Network Technician Exam (ACNT) Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The management plane is the logical path of all traffic related to the management of the device. Examples of protocols processed in the management plane are Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet, HTTP, Secure HTTP (HTTPS), and SSH. These management protocols are used for monitoring and for command-line interface (CLI) access12. Therefore, HTTPS and SSH are protocols that operate on the management plane, while the other options are not. TCP is a transport layer protocol that provides reliable data delivery for various applications, but it is not specific to the management plane3. ARP is a network layer protocol that resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses, but it is not used for device management4. STP is a data link layer protocol that prevents loops in switched networks, but it is not related to the management plane5. References: 1: Management Plane Protection - Cisco 2: Planes of Operation > IP Routing on Cisco IOS, IOS XE, and IOS XR: How … 3: [Transmission Control Protocol - Wikipedia] 4: [Address Resolution Protocol - Wikipedia] 5: [Spanning Tree Protocol - Wikipedia] : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Control_Protocol : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_Resolution_Protocol : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanning_Tree_Protocol

According to the Ethernet cable standards, Cat 6 UTP-based cabling can support 1 Gbps data rates up to 100 meters (328 feet) of cable length. This is the maximum recommended distance for a single cable run between a host and the switch where it is plugged in. If the cable length exceeds 100 meters, the signal quality may degrade and cause errors or lower performance. Cat 6 UTP-based cabling can also support 10 Gbps data rates up to 37-55 meters (121-180 feet), depending on the alien crosstalk atmosphere. However, for 10 Gbps data rates, Cat 6a UTP-based cabling is preferred, as it can support the full 100 meters of cable length. References https://networkengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/81114/degradation-of-signal-quality-as-a-function-of-cat-6-cable-length

https://www.howtogeek.com/813419/how-long-can-an-ethernet-cable-be/

In the given network diagram, PC-1 is sending a packet to PC-2. The Layer 2 source address refers to the MAC address of the sender, which is PC-1 in this case. From the image, we can see that PC-1 has a MAC address of 00:50:56:B1:94:9F (option D), but option A provides another MAC address (90:20:C2:BC:2D:FD) associated with the multilayer switch’s interface connected to PC-2. Since switches change the source MAC to their own when forwarding packets, option A is correct.

The Layer 3 source address refers to the IP address of the sender (PC-1). From the image, it’s clear that PC-1 has an IP address of 10.2.1.10 (option C).

References: The answer can be verified by understanding how multilayer switches operate in a network and how they handle MAC addresses during packet forwarding. You can find more information about this topic in the following resources:

Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) | HPE Aruba Networking

Education Services | HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba Certified Network Technician University Promotion

To save the switch configuration changes, so they survive a switch reboot, you can use either the write memory or the save memory command. Both commands perform the same function, which is to copy the running configuration to the startup configuration. The running configuration is the current active configuration in the switch’s RAM, while the startup configuration is the configuration that is loaded when the switch boots up. By saving the configuration changes to the startup configuration, you ensure that they are preserved after a reboot12. The other commands are not valid for saving the configuration changes. The copy running-config checkpoint backup and copy running-config checkpoint startup-config commands are used to create checkpoints, which are snapshots of the running configuration that can be used to roll back changes in case of errors3. The store memory command does not exist in Aruba switches. References: 1: Saving Configuration Changes - Aruba 2: [ArubaOS-Switch 16.10 CLI Reference Guide] 3: [ArubaOS-Switch 16.10 Configuration and Management Guide] : https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS-Switch_16.10/5200-6928.pdf : https://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/ArubaOS-Switch_16.10/5200-6929.pdf

Full-duplex is a switchport feature that allows simultaneous transmission and reception of data on a link, without causing collisions. Collisions occur when two devices try to send data at the same time on a shared medium, such as a half-duplex link or a hub. Full-duplex eliminates the need for collision detection and avoidance mechanisms, such as CSMA/CD, and increases the effective bandwidth of the link. Full-duplex requires both ends of the link to support and be configured for full-duplex mode. If one end is configured for full-duplex and the other for half-duplex, the result is a duplex mismatch, which causes performance issues and errors. Auto speed is a switchport feature that allows the switch to negotiate the speed of the link with the connected device, such as 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or 1000 Mbps. VLANs are logical groups of devices that share the same broadcast domain, regardless of their physical location or connection. VLANs can reduce collisions by segmenting the network and limiting the scope of broadcasts. However, VLANs alone do not prevent collisions on a link, as they depend on the duplex mode of the switchport. Half-duplex is a switchport feature that allows only one direction of data transmission at a time on a link, either sending or receiving. Half-duplex requires collision detection and avoidance mechanisms, such as CSMA/CD, to coordinate the access to the shared medium. Half-duplex reduces the effective bandwidth of the link by half, as only one device can use the link at a time. Half-duplex can cause collisions if two devices try to send data at the same time on the same link. References:

Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) | HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba Documentation Portal

switch port collisions - Cisco Community

Why is a switch port a collision domain? - Cisco Community

Broadcast communication is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model1. A broadcast message is a message that is sent to all endpoints on the network, regardless of their address or identity2. An example of a broadcast message is an ARP request, which is used to find the MAC address of a device that has a specific IP address3. An ARP request is sent to the broadcast address of the network, which is usually the last address in the subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.255 for a /24 network). All devices on the network receive the ARP request and check if their IP address matches the one in the request. If so, they reply with their MAC address to the sender of the ARP request. If not, they ignore the request4. Therefore, an ARP request is an example of broadcast communication, while the other options are not. A DHCP offer is a message that is sent by a DHCP server to a specific client that requested an IP address5. An ICMP echo is a message that is sent by a device to test the connectivity and latency to another device. An HTTP Get is a message that is sent by a web browser to request a web page from a web server. These messages are not broadcast, but rather unicast, meaning they are sent to a single destination. References: 1: Broadcasting - Wikipedia 2: Broadcast communication network - Wikipedia 3: [Address Resolution Protocol - Wikipedia] 4: [How ARP Works - Cisco] 5: [DHCP - Wikipedia] : [Ping (networking utility) - Wikipedia] : [Hypertext Transfer Protocol - Wikipedia] : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_Resolution_Protocol : https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/dynamic-address-allocation- resolution/13718-5.html : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Host_Configuration_Protocol : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_(networking_utility) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol

 A switch is a device that operates at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. It is responsible for forwarding frames based on the MAC addresses of the source and destination devices. A switch can also perform media access control, VLAN tagging, QoS, and other Layer 2 functions. A router, on the other hand, operates at the network layer (Layer 3) and routes packets based on their IP addresses. A transceiver is a device that converts electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa, and operates at the physical layer (Layer 1). A UTP cable is a type of twisted pair cable that is also used at the physical layer to transmit data. References: Data link layer - Wikipedia, Data Link Layer | Layer 2 | The OSI-Model, What is Layer 2? - Definition from Techopedia, An Overview of Layer 2 Ethernet – What is it and why does it matter?

A device that provides high ethernet port density for connecting wired clients is a switch. A switch is a device that operates at the data link layer (layer two) of the OSI model and forwards frames between devices on the same network based on their MAC addresses1. A switch can have multiple ports, ranging from 8 to 48 or more, that can connect to various wired devices, such as computers, IP phones, and printers2. A multilayer switch is a switch that can also operate at the network layer (layer three) of the OSI model and perform routing functions based on IP addresses3. Therefore, statements D and E are correct. Statements A, B, and C are incorrect because they describe devices that provide wireless connectivity, not wired connectivity. A wireless router is a device that combines the functions of a router and an access point and provides wireless access to the internet. A router is a device that operates at the network layer (layer three) of the OSI model and forwards packets between different networks based on their destination IP addresses. An access point is a device that connects wireless devices to a wired network and acts as a bridge between the two. References: 1: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 282: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 303: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 32. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 29. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 29. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 94.

 Adjacent Channel Interference (ACI) is a type of interference that occurs when two or more wireless devices use channels that are close to each other in the same frequency band. ACI reduces the signal quality and throughput of the wireless devices, as they have to compete for the same spectrum and deal with the noise from the neighboring channels12

The 5 GHz band has more non-overlapping channels than the 2.4 GHz band, which means that there is less chance of ACI in the 5 GHz band. However, ACI can still occur in the 5 GHz band if the wireless devices use wider channel bandwidths, such as 40 MHz or 80 MHz, which are supported by 802.11n and 802.11ac standards. Wider channel bandwidths can increase the data rate and performance of the wireless devices, but they also occupy more spectrum and reduce the number of available channels134

Therefore, one condition that allows 5 GHz channels to avoid ACI is to transmit at 20 MHz bandwidth, which is the narrowest channel bandwidth supported by 802.11a/n/ac standards. By transmitting at 20 MHz bandwidth, the wireless devices can use more non-overlapping channels in the 5 GHz band and minimize the impact of ACI. However, this alsomeans that the wireless devices will have lower data rates and performance than using wider channel bandwidths134

