Unable to recover IOS from rommon, no service password-recovery set

[stephanejean]

Hi,

I have a Cisco 891F router with no service password-recovery set and it was loaded with a bad IOS.  The router won't boot as the image is wrong and I cannot break to rommon because of no service password-recovery.  Normally I would have been able to use the break sequence to reset the config, but the sequence has to be done after IOS is loaded...  Now the router is in an endless booting loop.

System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2014 by cisco Systems, Inc.

Total memory size = 512 MB
Field Upgradeable ROMMON Integrity test
_______________________________________
ROM: Digitally Signed Production Software
C891F-K9 platform with 524288 Kbytes of main memory
Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode

Upgrade ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED
loadprog: error - on load of image from file system with monlib
Image size (27709440) does not match the expected size (68176296)
boot: cannot load "flash:"

[Leo Laohoo]

I'm not familiar with the 891F model but there should be a tiny "Reset" button at the back.  

[stephanejean]

I tried to boot while holding the reset button and it only shows this:

Reset Button pressed. Changed to 9600 baud

[Leo Laohoo]

Read THIS.

[stephanejean]

Thanks for your help, but I can't issue the break sequence after the IOS is loaded as the router is not able to load the IOS.

I am surprised that Cisco didn't make a way out of this situation.  That would mean a simple mistake or bad IOS and your router is dead...

[Leo Laohoo]

890 routers are able to boot an IOS from a supported USB flash.

[stephanejean]

I can't make it boot from USB because I can't access rommon.  The router doesn't seem to boot from USB automatically.

I used a USB flash drive that I've formatted using another 891F and copied the IOS from that same router.

I was however able to boot from USB from rommon using the boot command on another router.  Both routers have the exact same rommon version.

[Leo Laohoo]

loadprog: error - on load of image from file system with monlib
Image size (27709440) does not match the expected size (68176296)

Hold on ... Endless boot loop?  

Console into the router and reboot.  Post the entire boot-up process.  I want to see everything that's going wrong with the router.

[stephanejean]

What I've posted first is the entire boot process, one attempt only.  It cannot boot the IOS loaded on the router, so it reboots every time.  I can't seem to break that sequence and enter rommon because of the password recovery is disabled.  Normally the break sequence when that this feature is enabled, is right after the IOS is loaded, then you can factory reset the router.

---

System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2014 by cisco Systems, Inc.

Total memory size = 512 MB
Field Upgradeable ROMMON Integrity test
_______________________________________
ROM: Digitally Signed Production Software
C891F-K9 platform with 524288 Kbytes of main memory
Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode

Upgrade ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED
loadprog: error - on load of image from file system with monlib
Image size (27709440) does not match the expected size (68176296)
boot: cannot load "flash:"

System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2014 by cisco Systems, Inc.

Total memory size = 512 MB
Field Upgradeable ROMMON Integrity test
_______________________________________
ROM: Digitally Signed Production Software
C891F-K9 platform with 524288 Kbytes of main memory
Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode

Upgrade ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED
loadprog: error - on load of image from file system with monlib
Image size (27709440) does not match the expected size (68176296)
boot: cannot load "flash:"

System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2014 by cisco Systems, Inc.

Total memory size = 512 MB
Field Upgradeable ROMMON Integrity test
_______________________________________
ROM: Digitally Signed Production Software
C891F-K9 platform with 524288 Kbytes of main memory
Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode

Upgrade ROMMON initialized
PASSWORD RECOVERY FUNCTIONALITY IS DISABLED
loadprog: error - on load of image from file system with monlib
Image size (27709440) does not match the expected size (68176296)
boot: cannot load "flash:"

[Leo Laohoo]

Is the console cable connected to a USB-to-Serial dongle?

It looks like ROMmon cannot be initialize because it is corrupt.  

[stephanejean]

I'm using a regular serial console cable.

Rommon is not corrupt, the router was loaded with a wrong IOS.  It was loaded with a IOS for 891 by mistake instead of 891F.  When the router rebooted, it enter that boot loop because it cannot load the IOS.

I could easily reproduce the issue with a 1811.  I've deleted the IOS from flash, issued to no service password-recovery and rebooted.  It enters the same loop.  However, with 1811 you could replace the flash card with an IOS, so you had a way out...