Catalyst 2900 XL and Catalyst 3500 XL Software Configuration Guide, Release 12.0(5)WC3
Troubleshooting
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Table Of Contents

Troubleshooting

Avoiding Configuration Conflicts

Avoiding Autonegotiation Mismatches

Troubleshooting CMS Sessions

Determining Why a Switch Is Not Added to a Cluster

Copying Configuration Files to Troubleshoot Configuration Problems

Troubleshooting Switch Software Upgrades

Recovery Procedures

Recovering from Lost Member Connectivity

Recovering from a Command Switch Failure

Replacing a Failed Command Switch with a Cluster Member

Replacing a Failed Command Switch with Another Switch

Recovering from a Failed Command Switch Without Replacing the Command Switch

Recovering from a Lost or Forgotten Password

Recovering from Corrupted Software


Troubleshooting

This chapter provides these topics about avoiding and resolving problems related to the switch software:

•Avoiding Configuration Conflicts

•Avoiding Autonegotiation Mismatches

•Troubleshooting CMS Sessions

•Determining Why a Switch Is Not Added to a Cluster

•Copying Configuration Files to Troubleshoot Configuration Problems

•Troubleshooting Switch Software Upgrades

•Recovery Procedures

For additional troubleshooting information:

•See "System Messages," for information about the system messages sent by the switch software.

•Refer to the switch hardware installation guide.

Avoiding Configuration Conflicts

Certain combinations of port features conflict with one another. For example, if you define a port as the network port for a VLAN, all unknown unicast and multicast traffic is flooded to the port. You could not enable port security on the network port because a secure port limits the traffic allowed on it.

In Table 9-1, no means that the two features are incompatible and that both should not be enabled; yes means that both can be enabled at the same time and will not cause an incompatibility conflict.

If you try to enable incompatible features by using CMS, CMS issues a warning message that you are configuring a setting that is incompatible with another setting, and the switch does not save the change.

Table 9-1 Conflicting Features

 
ATM Port1
Port Group
Port Security
SPAN Port
Multi-VLAN Port
Network Port
Connect to Cluster?
Protected Port
ATM Port

N/A

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Port Group

No

-

No

No

Yes

Yes2

Yes

Yes

Port Security

No

No

-

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

SPAN Port

No3

No

No

-

No

No

Yes

Yes

Multi-VLAN Port

No

Yes

No

No

-

Yes

Yes

Yes

Network Port

No

Yes
(source-based only)

No

No

Yes

-

No4

Yes

Connect to Cluster

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

-

Yes

Protected Port

No

Yes

Yes

Yes5

Yes

No

Yes

-

1 Catalyst 2900 XL switches only.

2 Cannot be in a destination-based port group.

3 An Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) port cannot be a monitor port but can be monitored.

4 Cannot connect cluster members to the command switch.

5 Switch Port Analyzer (SPAN) can operate only if the monitor port or the port being monitored is not a protected port.


Avoiding Autonegotiation Mismatches

The IEEE 802.3u autonegotiation protocol manages the switch settings for speed (10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) and duplex (half or full). Sometimes this protocol can incorrectly align these settings, reducing performance. A mismatch occurs under these circumstances:

•A manually set speed or duplex parameter is different from the manually set speed or duplex parameter on the connected port.

•A port is set to autonegotiate, and the connected port is set to full duplex with no autonegotiation.

To maximize switch performance and ensure a link, follow one of these guidelines when changing the settings for duplex and speed:

•Let both ports autonegotiate both speed and duplex.

•Manually set the speed and duplex parameters for the ports on both ends of the connection.

Note If a remote Fast Ethernet device does not autonegotiate, configure the duplex settings on the two ports to match. The speed parameter can adjust itself even if the connected port does not autonegotiate. To connect to a remote Gigabit Ethernet device that does not autonegotiate, disable autonegotiation on the local device, and set the duplex and flow control parameters to be compatible with the remote device.

Troubleshooting CMS Sessions

Table 9-2 lists problems commonly encountered when using CMS.