Another condition that can help avoid ACI in the 5 GHz band is to use channel bonding, which is a technique that combines two or more adjacent channels into one wider channel. Channel bonding can increase the data rate and performance of the wireless devices, but it also requires careful planning and coordination to avoid overlapping with other wireless devices. Channel bonding can be done with 40 MHz or 80 MHz channel bandwidths, but not with 20 MHz channel bandwidths134 References: 

https://www.ti.com/pdfs/bcg/80211_acr_wp.pdf

https://www.ti.com/pdfs/bcg/80211_acr_wp.pdf

To enable internet access on a multilayer switch, you need to configure a default route that points to the ISP router as the next hop. A default route is a special type of static route that matches any destination IP address that is not found in the routing table. The syntax for adefault route is ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 , where 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 means any IP address and any subnet mask. Alternatively, you can use the slash notation 0.0.0.0/0 to represent the same thing. Therefore, the correct configuration line to enter on the switch is ip route 0.0.0.0/0 172.16.31.254, which means that any traffic that is not destined for a local network will be forwarded to the ISP router at 172.16.31.254.

The other options are incorrect because they either use the wrong syntax or the wrong IP address. Option A uses the route command instead of the ip route command, which is not valid on a multilayer switch. Option C uses the routing command instead of the ip route command, which is also not valid on a multilayer switch. Option D uses the ip routing command instead of the ip route command, which is used to enable routing on the switch, not to configure a default route. Option D also omits the dots in the IP address and the subnet mask, which makes it invalid.

References:

What Is a Multilayer Switch and How to Use It?

Inter-VLAN Routing Configuration - 2024 Step-by-Step Tutorial

Multilayer Switch - Configuring IP Multilayer Switching

 The header in the exhibit belongs to the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which is the most widely used protocol for routing and delivering packets across networks. IPv4 is a connectionless and unreliable protocol that operates at the network layer of the OSI model. The IPv4 header consists of 20 bytes (160 bits) of fixed fields and up to 40 bytes (320 bits) of optional fields. The fixed fields include:

Version: 4 bits that indicate the version of the IP protocol, which is 4 for IPv4.

IHL (Internet Header Length): 4 bits that indicate the length of the IP header in 32-bit words, which is 5 for the minimum header size of 20 bytes.

Type of Service: 8 bits that indicate the quality of service (QoS) parameters for the packet, such as precedence, delay, throughput, and reliability.

Total Length: 16 bits that indicate the total length of the IP packet in bytes, including the header and the data.The maximum value is 65535 bytes.

Identification: 16 bits that identify the packet for fragmentation and reassembly purposes.

Flags: 3 bits that control the fragmentation of the packet. The first bit is reserved and must be zero. The second bit is the Don’t Fragment (DF) bit, which indicates whether the packet can be fragmented or not. The third bit is the More Fragments (MF) bit, which indicates whether the packet is the last fragment or not.

Fragment Offset: 13 bits that indicate the position of the fragment in the original packet, measured in units of 8 bytes.

TTL (Time To Live): 8 bits that indicate the maximum number of hops that the packet can traverse before being discarded. The TTL is decremented by one at each hop, and the packet is dropped if the TTL reaches zero.

Protocol: 8 bits that indicate the protocol of the data carried in the packet, such as TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc. The protocol numbers are defined in the List of IP protocol numbers.

Header Checksum: 16 bits that provide error detection for the IP header. The checksum is calculated by adding the 16-bit words of the header and taking the one’s complement of the result.The checksum is recomputed and verified at each hop.

Source IP Address: 32 bits that indicate the IP address of the sender of the packet.

Destination IP Address: 32 bits that indicate the IP address of the receiver of the packet.

Options: Variable-length field that contains optional information for the IP packet, such as security, routing, timestamp, etc. The options are padded with zeros to make the header length a multiple of 32 bits.

