cisco 3550 can't enter user mode

[Alexey Kutyrev]

Hi everyone.
I strongly need your assistance of this: The cisco 3550-emi switch that i have in my lab just stopped entering USER MODE (router>). The router boots quite alright but the moment it ask me to "press the return key to get started" and when i pressed any key on my keyboard, the cisco switch cant enter the USER MODE after pressing "any key". i installed another IOS of the switch using Xmodem transfer and the problem is still the same.
I did a major lab configs using the real live devices and in the process of the lab the layer 3 devices all stopped responding to keyboard. I powered them off , on and all of a sudden the layer3 switches can't go into the user mode or router mode. I thought the problem had to do with the ios.
Any idea(s) on how i can rectify this problem?

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[Hardi Ahmed]

hello Alexey,

in the switch common there are boot loader and device IOS, you need both to have asuccessful boot in Cisco device.

first of all, you need to check your switch flash. this is befor your switch load the IOS.

awaiting your feedback.

regards,

[Alexey Kutyrev]

Thank you for your reply.
Dir flash command shows existing ios .bin file in the flash.

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[Richard Burts]

I am not understanding the original post very well. You are telling us that after the switch boots that you can not enter user mode. But you still seem to have access to the switch. Is the situation perhaps that the console is not working but that telnet/SSH is still working?

If that is the case then I have a suggestion. Do a show run and look under line con 0. Is it perhaps configured with the command no exec? If so then go into configuration mode and under line con 0 use the command exec.

HTH

Rick

[Hardi Ahmed]

Hi,

you have to points to check on your device:

check the consol and make sure that you didn't applied the command (no exce) on this line.

  therwise you should do below steps and if you don't have any more choce, and you decided to install another IOS in your Switch, it should be done according to the below steps:

1- initialize the flash file system.

2- OPTIONAL- format the flash file system if needed (this will remove your startup configuration on your device).

3- set the baud rate to 115200 to increase xmodem transfer speed and decrease time required to restore the IOS Image.

4- Copy the Cisco IOS Image via xModem to Flash:

5- Set the boot parameter to the new image name located in Flash:

6- Set the baud so that it defaults back to 9600.

7- Boot the switch and verify that the switch boots properly.

the required CLIs in bootmode are:

- flash_inti

- format_flash  (optional).

- set BAUD 115200

- copy xmodem: image name.

  copy xmodem: flahs:c3550-ipservicek9-mz.122-53.SE.bin

- ser BOOT flash:c3550-ipservicek9-mz.122-53.SE.bin

- unset BAUD

- boot.

after these above steps your device should boot correctly.

should let me know if you need anything else.

regards,

[Alexey Kutyrev]

What i tried to do to solve this problem:

I formatted the switch and then put another ios on it and I boot the new ios

the problem still just remain the same.

There is no no exec or no loggin commands

Here is my configuration file

Xmodem file system is available.

The password-recovery mechanism is enabled.

The system has been interrupted prior to initializing the

flash filesystem.  The following commands will initialize

the flash filesystem, and finish loading the operating

system software:

    flash_init

    boot

switch: flash_init

Initializing Flash...

flashfs[0]: 5 files, 1 directories

flashfs[0]: 0 orphaned files, 0 orphaned directories

flashfs[0]: Total bytes: 15998976

flashfs[0]: Bytes used: 9722368

flashfs[0]: Bytes available: 6276608

flashfs[0]: flashfs fsck took 23 seconds.

...done Initializing Flash.

Boot Sector Filesystem (bs:) installed, fsid: 3

switch: cat flash:config.text

!

version 12.2

no service pad

service timestamps debug datetime msec

service timestamps log datetime msec

no service password-encryption

!

hostname D2

!

no aaa new-model

ip subnet-zero

ip routing

!

crypto pki trustpoint TP-self-signed-1596851712

enrollment selfsigned

subject-name cn=IOS-Self-Signed-Certificate-1596851712

revocation-check none

rsakeypair TP-self-signed-1596851712

!

crypto pki certificate chain TP-self-signed-1596851712

certificate self-signed 01 nvram:IOS-Self-Sig#3201.cer

!

spanning-tree mode mst

spanning-tree extend system-id

!

spanning-tree mst configuration

name CISNET

revision 1

instance 1 vlan 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100

instance 2 vlan 60, 70, 80, 90, 1002-1005

!

spanning-tree mst 1 priority 28672

spanning-tree mst 2 priority 24576

!

vlan internal allocation policy ascending

!