Note•If your cluster has these member switches running earlier software releases and if you have read-only access to these member switches, some configuration windows for those switches display incomplete information:

–Catalyst 2900 XL or Catalyst 3500 XL member switches running Cisco IOS Release 12.0(5)WC2 or earlier

–Catalyst 2950 member switches running Cisco IOS Release 12.0(5)WC2 or earlier

–Catalyst 3550 member switches running Cisco IOS Release 12.1(6)EA1 or earlier

For more information about this limitation, refer to the Catalyst 2900 XL and Catalyst 3500 XL release notes (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/index.htm).

•These switches do not support read-only mode on CMS:

–Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820

–Catalyst 2900 XL switches with 4-MB CPU DRAM

In read-only mode, these switches appear as unavailable devices and cannot be configured from CMS.

For more information about CMS access modes, see the "Access Modes in CMS" section.

For more troubleshooting and debugging information while using CMS, you can:

•Use the Java plug-in console to display the current status and actions of CMS. To display the console, select Start > Programs > Java Plug-in Control Panel, and select Java Console.

•From CMS (Reports > System Messages), you can display the system messages of the Catalyst 2900 XL and Catalyst 3500 XL switches when they are in a cluster where the command switch is a Catalyst 2950 switch running Cisco IOS Release 12.1(6)EA2 or later. The System Messages option is not available from the Catalyst 2900 XL and Catalyst 3500 XL switches. For more information about system messages, see "System Messages."

Table 9-2 Common CMS Session Problems 

Problem
Suspected Cause and Suggested Solution

A blank screen appears when you click Cluster Management Suite from the Cisco Systems Access page.

A missing browser Java plug-in or incorrect settings could cause this problem.

•CMS requires a Java plug-in to function correctly. For instructions on downloading and installing the plug-in, refer to the release notes (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/index.htm).

Note If your PC is connected to the Internet when you attempt to access CMS, the browser notifies you that the Java plug-in is required if the plug-in is not installed. This notification does not occur if your PC is directly connected to the switch and has no internet connection.

•If the plug-in is installed but the Java applet does not initialize, do this:

–Select Start > Programs > Java Plug-in Control Panel. In the Proxies tab, verify that Use browser settings is checked and that no proxies are enabled.

–Make sure that the port that connects the PC to the switch belongs to the same VLAN as the management VLAN. For more information about management VLANs, see the "Management VLANs" section.

The Applet notinited message appears at the bottom of the browser window.

You might not have enough disk space. Each time you start CMS, the Java plug-in saves a copy of all the jar files to the disk. Delete the jar files from the location where the browser keeps the temporary files on your computer.

Refer to the release notes (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/index.htm) for the required Java plug-ins.

In an Internet Explorer browser session, you receive a message stating that the CMS page might not display correctly because your security settings prohibit running ActiveX controls.

A high security level prohibits ActiveX controls, which Internet Explorer uses to launch the Java plug-in, from running.

1. Start Internet Explorer.

2. From the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.

3. Click the Security tab.

4. Click the indicated Zone.

5. Move the Security Level for this Zone slider from High to Medium (the default).

6. Click Custom Level and verify that the four ActiveX settings are set to prompt or enabled.

Configuration changes are not always reflected in an Internet Explorer 5.0 browser session.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 does not automatically reflect the latest configuration changes. Make sure you click the browser Refresh button for every configuration change.

Link graphs do not display information in an Internet Explorer 5.0 browser.

(For switches running software earlier than Cisco IOS Release 12.0(5)WC3.)

Your browser security settings could be incorrect. If your browser security settings are correct, the lower right corner of your browser screen should have a green circle with a checkmark. If it does not, follow these steps:

1. Start Internet Explorer.

2. From the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.

3. From the Internet Options window, click Advanced.

4. Select the Java logging enabled and JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled check boxes, and click Apply.

5. In the Internet Options window, click General.

6. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Settings, click Every visit to the page, and click OK.

7. In the Internet Options window, click Security, click Trusted Sites, and click Sites.

8. Deselect Require server verification.

 

9. Add the switches you want to manage by entering their URLs in the Add this web site to the zone field. Click Add to add each switch.

