Catalyst 3650 48 PoE XMODEM read-only

[rtwalden]

Hi All,

A 3650 lost its IOS image and I need to upload a new one via XMODEM. When I attempt to do this, I receive the following response:

switch: copy xmodem: flash:cat3k_caa-universalk9.SPA.03.06.05.E.152-2.E5.bin
Begin the Xmodem or Xmodem-1K transfer now...
Cflash:cat3k_caa-universalk9.SPA.03.06.05.E.152-2.E5.bin: read only file system

I assume this is because XMODEM is listed as read only. How do I change this to read-write?

switch: dir

List of filesystems currently registered:

              xmodem[0]: (read-only)
                null[1]: (read-write)
                  bs[3]: (read-only)
               flash[18]: (read-only)
                tftp[19]: (read-write)

Thanks

[Leo Laohoo]

Save yourself the trouble.  Read this:  Emergency Recovery

[rtwalden]

I have attempted to replicate the steps in the emergency recovery article you linked however, it fails to ping

switch:

switch: set IP_ADDR 192.0.2.123/255.255.255.0

switch: set DEFAULT_ROUTER 192.0.2.1

switch: ping 192.0.2.1
ping 192.0.2.1 with 32 bytes of data ...
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Timed out, no answer from 192.0.2.1.

[Leo Laohoo]

Use a USB flash drive.

[rtwalden]

USB flash drives are prohibited in the environment in which this switch exists. If that was an option, I wouldn't have opted to use xmodem, which is really slow.

[Leo Laohoo]

If that's the case, remove the switch from the current environment. It's "dead".

[rtwalden]

Is that because its impossible to make xmodem writeable? And thus there is no solution apart from trashing the device?

[Leo Laohoo]

Look, XModem is slow. Very slow. And what guarantee is there that after spending >45 minutes uploading the file the switch will boot?
Since there are so many obstacles in place to make this simple task easy, take the switch out and put it into an environment where the same obstacles don't apply.