ASA code version upgrade error

[Benjamin Saito]

I just recently tried to upgrade the code version of a 5510 from 8.3(2) to 9.1 and got this error:

This is an ASA image and cannot be loaded on a PIX platform.

I was consoled into the firewall and watching it boot up, after that error it just said "rebooting..." and nothing ever happened. Can someone please shed some light on this as I have no idea why that error popped up and can't find any documentation about it. I tested the upgrade on a seperate 5510 to make sure it would work beforehand and didn't have any issues. Thanks in advance!

[Jouni Forss]

Hi,

Got to say that I have never run into such a situation where I would get that kind of message.

Any chance of getting the "show version" of the device being upgraded and the image files name?

Maybe someone at Cisco might know what this is about.

Naturally if I were to believe what the error message is saying it would mean that you are upgrading a PIX with an ASA image file. Though somehow its unlikely that you would mistake a PIX for an ASA5510

- Jouni

[Benjamin Saito]

Hi Jouni,

Thanks for the quick response, and this is definitely an ASA and not a PIX, which is why the error makes no sense. I can't perform a show version right now as I am not able to get it to boot, but the file name is "asa911-k8.bin"

[Jouni Forss]

Hi,

So do you at the moment have a production ASA unable to boot at all?

Wonder if the below link would help you

It gives instructions on how to boot a certain software from the rommon

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/asa/asa83/configuration/guide/admin_trouble.html#wp1129498

- Jouni

[Benjamin Saito]

Thanks for the link Jouni, I will give this a shot this afternoon and let you know how it goes.

[Benjamin Saito]

I was able to get code version 8.3(2) back on the firewall, but when I tried to upgrade the firewall to version 8.4(3) it gave me the same error. I have no idea why this is happening. This is what it says when trying to boot to asa843:

Loading /asa843-k8.bin... Booting...

i2c_read_byte_w_wait() error, slot = 0x4, device = 0xb0, address = 0 byte count = 1. Reason: I2C_HOST_BUSY_ERROR

platform_init_from_idprom: i2c_error 5

Platform F1-GENERIC

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!! This is an ASA image and cannot be loaded on a PIX platform !!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jouni Forss]

Hi,

I fear this is something that can't be answered by anyone else other than people from Cisco. Unless someone else here has run into same situation before.

Maybe you could try to open a TAC case about this.

Or wait if someone from Cisco answers here.

- Jouni

[Benjamin Saito]

I can't really find anything on the internet about this and, unfortuantely, I can't open a TAC case either. Do you think formatting the flash might help at all? The only problem with that is I have a 10 user vpn license on this firewall and it's a security plus license. Thanks!

[Jouni Forss]

I dont think I can give you any good/specific advice on this one.

I also have no idea whats causing this problem.

Hopefully we could get someone from Cisco look at this post. They would probably have more tools to check what is causing this.

- Jouni

[joe.valentine]

The problem is that the flash storage is corrupt. I have also received this error in the past. Power cycling did absolutely nothing to help, and I was not able to get far enough to boot from ROMMON to boot to another image. It was resolved simply by processing an RMA with Cisco Systems. Out of many hundreds of Cisco devices that I have installed, I have only experienced this happening one time. It seems (based on research) more common with the ASA for some reason. I have absolutely never had this happen with an ISR, or Catalyst switch. Of course, these are all rather different devices. This problem could just be specific to the ASA itself. I had it happen with a 5505. OP had this occur on a 5510. Perhaps this should be looked in to by the ASA dev. team if it has not already been addressed.