####Inetface configuration section ommited

!

####router section configuration section ommited

!

ip classless

ip http server

ip http secure-server

!

logging trap debugging

logging 192.168.8.8

!

control-plane

!

!

line con 0

line vty 0 4

login

line vty 5 15

login

!

end

ios image is c3550-ipservicesk9-mz-122-44.se6.bin

Any suggestions?

[Richard Burts]

Thanks for confirming that there is no command no exec on the console port.

Am I understanding correctly in your original post that all of the switches stopped responding on the console port? If so that may suggest that the problem is more likely in your connection (perhaps the console cable that you are using, or the adapter on your PC, or something like that). Can you try access the console using a different PC, different console cable, etc?

HTH

Rick

[Alexey Kutyrev]

If it would be cable problem i could not get in rommon and could not saw booting process.
I see all boot process and see the invitation "press return to get started" but after pressing any key nothing happens. And i can't get in to the user mode. If it was cable i could not see all i tell about.

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[Hardi Ahmed]

Hello Alexey,

this issue maybe caused by IOS damge, because still you can not login to the different mode in your device,

do you have a backup copy  of your switch IOS? it yes, try to reinstall it again.

can you please post result of below commands?

show version

show flash:

show file systems

show tech-support.

thanx,

[Alexey Kutyrev]

And how do you suppose i can do this? If i can't get into user mode and privilage exac mode. Rommon does not have "show" command

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[Alexey Kutyrev]

Here everything i can get.

switch: dir flash:
Directory of flash:/

3 drwx 64 crashinfo_ext
4 -rwx 1937 private-config.text
5 -rwx 2072 multiple-fs
6 -rwx 9707290 c3550-ipservicesk9-mz.122-44.SE6.bin
7 drwx 192 c3550-i5q3l2-mz.121-12c.EA1
24 -rwx 313 system_env_vars
25 -rwx 1244 vlan.dat
26 -rwx 7061 config.text.old
27 drwx 64 crashinfo
30 -rwx 0 env_vars

635904 bytes available (15363072 bytes used)



switch: version
C3550 Boot Loader (c3550-HBOOT-M) Version 12.1(12r)EA1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Compiled Tue 12-Nov-02 15:52 by madison





switch: boot
Loading "c3550-ipservices-mz.122-44.SE6.bin"...c3550-ipservices-mz.122-44.SE6.bin: permission denied

Error loading "c3550-ipservices-mz.122-44.SE6.bin"

Interrupt within 5 seconds to abort boot process.
Loading "flash:/c3550-ipservicesk9-mz.122-44.SE6.bin"...#############################################################################

File "flash:/c3550-ipservicesk9-mz.122-44.SE6.bin" uncompressed and installed, entry point: 0x3000
executing...

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subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph
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Rights clause at FAR sec. 52.227-19 and subparagraph
(c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer
Software clause at DFARS sec. 252.227-7013.

cisco Systems, Inc.
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, California 95134-1706



Cisco IOS Software, C3550 Software (C3550-IPSERVICESK9-M), Version 12.2(44)SE6, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Copyright (c) 1986-2009 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Mon 09-Mar-09 20:28 by gereddy
Image text-base: 0x00003000, data-base: 0x012A99FC