A URL is the switch IP address preceded by http://. For example, you might enter: http://172.20.153.36

10. After you have finished entering the URLs for your switches, click OK.

11. While still in the Security tab of the Internet Options window, click Custom Level.

12. In the Security Settings window, select Java > Java permissions.

If you do not see Java > Java permissions, you need to reinstall the browser. When you reinstall this browser, make sure to select the Install Minimal or Customize Your Browser check box. Then, from the Component Options window in the Internet Explorer 5 section, make sure to click the Microsoft Virtual Machine check box to display applets written in Java.

13. Click Custom, and click Java Custom Settings.

14. In the Trusted Sites window, click Edit Permissions.

15. Under Run Unsigned Content, click Enable, and click OK.

16. In the Security Settings window, click OK.

17. In the Internet Options window, click OK.


Determining Why a Switch Is Not Added to a Cluster

If a switch does not become part of the cluster, you can learn why by selecting View > Topology. Topology view displays the cluster as a double-switch icon and shows connections to devices outside the cluster (Figure 9-1). Right-click the device (yellow label), and select Disqualification Code.

For a list of devices that are cluster-enabled, refer to the release notes (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/index.htm).

Figure 9-1 Cluster View

Copying Configuration Files to Troubleshoot Configuration Problems

You can use the file system in Flash memory to copy files and to troubleshoot configuration problems. This could be useful if you wanted to save configuration files on an external server in case a switch fails. You can then copy the configuration file to a replacement switch and avoid having to reconfigure the switch.

Step 1 Enter the privileged EXEC dir flash: command to display the contents of Flash memory: 

switch# dir flash:

Directory of flash:


  2  -rwx      843947   Mar 01 1993 00:02:18  C2900XL-h-mz-112.8-SA

  4  drwx        3776   Mar 01 1993 01:23:24  html

 66  -rwx         130   Jan 01 1970 00:01:19  env_vars

 68  -rwx        1296   Mar 01 1993 06:55:51  config.text


1728000 bytes total (456704 bytes free)

The file system uses a URL-based file specification. This example uses the TFTP protocol to copy the file config.text from the host arno to the switch Flash memory: 

switch# copy tftp://arno//2900/config.text flash:config.text

You can enter these parameters as part of a filename:

•TFTP

•Flash

•RCP

•XMODEM

Step 2 Enter the copy running-config startup-config privileged EXEC command to save your configuration changes to Flash memory so that they are not lost if there is a system reload or power outage. This example shows how to use this command to save your changes: 

switch# copy running-config startup-config

Building configuration...

It might take a minute or two to save the configuration to Flash memory. After it has been saved, this message appears: 

[OK]

switch#

Troubleshooting Switch Software Upgrades

Table 9-3 lists problems commonly encountered when upgrading the switch:

Table 9-3 Problems Encountered When Upgrading the Switch 

Problem
Suspected Cause and Suggested Solution

Getting "Address Range" error message and boot up is failing.

This error message appears when a 4-MB Catalyst 2900 XL switch is upgraded to an image that is not supported on this hardware. The switch in this case tries to load the image, but because this switch is not capable of loading this image, the bootup process fails. This also happens in cases when a 4-MB Catalyst 2900 XL switch is upgraded to an IOS 12.0 image.

Download the IOS Image File by using X-Modem.

Getting "No Such File or Directory" error message during bootup.

This error message appears when the names of the bootable file and the actual file in the Flash memory differ. This usually happens due to a mistyped filename when setting the boot parameters, during or after the upgrade.

Go to Setting BOOT Parameters at ROMMON (Switch: Prompt) to verify and set the BOOT parameters correctly.

If setting the BOOT parameters to the correct filename does not resolve the issue, perform an X-Modem upgrade, as the file in Flash memory could be corrupted or invalid.

Getting "Permission Denied" error message during the bootup.

This error message appears when the boot parameters are not set correctly. In most of the cases, when setting the boot parameters during or after the upgrade, the word flash: is mistyped or completely missed.

Go to Setting BOOT Parameters at ROMMON (Switch: Prompt) to verify and set the BOOT parameters correctly.

If setting the BOOT parameters to the correct filename does not resolve the issue, perform an X-Modem upgrade, as the file present on the Flash memory could be corrupted or invalid.

Getting "Error Loading Flash" error messages.

