Router cannot find boot image

[fsebera]

Our Cisco 881G soho router cannot find its' IOS image after enabling the global command secure boot-image.

R# dir flash:

-- IOS image listed along with all the other files in flash- This is normal and the way it is suppose to function.

conf t

secure boot-image

end

wr

R# dir flash:

-- no IOS image found but all other files remain -This is normal and the way it is suppose to function.

R# Perform a power reset

cannot find image

rommon 1 >

rommon 1 > i

cannot find image

rommon 2  > boot

cannot find image

rommon 3 > boot flash:<correct IOS image name>

cannot find image

rommon 4 >

confreg 0x2142

reset

cannot find image

rommon 1 >

rommon 1> i

cannot find image

ANY thoughts?

Thanks

Frank

[Peter Paluch]

Frank,

Are you able to do the dir flash: command within the ROMMON? What files does it display?

Best regards,

Peter

[fsebera]

Hi Peter,

dir flash: shows all files except the IOS image.

rommon 1 > dir flash:

5436   3331      -rw-   cpconfig-8xx.cfg

5437   2324992   -rw-   cpxpress.tar

6005   1038      -rw-   home.shtml

6006   115712    -rw-   home.tar

6035   1697952   -rw-   securedesktop-ios-3.1.1.45-k9.pkg

6450   415956    -rw-   sslclient-win-1.1.4.176.pkg

6552   5522      -rw-   spare

6555   660       -rw-   vlan.dat

rommon 2 >

Frank

[paolo bevilacqua]

Upgrade rommon to latest. If still not working as documented, contact Cisco TAC.

[Peter Paluch]

Paolo,

A good point. I have also thought of that but I was eager to know what has actually remained in the FLASH and what is the current ROMMON able to see.

Let's wait for the OP's response.

Best regards,

Peter

[paolo bevilacqua]

My take: 881 product team has not tested these features, and nobody uses them.

But since Cisco released them at some time, now they have to fix it.

[fsebera]

We do use these secure features on all of our routers - no problem until now.

secure boot-image

secure boot-config

Out of sight, out of mind - and keeps the younger kiddies outta your hair.

Seems confreg 0x2142 would have allowed the files to be seen as the config nor the secure commands int eh config are not being read at bootup.

Perhaps a bug.

Tks

Frank

Any ideas on how to upgrade the rommon file(s)?

Thanks

Frank

[Peter Paluch · Accepted solution]

Frank,

Thank you for your information. I suspect that the IOS image name is hidden under a file name that probably starts with a dot character, just like "hidden" files in Unix systems.

Regarding upgrading the ROMMON itself, the sequence is described here:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/routers/access/800/801/software/configuration/guide/rommon.html#wp1029240

The bigger problem, however, is that I was not able to find any upgrade ROMMON for your router 881. There are upgrade ROMMONs for different 800 models but not for 88x. Of course, they are not interchangeable (or at least we should not assume that they are).

Do you have a support contract with Cisco? If yes I suggest very strongly to contact them. This may be quite out of our reach to solve.

Best regards,

Peter

[fsebera]

Hey Peter,

THANKS for your assistance.

We do have a support contract and will pursue once given the number!

In the mean time, I think I will attempt to reload a new IOS image into flash - via xmodem~ a 4 hour task.

Will provide feedback when I have given up.

Tks again

Frank

[Peter Paluch · Accepted solution]

Frank,

No need to thank, besides, I haven't helped much. What comes to my mind... If you have other routers with the secured image and configuration activated, can you perhaps reboot one of them into the ROMMON and try using the dir flash: command to see if it displays the file name? I do not have any such router readily available but I faintly remember that the IOS image actually gets renamed in a special way (as I indicated before - starting with a dot character). Perhaps you could at least construct the filename by analogy on your ailing 881 to boot into a normal IOS quicker.

Are you using xmodem? Why? The 881 should support the tftpdnld command to download the IOS image via a TFTP server over the Ethernet interface. Read this URL and you should be up and running in 10 minutes at most:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/routers/access/800/860-880-890/software/configuration/guide/rommon.html#wp1013611

Best regards,

Peter

[fsebera]

Hey Peter,

I am reading the doc you provided - THANKS.

As an FYI

Following the directions listed [in the URL doc], turns out there is currently no mention of 880 series routers for:

• branch routers,
• small business routers,
• Security VPN routers
• nor wireless routers

although the 800 series is listed, just not the 880 series.

At this point, I can only conclude there is no ROMMON upgrade so that issue is mute.

I will attempt to reload a new IOS image - hopefully 10 minutes.

Thanks again

Frank

[Asad Raza · Accepted solution]

You can try copying the IOS image on a usb flash drive and plug it in an available usb port on the router. Then enter 'dev' command to see if the router recognized the flash drive.

To boot from usb try 'boot usbflash0:image.name or usbflash1:image.name'. Once the router boots up then copy the ios image form the usb to the internal flash: drive and you are all set.

[fsebera]

asaraza

THANK YOU MISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peter,

I think your suggestion would work also (URL provided for ROMMON) except for the fact my only backup of the config was on the routers local internal flash:  I normally set SecureCRT to log and record all text that crosses the screen but due to MANY unexpected emergencies and deadlines to include new laptop, new applications etc. I did not have the time to set everything up for safety sake. The Rommon TFTPDNLD rewrites the flash and erases all files, including my only copy of the config file. Would be helpful to have a rommon upload feature.

Anyway, long story short

I loaded the IOS file on the root of my USB flash drive.

rommon 34 > boot usbflash0:ios name.bin

boot: unsupported boot device

rommon 35 > boot usbflash:

program load complete, entry point complete

################################################# [ok]

loading ios . . .

We are back in business

Thanks again to everyone that looked as well as helped!!!!!

PROBLEM SOLVED

FYI - removed secure boot-image from config, reloaded C881g router and all is back to normal.

Frank

BUT Keep in mind, if you enable the configuration command:

SECURE BOOT-IMAGE

on the Cisco 881G SOHO router, it will never find the IOS boot file again.

You will always end up int ROMMON mode after reboot.

I thought upgrading to the latest  c880-data-universalk9-mz.124-24.T3.bin  release would solve the issue - it didn't.

Message was edited by: fsebera

[Peter Paluch]

Hello,

A nice trick! Thanks for sharing the tip with us!

Best regards,

Peter

[Leo Laohoo]

The 860/880 and 890 are very new routers so you don't need to upgrade the bootstrap to allow IOS boot via USB.