Solved: Upgrade of 867VAE router from ipbase to advsec, now it fails to boot

aacole · ‎11-16-2016

Hi, after I upgraded this 867VAE (an IP base model) to run advsecurity it failed to boot and I then discovered these routers can only run ip base images.

So, no problem I thought, put into rommon and boot from a USB device, a procedure I very familiar with. However, I get an error indicating the file system is not ready. The drive is formatted as FAT32.

MY question, is can I recover this router by any method, or is it scrap? I had to delete the ip base image as there isn't enough space to take both.

* Additional info:

from rommon when I enter dev I see usbflash0: as an option

But dir and dir usbflash0: results in:

File system is not ready to use

Please reset before access file system

reset results in a reload.

I found a reference which states that the USB has to be FAT 32 and less than 2Gb which is is.

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-16-2016

I am suspecting the USB stick is not supported. Let me explain: There are some USB sticks which works in one IOS but won't work with another. This is common. So, in your case, it may work when the router is working but won't work when the router is in ROMmon.

The only way around this dilemma are:

1. Find another USB stick;

2. TFTPdnld; or

3. XModem

View solution in original post

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-16-2016

I am suspecting the USB stick is not supported. Let me explain: There are some USB sticks which works in one IOS but won't work with another. This is common. So, in your case, it may work when the router is working but won't work when the router is in ROMmon.

The only way around this dilemma are:

1. Find another USB stick;

2. TFTPdnld; or

3. XModem

aacole · ‎11-17-2016

Thanks Leo,

I've already tried several USB sticks, including a Cisco one.

Looks like I'll have to fallback on the older trusted recover methods then, I was hoping for an easy recovery process!

Cheers,

Andy

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-17-2016

I've already tried several USB sticks, including a Cisco one.

Thanks for the ratings, Andy.

There's only one culprit that I can think of.

Some models of the Cisco 870 comes with USB ports (and some don't). But no matter what i do, USB support with ROMmon do NOT seem to work.

I am suspecting this is the case, i. e. USB support in ROMmon was never intended.

aacole · ‎11-17-2016

Having spent another hour or so looking at this I've decided its scrap. The tftpdnld option is provided, and an option to boot up from an external process, but both result in the following message:

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system

When I reset it restarts then outputs:

Wrong IOS image on IPBASE Router

System reload in 5 seconds

There is no xmodem facility.

Its going in the bin!

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-17-2016

There is no xmodem facility.

Its going in the bin!

WTF!

No Xmodem? Serious?

TFTPdnld doesn't work either?

Sounds like a friggin' bug to me. Can you, at least, raise a TAC Case for this?

Georg Pauwen · ‎11-17-2016

Hello,

on a side note, have you tried:

#format usbflash0:

directly from the router ?

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-17-2016

directly from the router ?

Yes and no.

If the router or switch is front of me, I'd do it then and there. If not, then FAT16 is suffice.

Georg Pauwen · ‎11-17-2016

The idea is, if IOS formats the USB, it should be able to read from it...;)

Either way, FAT16 supports 1GB only. I think I read somewhere in the thread that FAT32 is required...as far as I know it is FAT16 ?

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-17-2016

The idea is, if IOS formats the USB, it should be able to read from it...;)

Errrr ... You're missing an important step. Step 1: If the appliance can DETECT the USB stick then one should be able to format the USB stick.

I mean, if the appliance cannot even detect or throws up an error then what's the use, right?

Either way, FAT16 supports 1GB only. I think I read somewhere in the thread that FAT32 is required...as far as I know it is FAT16 ?

Maybe, but I have a 8 Gb USB stick and I have formatted it using the appliance. Works well with Catalyst 2K & 3K, however, I can't get it to work with Cat 4K and 6K. Another proviso is some IOS will go "nuts": Works well with Catalyst IOS 12.2 but stops working with Catalyst IOS 15.0, however, Catalyst IOS version 15.2 works well. Go figure!

aacole · ‎11-18-2016

For info here is the output from another session this afternoon, shows the available commands and the results when trying to access the various file systems.

System Bootstrap, Version 15.1(4r)M2, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2011 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C860VAE ipbase platform with 256 MB of main memory

[BREAK KEY]
monitor: command "boot" aborted due to user interrupt
rommon 1 > help
alias               set and display aliases command
boot                boot up an external process
confreg             configuration register utility
delete              delete file from flash: file system. delete <flash:filename>
dev                 list the device table
dir                 list files in flash file system
format              Format flash: file system or disaster recovery for flash:
help                monitor builtin command help
history             monitor command history
meminfo             main memory information
repeat              repeat a monitor command
reset               system reset
set                 display the monitor variables
showmon             display currently selected ROM monitor
sync                write monitor environment to NVRAM
tftpdnld            tftp image download
unalias             unset an alias
unset               unset a monitor variable
rommon 2 >
rommon 2 > USB inserted

monitor: command "USB" not found
rommon 3 >
rommon 3 > dev
Devices in device table:
        id name
    flash: flash
bootflash: boot flash
usbflash0: usbflash0
rommon 4 > dir usbflash0:

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system
rommon 5 > format usbflash0:

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system
rommon 6 > dir

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system
rommon 7 > dir bootflash:

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system
rommon 8 > boot flash
Please reset before booting
rommon 9 > dir flash:

File system is not ready to use.
Please reset before access file system
rommon 10 >

A reset results in:

rommon 14 > reset

System Bootstrap, Version 15.1(4r)M2, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2011 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C860VAE ipbase platform with 256 MB of main memory

Booting flash:/c860vae-advsecurityk9-mz.156-2.T1.bin
boot: Launch entrypt: 0x80800000
Self decompressing the image : ####################################

Wrong IOS image on IPBASE Router

System reload in 5 seconds

Leo Laohoo · ‎11-18-2016

Stupid question, Andy: Can you please post the output to the command "set"?

Palani Mohan · ‎11-21-2016

Suggest that you try either of the following:

tftpdnld -r Please us the IPBase image
format the USB using a known/working 867VAE

If tftpdnld -r did not work, kindly consider sharing the complete session log. Also, what is the serial # of the brick and the exact model mentioned? If possible, please take photos of front, back and the area that has the sticker with serial#, model# and such.

The -r option in tftpdnld skips writing to flash and loads image to DRAM. If this is successful, while the router is up, use copy tftp: flash|usb0: to transfer image, proceed to reboot.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/800-series-routers/data_sheet_c78-693249.html

One line here says "Applicable to the newer C866VAE-K9 and C867VAE-K9 models" Not sure what it means precisely. This is the background for asking some of the above questions.

Kind regards ... Palani