The error loading Flash message means that there is a problem loading the current image in Flash memory. The image could be corrupt or incorrect, or the image in Flash memory could be missing. If the system is unable to load a software image in Flash memory, the system will load the boot helper and bring up a switch prompt.

1. Enter the dir flash: command to verify if there is any bootable image on the Flash memory. The file with the .bin extension is the bootable image on the Flash memory.

If you see a bootable image on the Flash memory, continue to Step 2. If you do not see any bootable image in the Flash memory, download the IOS Image File by using X-Modem.

2. Enter the set BOOT flash: name of IOS file command to set the boot variable to the filename displayed in Step 1.

Note BOOT must be capitalized and make sure to include flash: before the filename.

3. Enter the boot command.

Note If the switch boots properly, enter the setting boot parameters global configuration command to verify and set the BOOT parameters (if needed), and proceed to Step 4. If the switch fails to boot properly, download the IOS Image File by using X-Modem.

4. After setting the BOOT parameters, reload the switch by entering the reload privileged EXEC command.

The switch boots up automatically with the correct image.

Failed software upgrade; switch is resetting continuously.

This might be due to a corrupt or incorrect image, or the image in Flash memory might be missing. Following these steps to recover if the switch is in a reset loop after or during the upgrade.

1. Connect the PC to the switch console port.

2. Press the Enter key a few times. Are you seeing a switch: prompt? If not, go to Step 3. Otherwise, go to Step 4.

3. Disconnect the power cord. Hold down the mode button on the front of the switch, and plug the power cord back in. All LEDs above all ports are green. Continue to hold down the mode button until the light above port 1 goes out, and then release the mode button. The prompt should be switch:.

4. Download the IOS Image File using X-Modem.

After the upgrade, the switch still boots up with the old image.

This happens when either the BOOT parameters are not correct and the switch is still set to boot from the old image or the upgrade did not go through properly.

Verify the BOOT parameters, and correct them if needed.

•If the BOOT parameters are correct, download the IOS Image File using TFTP.

•If the switch still boots with the old image, download the IOS Image File using X-Modem.

Switch not booting automatically; needs a manual boot at the ROMMON (switch: prompt).

The switch boot parameters might be set for manual boot. The switch can be set to boot automatically by following these steps:

1. Use Telnet to access the switch, or connect the PC to the switch console port.

2. Enter the privileged EXEC mode by entering the enable command at the switch> prompt.

3. Enter the global configuration mode by entering configure terminal at the Switch# prompt.

4. Enter no boot manual to tell the switch to boot automatically.

5. Enter end to return to privileged EXEC mode, and save the configuration by entering the write memory command.

6. Verify the boot parameters by entering show boot. Verify that Manual Boot is set to no.


Recovery Procedures

The recovery procedures in this section require that you have physical access to the switch. Recovery procedures include these topics:

•Recovering from Lost Member Connectivity

•Recovering from a Command Switch Failure

•Recovering from a Lost or Forgotten Password

•Recovering from Corrupted Software

Recovering from Lost Member Connectivity

Some configurations can prevent the command switch from maintaining contact with member switches. If you are unable to maintain management contact with a member, and the member switch is forwarding packets normally, check for these port-configuration conflicts:

•Member switches cannot connect to the command switch through a port that is defined as a network port. For information on the network port feature, see the "Enabling a Network Port" section.

•Member switches must connect to the command switch through a port that belongs to the same management VLAN. For more information, see the "Management VLAN" section.

•Member switches connected to the command switch through a secured port can lose connectivity if the port is disabled due to a security violation. Secured ports are described in the "Enabling Port Security" section.

Recovering from a Command Switch Failure

You can prepare for a command switch failure by assigning an IP address to a member switch that is command-capable, making a note of the command-switch password, and cabling your cluster to provide redundant connectivity between all member switches and the replacement command switch. Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) is the preferred method for providing a redundant command switch to a cluster. For more information, see the "HSRP and Standby Command Switches" section and the "Creating a Cluster Standby Group" section. For a list of command-capable Catalyst desktop switches, see the release notes (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/index.htm).