Initializing flashfs...
flashfs[1]: 24 files, 5 directories
flashfs[1]: 0 orphaned files, 0 orphaned directories
flashfs[1]: Total bytes: 15998976
flashfs[1]: Bytes used: 15363072
flashfs[1]: Bytes available: 635904
flashfs[1]: flashfs fsck took 10 seconds.
flashfs[1]: Initialization complete.
...done Initializing flashfs.
POST: CPU Buffer Tests : Begin
POST: CPU Buffer Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: CPU Interface Tests : Begin
POST: CPU Interface Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: Switch Core Tests : Begin
POST: Switch Core Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: CPU Interface 2nd Stage Tests : Begin
POST: CPU Interface 2nd Stage Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: CAM Subsystem Tests : Begin
POST: CAM Subsystem Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: Ethernet Controller Tests : Begin
POST: Ethernet Controller Tests : End, Status Passed
POST: Loopback Tests : Begin
POST: Loopback Tests : End, Status Passed


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Cisco WS-C3550-24 (PowerPC) processor (revision H0) with 65526K/8192K bytes of memory.
Processor board ID CAT0712Y0LA
Last reset from warm-reset
Running Layer2/3 Switching Image

Ethernet-controller 1 has 12 Fast Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interfaces

Ethernet-controller 2 has 12 Fast Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interfaces

Ethernet-controller 3 has 1 Gigabit Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interface

Ethernet-controller 4 has 1 Gigabit Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interface

24 FastEthernet interfaces
2 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

The password-recovery mechanism is enabled.
384K bytes of flash-simulated NVRAM.
Base ethernet MAC Address: 00:0C:31:6A:EF:00
Motherboard assembly number: 73-5700-10
Power supply part number: 34-0966-02
Motherboard serial number: CAT071203VP
Power supply serial number: DCA070301SJ
Model revision number: H0
Motherboard revision number: A0
Model number: WS-C3550-24-EMI
System serial number: CAT0712Y0LA

--- System Configuration Dialog ---

Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:


when i entered No infront of the dialog box. it refuses to enter the usermode.
thats the problem that 6 of my 3550 switches are giving me.

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[Richard Burts]

Thanks for the additional information. It does shed some light onto the problem, though I do not see anything in it that points out the problem. I do have a couple of questions/suggestions:

- after the switch boots up will any of the interfaces work? If you connect a port from another switch to ports on the problem switch do you get any link light? Do you get any output from show cdp neighbor on the other switch?

- I wonder if there is some setting in the config register that is causing this. Does the confreg command work on this switch in rommon? If so it should give you an indication of the settings of the register.

- I am a bit puzzled about something. In a previous post you were able to

switch: cat flash:config.text

and display the config. But in this most recent post you did a dir flash and there was not any config.text file present. Can you provide any clarification or insight about this?

- in the output of dir flash in this most recent post there is a file named config.text.old  and the presence of this file suggests that a password recovery was attempted on this switch at some (probably recent) time. Can you confirm this or provide any insight into this possibility. I am wondering if the password recovery attempt could have done something that has resulted in this problem.

- I wonder what would be the result if you answered yes to the prompt about the initial configuration dialogue. Would it allow you to go through the questions and create a new config? And if so would the new config allow you to enter user mode?

HTH

Rick

[Alexey Kutyrev]

This problem happens with several switches i have in the same time. I have 3550 with 24 and 48 ports.

As a matter of fact, while the switch is booting the light on the ports remains green even when the switch finishes booting and the light doesn't go off until I remove the console cable from the switch. The ports on the switch are not responding to anything at all.

Richard Burts написал(а):
- I wonder what would be the result if you answered yes to the prompt about the initial configuration dialogue. Would it allow you to go through the questions and create a new config? And if so would the new config allow you to enter user mode?

It does not allow me to enter Yes o No. It hangs up at the prompt where I suppose to enter YES or NO.

I re-install different ios, i tried to reset switches, thats why you see .old files. I tried and did all basic troubleshooting ways.

Unfortunatly 3550 has no "confreg" command in recovery mode.

This problem occures with several switches in the same time, during lab configuration. I tried to change rollover cable and PC, but it did not solve the problem.

I face such issue first time and i do not know what to do.

[Hardi Ahmed]

Hi,

can you please get the crash file information from the flash?

regards,

[Alexey Kutyrev]

This idea came to me too. But unfortunatly i can't do it from recovery mode. "cat", "type" and "more" show nothing when i'm trying to view crashinfo file.

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