Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a fundamental security control that directly addresses the concern of unauthorized portal access by adding an extra layer of verification beyond just a password. Furthermore, Aruba Central’s audit trail logs all administrative actions, which is tied to the authenticated admin user. Enabling MFA strengthens the integrity of these audit logs, making them reliable for compliance. The other options do not directly address administrative access control and auditing.

In Aruba Central, configuration is applied through groups. If new APs are not placed in the correct group (or remain in the default group), they will not receive the intended SSID, security, radio, and RF management settings (like channel and power plans). This would lead to suboptimal performance and mismatched RF behavior. While the other issues could cause problems, a mis-assigned group is the most direct and common reason for new APs not behaving as expected in a managed Central environment.

The statement is true. A core function of VisualRF is client location tracking. It uses the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements of a client’s signal from three or more access points to perform triangulation and estimate the client’s position on a mapped floor plan. This is a standard feature within VisualRF and does not require a separate ESP license for basic locationing.

Aruba Gateways (such as the 7000 series) running the SD-Branch profile in Aruba Central are designed exactly for this scenario. They consolidate multiple functions (firewall, router, VPN gateway, and sometimes WLAN controller) into a single device suitable for branch offices. They can natively establish secure IPsec tunnels (like VPNC) to hubs or data centers, all managed centrally through Aruba Central’s SD-WAN/SD-Branch framework.

Selecting the ‘Bridge’ mode for client addressing means the AP acts as a transparent Layer 2 bridge. The wireless clients are placed directly on the same VLAN as the AP’s uplink. The clients will broadcast DHCP requests onto that wired network, and a DHCP server on that subnet (like a core switch or server) will provide the IP address. The AP does not perform any Layer 3 routing or DHCP servicing in this mode.

The ‘AP in standalone mode’ alert is a critical status alert indicating a loss of management connectivity. The AP can no longer reach Aruba Central’s cloud servers. As a result, it has fallen back to standalone operation, relying on its last known configuration to continue serving clients. This alert triggers so an administrator knows the device is no longer under active cloud management and may drift in configuration or miss updates.

For an open network with a splash page (Captive Portal), you must set the Security to ‘Open’ (no password). The Access method must then be set to a form of Captive Portal. ‘Captive Portal (External)’ is typical, which can redirect users to an external web server hosting the terms-of-service page. WPA2-Personal uses a PSK, and WPA2-Enterprise uses 802.1X, both of which authenticate before network access, making a splash page redundant at connection time.

This is a key architectural difference. An IAP cluster elects a lead AP that acts as a virtual controller for the local group, providing configuration and RF management. If the connection to Aruba Central is lost, the cluster continues operating. In a controller-based architecture (like with a 7000-series MC), the APs (Campus APs) are thin and rely entirely on the physical Mobility Controller for their configuration and operation. If the AP loses connectivity to the MC, it may not be able to function.

Configuration Templates in Aruba Central are the primary tool for defining standardized configuration snippets (like ACLs, QoS policies, VLANs, etc.) using variables. These templates can then be associated with device groups. When applied, the template merges its configuration with the device’s running config, ensuring consistent policy enforcement across many devices from a single definition point. UI Groups are for organizing the dashboard view, not for applying config.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a fundamental security control that directly addresses the concern of unauthorized portal access by adding an extra layer of verification beyond just a password. Furthermore, Aruba Central’s audit trail logs all administrative actions, which is tied to the authenticated admin user. Enabling MFA strengthens the integrity of these audit logs, making them reliable for compliance. The other options do not directly address administrative access control and auditing.0