Advanced AOS-CX Switching (AAXSTS)

Most network engineers reach a point where they can configure a switch confidently but still find certain problems hard to explain: a routing loop that only appears after a link fails, a VSX pair behaving unexpectedly during an upgrade, or video calls that break up only at busy times. Moving past that point takes deeper knowledge of how switching, routing, QoS, and security interact.

AAXSTS training in Oman is built for that step. The Advanced AOS-CX Switching course spends five instructor-led days on expert-level work with HPE Aruba Networking AOS-CX switches, about half of it in hands-on labs. Learners design resilient networks, apply a structured troubleshooting method, and work through VSX, OSPF, BGP, route redistribution, VRFs, multicast, QoS, Dynamic Segmentation, and network security. It is also the recommended course for engineers working towards the ACX – Switching certification.

Course Structure and Key Details

The course runs for five days with an instructor, in the classroom or online, and splits its time roughly equally between lecture and labs. Twelve modules take learners from design principles through to security hardening.

The first day concentrates on design and diagnosis. Learners analyse requirements and compare two-tier and three-tier designs, then adopt a troubleshooting methodology that uses logging and debugging, diagnostic commands, traffic analysis, and HPE Aruba Networking Central. Monitoring and automation follow, with AOS-CX automation, REST API requests and the Network Analytics Engine.

The core of the week is resilience and routing. Learners build and troubleshoot VSX, then move to policy-based routing, single-area OSPF troubleshooting, and multi-area OSPF. BGP is covered from connections and advertisements to metrics, tuning, and route control, before learners redistribute static routes into OSPF and OSPF into BGP, and separate routing domains with VRFs and route leaking.

The closing modules address traffic and access. Multicast routing covers IGMP, PIM-SM, static and dynamic rendezvous points, and PIM with VSX. Quality of Service covers ingress handling, prioritisation, DSCP remarking, queuing, scheduling and active queue management. Dynamic Segmentation is explored through user-based tunnelling and downloadable user roles, and network security through ACLs, classifier policies, Control Plane Policing, user group management, TACACS+ access, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection and MACsec.

The entry requirement is attendance at Implementing AOS-CX Switching (ICXS) or a pass in the ACP – Switching certification exam. The ACX – Switching written exam (HPE7-A09) and practical exam (HPE4-A53) are taken separately.

Course Objectives

• Design network architectures that make the most of AOS-CX switch capabilities.
• Diagnose faults with the CLI, port mirroring, IP SLA, and the Network Analytics Engine.
• Build and troubleshoot resilient VSX pairs and related Layer 2 features.
• Tune OSPF and BGP and apply policy-based routing.
• Control routing between domains with VRFs, route leaking, and redistribution.
• Configure multicast routing with IGMP and PIM-SM.
• Prioritise critical applications through QoS.
• Secure access and the control plane with Dynamic Segmentation, ACLs, CoPP, and MACsec.