If you have not configured a standby command switch, and your command switch loses power or fails in some other way, management contact with the member switches is lost, and a new command switch must be installed. However, connectivity between switches that are still connected is not affected, and the member switches forward packets as usual. You can manage the members as standalone switches through the console port or, if they have IP addresses, through CMS Device Manager.

These sections describe how to recover if a standby command switch was not available when the command switch failed:

•"Replacing a Failed Command Switch with a Cluster Member" section

•"Replacing a Failed Command Switch with Another Switch" section

•"Recovering from a Failed Command Switch Without Replacing the Command Switch" section

Replacing a Failed Command Switch with a Cluster Member

Follow these steps to replace a failed command switch with a command-capable member of the same cluster:

Step 1 Disconnect the command switch from the member switches, and physically remove it from the cluster.

Step 2 Use a member switch in place of the failed command switch, and duplicate its connections to the cluster members.

Step 3 Start a command-line interface (CLI) session on the new command switch.

You can access the CLI by using the console port or, if an IP address has been assigned to the switch, by using Telnet. For details about using the console port, refer to the switch installation guide.

Step 4 At the switch prompt, change to privileged EXEC mode: 

Switch> enable 
Switch#

Step 5 Enter the password of the failed command switch.

Step 6 From privileged EXEC mode, enter global configuration mode. 

Switch# config terminal 
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.

Step 7 From global configuration mode, remove previous command-switch information from the switch. 

Switch(config)# no cluster commander-address

Step 8 Return to privileged EXEC mode. 

Switch(config)# exit 
Switch#

Step 9 Use the setup program to configure the switch IP information.

This program prompts you for an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and password. From privileged EXEC mode, enter setup, and press Return. 

Switch# setup

         --- System Configuration Dialog ---

At any point you may enter a question mark '?' for help. 
Use Ctrl-c to abort configuration dialog at any prompt. 
Default settings are in square brackets '[]'.

Continue with configuration dialog? [yes/no]:

Step 10 Enter Y at the first prompt. 

Continue with configuration dialog? [yes/no]: y

Step 11 Enter the switch IP address, and press Return: 

Enter IP address: ip_address

Step 12 Enter the subnet mask, and press Return: 

Enter IP netmask: ip_netmask

Step 13 Enter Y at the next prompt to specify a default gateway (router): 

Would you like to enter a default gateway address? [yes]: y

Step 14 Enter the IP address of the default gateway, and press Return. 

IP address of the default gateway: ip_address

Step 15 Enter a host name for the switch, and press Return.

Note On a command switch, the host name is limited to 28 characters; on a member switch to 31 characters. Do not use -n, where n is a number, as the last character in a host name for any switch. 

Enter a host name: host_name

Step 16 Enter the password of the failed command switch, and press Return.

Note The password can be from 1 to 25 alphanumeric characters, can start with a number, is case sensitive, allows spaces, but ignores leading spaces. 

Enter enable secret: secret_password

Step 17 Enter Y to enter a Telnet password: 

Would you like to configure a Telnet password? [yes] y

Note The password can be from 1 to 25 alphanumeric characters, is case sensitive, allows spaces, but ignores leading spaces.

Step 18 Enter the Telnet password, and press Return: 

Enter Telnet password: telnet_password

Step 19 Enter Y to configure the switch as the cluster command switch. Enter N to configure it as a member switch or as a standalone switch.

Note If you enter N, the switch appears as a candidate switch in Cluster Builder. In this case, the message in Step 20 does not appear. 

Would you like to enable as a cluster command switch? y

Step 20 Assign a name to the cluster, and press Return. 

Enter cluster name: cls_name

Note The cluster name can be 1 to 31 alphanumeric characters, dashes, or underscores.

Step 21 The initial configuration is displayed: 

The following configuration command script was created: 
 
ip subnet-zero 
interface VLAN1 
ip address 172.20.153.36 255.255.255.0 
ip default-gateway 172.20.153.01 
hostname host_name 
enable secret 5 $1$M3pS$cXtAlkyR3/6Cn8/ 
line vty 0 15 
password telnet_password 
snmp community private rw 
snmp community public ro 
cluster enable cls_name 
 
end

Step 22 Verify that the information is correct.

•If the information is correct, enter Y at the prompt, and press Return.

•If the information is not correct, enter N at the prompt, press Return, and begin again at Step 1. 