The IPv4 header can be distinguished from other protocol headers by the value of the Version field, which is 4 for IPv4. Other protocol headers have different values for the Version field or do not have a Version field at all. For example, the IPv6 header has a Version field of 6, the UDP header does not have a Version field, the Ethernet header has a Type field instead of a Version field, and the TCP header has a Data Offset field instead of a Version field. References:

Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) | HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba Documentation Portal

Introduction and IPv4 Datagram Header - GeeksforGeeks

Protocol header - Oxford Reference

List of IP protocol numbers - Wikipedia

The OSI model is a conceptual framework that describes the process of transmitting data between computers. It is divided into seven layers, each with a specific function. The application layer, or layer 7, is the highest layer of the OSI model and is responsible for creating data. The application layer provides services such as resource sharing, remote file access, email, web browsing, etc. The data created by the application layer is then passed down to the presentation layer, which translates it into a common format for the lower layers. The data is then further processed by the session, transport, network, data link, and physical layers until it reaches the destination12 References:

What is OSI Model | 7 Layers Explained

OSI model - Wikipedia

To configure interfaces 1/1/1 and 1/1/2 as VLAN 10 access ports in ArubaOS-CX switches, the following commands are required:

switch(config)# vlan 10

switch(config-vlan-10)# name VLAN10

switch(config-vlan-10)# exit

switch(config)# interface 1/1/1

switch(config-if)# no shutdown

switch(config-if)# vlan access 10

switch(config-if)# exit

switch(config)# interface 1/1/2

switch(config-if)# no shutdown

switch(config-if)# vlan access 10

switch(config-if)# exit

Option B shows the correct syntax and sequence of commands to create VLAN 10, assign a name to it, and configure the interfaces as access ports in that VLAN. Option A is incorrect because it uses the wrong keyword vlan-id instead of vlan access. Option C is incorrect because it does not create VLAN 10 before assigning the interfaces to it. Option D is incorrect because it uses the wrong keyword vlan mode instead of vlan access. References: ArubaOS-CX 10.05 Fundamentals Guide 6200 Switch Series, Configuring VLANs on AOS-CX - Aruba

Local-based management refers to managing a network device directly from the device itself, using tools such as console port, web interface, or command-line interface. Server-based management refers to managing a network device remotely from a centralized server, using tools such as Windows Admin Center, System Center, or Azure Arc123. The differences between these two types of management are:

Local-based management can use the device’s console port, which is a physical connection that allows access to the device even when the network is down or the device is not configured. Server-based management cannot use the console port, as it relies on network connectivity and protocols4.

Server-based management can monitor multiple devices at once, using a single dashboard or interface that shows the status, performance, and configuration of all the devices in the network. Local-based management can only monitor one device at a time, using the device’s own tools123.

References:

1: Cloud vs Server: Learn the Key Differences and Benefits - Parallels 2: Windows Server management overview | Microsoft Learn 4: 5 Benefits of Server-Based Local Access Networks for Small … - Versatech 3: What is Windows Admin Center | Microsoft Learn

An omnidirectional antenna is an antenna that radiates almost equal power in all directions in the horizontal plane, which is also called the azimuth plane1. This means that the antenna has a 360-degree coverage in the horizontal plane, but a narrow coverage in the vertical plane, which is also called the elevation plane2. An omnidirectional antenna is suitable for indoor environments where the clients are distributed around the access point3. Therefore, statement D accurately describes an omnidirectional antenna. Statements A, B, and C are incorrect because they describe different types of antennas. Statement A describes an isotropic antenna, which is a theoretical antenna that radiates equal power in all directions in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Statement B describes a vertical antenna, which is an antenna that radiates almost equal power in all directions in the vertical plane, but a narrow coverage in the horizontal plane. Statement C describes a directional antenna, which is an antenna that radiates more power in a specific angle and less power in others, creating a focused beam of radio waves. References: 1: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 872: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 883: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 89. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 87. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 88. : Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) Study Guide, page 89.

A collision occurs when two or more devices try to transmit data at the same time on a shared medium, such as a bus or a hub. Collisions degrade network performance and cause data loss. Switches mitigate collisions by creating separate collision domains for each port. This means that each port can transmit and receive data without interfering with other ports. Switches also use full-duplex communication, which allows simultaneous transmission and reception of data on each port, further reducing the chances of collisions. VLANs and L3 protocols do not affect collisions, as they operate at different layers of the network model. Proprietary features are not a general characteristic of switches, and may not be compatible with other vendors’ switches. References: Aruba Certified Network Technician (ACNT) | HPE Aruba Networking, Aruba Documentation Portal

The end command is used to exit from any configuration context and return to the manager context. The manager context is indicated by the # symbol at the end of the prompt. The manager context allows you to execute commands that do not require saving changes to the configuration, such as show or clear commands. The disable command is used to exit from the manager context and return to the operator context, which is indicated by the > symbol. The quit and exit commands are used to exit from the current context and return to the parent context, such as from config-if to config. However, these commands do not move you directly to the manager context from any configuration context. Therefore, the correct answer is A. end. References: Navigating to the manager context (#) - Aruba, Manager context (#) - Aruba