Procedure for wiping C3900-SPE250/K9

[Waterbird]

What is the step by step procedure for wiping/sanitizing a C3900-SPE250/K9 router from the console line, please?

From the outside, this network device appears to have two "brains", one active module and one standby module (not sure of the technical term for brain).  I want to make sure that the configuration does not get restored by one module to the other after wiping the device, and I'm not sure of the exact wiping commands to use for this type of device.

[balaji.bandi · Accepted solution]

Hope you have access to the device, if yes

Login to device

config t

!

config-register 0x2102. (if this was not set before)

!

end

!

write erase (delete the config of startup)

!

reload

answer NO -- > do not save config.

check router has reset it will be device default and factory reset.

you can also check the dir command to see any backup config saved in the device with a different name and delete.

[Waterbird]

Thank you this is perfect.  With this device, though I am concerned, because thise device has an active and standby module.  If the active module is wiped, could the standby module actually repopulate the configuration and restore it automatically? I've seen this happen previoulsy when trying to wipe an ASR 1006, and my notes on what I did are below, but not sure if this applies to the C3900-SPE250/K9 that we've been discussing.

ASR 1006 - personal notes from wiping:

physically remove one module (RP)

turn on router

control + break to get to rommon

confreg 0x2142

reset

delete nvram:startup-config

write mem

turn off and do the same process to the other RP

power on to verify

[balaji.bandi]

Hope we are in the dsicussion of wiping device before we decomm, so the data securly erased and no one recover.

If this active / standby - the config will be lost on the primary do not have any information about the secondary device  when you reload. i am in convenced that when you reload primary, secondary (technically become primary should have config - never tested) then you do same proceedure of erasing data.

make sense ?

[Waterbird]

I

Can you please explain a bit more about why you reset the configuration register? 

And how I can tell what mine is currently set to?

I was able to perform the write erase command, delete the backups, etc.,  However, I didn't do anything with the configuration register in order to do this.  

Perhaps it was already set in my case, since I was able to delete the files, but I wasn't clear on that.

[Elliot Dierksen]

This link explains everything you ever wanted to know about the config register (and probably more). https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/routers/10000-series-routers/50421-config-register-use.html 

I suspect where they were going is to make sure the router is set to load the saved config when it boots. If it is set to ignore the saved config (0x2142 for example), you would think the configuration isn't there, but it is saved and readable.

[paul driver · Accepted solution]

Hello

I would say if you are decommissioning this rtr then I would even go one step further then as @balaji.bandi  suggested and wipe the entire flash.

delete /force /recursive flash0:
delete /force /recursive flash1:

[Elliot Dierksen]

That is more thorough, but always wipes out the IOS image as well. That would leave this device booting to ROMMON. If that is what you want, great. If not...