Use this configuration? [yes/no]: y

Step 23 Start your browser, and enter the switch IP address that you entered in Step 11.

Step 24 Display the CMS Home page for the switch, and select Enabled from the Command Switch drop-down list.

Step 25 Click Cluster Management Suite to display CMS.

CMS prompts you to add candidate switches. The password of the failed command switch is still valid for the cluster, and you should enter it when candidate switches are proposed for cluster membership.

Replacing a Failed Command Switch with Another Switch

Follow these steps when you are replacing a failed command switch with a switch that is command-capable but not part of the cluster:

Step 1 Insert the new switch in place of the failed command switch, and duplicate its connections to the cluster members.

Step 2 Start a CLI session on the new command switch.

You can access the CLI by using the console port or, if an IP address has been assigned to the switch, by using Telnet. For details about using the console port, refer to the switch hardware installation guide.

Step 3 At the switch prompt, change to privileged EXEC mode: 

Switch> enable 
Switch#

Step 4 Enter the password of the failed command switch.

Step 5 Use the setup program to configure the switch IP information.

This program prompts you for an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and password. From privileged EXEC mode, enter setup, and press Return. 

Switch# setup

         --- System Configuration Dialog ---

At any point you may enter a question mark '?' for help. 
Use ctrl-c to abort configuration dialog at any prompt. 
Default settings are in square brackets '[]'.

Continue with configuration dialog? [yes/no]:

Step 6 Enter Y at the first prompt. 

Continue with configuration dialog? [yes/no]: y

Step 7 Enter the switch IP address, and press Return: 

Enter IP address: ip_address

Step 8 Enter the subnet mask, and press Return: 

Enter IP netmask: ip_netmask

Step 9 Enter Y at the next prompt to specify a default gateway (router): 

Would you like to enter a default gateway address? [yes]: y

Step 10 Enter the IP address of the default gateway, and press Return. 

IP address of the default gateway: ip_address

Step 11 Enter a host name for the switch, and press Return.

Note On a command switch, the host name is limited to 28 characters; on a member switch to 31 characters. Do not use -n, where n is a number, as the last character in a host name for any switch. 

Enter a host name: host_name

Step 12 Enter the password of the failed command switch, and press Return.

Note The password can be from 1 to 25 alphanumeric characters, can start with a number, is case sensitive, allows spaces, but ignores leading spaces. 

Enter enable secret: secret_password

Step 13 Enter Y to enter a Telnet password: 

Would you like to configure a Telnet password? [yes] y

Note The password can be from 1 to 25 alphanumeric characters, is case sensitive, allows spaces, but ignores leading spaces.

Step 14 Enter the Telnet password, and press Return: 

Enter Telnet password: telnet_password

Step 15 Enter Y to configure the switch as the cluster command switch. Enter N to configure it as a member switch or as a standalone switch.

Note If you enter N, the switch appears as a candidate switch in Cluster Builder. In this case, the message in Step 20 does not appear. 

Would you like to enable as a cluster command switch? y

Step 16 Assign a name to the cluster, and press Return. 

Enter cluster name: cls_name

Note The cluster name can be 1 to 31 alphanumeric characters, dashes, or underscores.

Step 17 The initial configuration is displayed: 

The following configuration command script was created: 
 
ip subnet-zero 
interface VLAN1 
ip address 172.20.153.36 255.255.255.0 
ip default-gateway 172.20.153.01 
hostname host_name 
enable secret 5 $1$M3pS$cXtAlkyR3/6Cn8/ 
line vty 0 15 
password telnet_password 
snmp community private rw 
snmp community public ro 
cluster enable cls_name 
 
end

Step 18 Verify that the information is correct.

•If the information is correct, enter Y at the prompt, and press Return.

•If the information is not correct, enter N at the prompt, press Return, and begin again at Step 1. 

Use this configuration? [yes/no]: y

Step 19 Start your browser, and enter the switch IP address that you entered in Step 7.

Step 20 Click Cluster Management Suite to display CMS.

It prompts you to add the candidate switches. The password of the failed command switch is still valid for the cluster. Enter it when candidate switches are proposed for cluster membership, and click OK.

Recovering from a Failed Command Switch Without Replacing the Command Switch

If a command switch fails and there is no standby command switch configured, member switches continue forwarding among themselves, and they can still be managed through normal standalone means. You can configure member switches through the console-port CLI, and they can be managed through SNMP, HTML, and Telnet after you assign an IP address to them.

The password you enter when you log in to the command switch gives you access to member switches. If the command switch fails and there is no standby command switch, you can use the command-switch password to recover. For more information, see the "Recovering from a Command Switch Failure" section.

Recovering from a Lost or Forgotten Password

Follow the steps in this procedure if you have forgotten or lost the switch password.

Step 1 Connect a terminal or PC with terminal emulation software to the console port. For more information, refer to the switch installation guide.

Note You can configure your switch for Telnet by following the procedure in the "Accessing the CLI" section.

Step 2 Set the line speed on the emulation software to 9600 baud.

Step 3 Unplug the switch power cord.

Step 4 Press the Mode button, and at the same time, reconnect the power cord to the switch.

You can release the Mode button a second or two after the LED above port 1X goes off. Several lines of information about the software appear, as do instructions: 

The system has been interrupted prior to initializing the flash file system. The following 
commands will initialize the flash file system, and finish loading the operating system 
software:


flash_init

load_helper

boot

Step 5 Initialize the Flash file system: 

switch: flash_init

Step 6 If you had set the console port speed to anything other than 9600, it has been reset to that particular speed. Change the emulation software line speed to match that of the switch console port.

Step 7 Load any helper files: 

switch: load_helper

Step 8 Display the contents of Flash memory: 

switch: dir flash:

The switch file system is displayed: 

Directory of flash:


  2  -rwx      843947   Mar 01 1993 00:02:18 C2900XL-h-mz-112.8-SA

  4  drwx        3776   Mar 01 1993 01:23:24  html

 66  -rwx         130   Jan 01 1970 00:01:19  env_vars

 68  -rwx        1296   Mar 01 1993 06:55:51  config.text


1728000 bytes total (456704 bytes free)

Step 9 Rename the configuration file to config.text.old.

This file contains the password definition. 

switch: rename flash:config.text flash:config.text.old

Step 10 Boot the system: 

switch: boot

You are prompted to start the setup program. Enter N at the prompt: 

Continue with the configuration dialog? [yes/no]: N

Step 11 At the switch prompt, change to privileged EXEC mode: 

switch> enable

Step 12 Rename the configuration file to its original name: 

switch# rename flash:config.text.old flash:config.text

Step 13 Copy the configuration file into memory: 

switch# copy flash:config.text system:running-config 
Source filename [config.text]? 
Destination filename [running-config]?

Press Return in response to the confirmation prompts.

The configuration file is now reloaded, and you can use these normal commands to change the password.

Step 14 Enter global configuration mode: 

switch# config terminal

Step 15 Change the password: 

switch(config)# enable secret <password>

or 

switch(config)# enable password <password>

Step 16 Return to privileged EXEC mode: 

switch(config)# exit 
switch#

Step 17 Write the running configuration to the startup configuration file: 

switch# copy running-config startup-config

The new password is now included in the startup configuration.

Recovering from Corrupted Software

Switch software can be corrupted during an upgrade, by downloading the wrong file to the switch, and by deleting the image file. In all these cases, the switch does not pass the power-on self-test (POST), and there is no connectivity.

This procedure uses the XMODEM Protocol to recover from a corrupt or wrong image file. There are many software packages that support the XMODEM protocol, and this procedure is largely dependent on the emulation software you are using.

Step 1 Connect a PC with terminal-emulation software supporting the XMODEM Protocol to the switch console port.

Step 2 Set the line speed on the emulation software to 9600 baud.

Step 3 Unplug the switch power cord.

Step 4 Reconnect the power cord to the switch.

The software image does not load. The switch starts in boot loader mode, which is indicated by the switch: prompt.

Step 5 Use the boot loader to enter commands, and start the transfer. 

switch: copy xmodem: flash:image_filename.bin

Step 6 When the XMODEM request appears, use the appropriate command on the terminal-emulation software to start the transfer and to copy the software image to Flash memory.