Cisco 871: unable to boot IOS via TFTP using reload - boot via rommon only

[peteroseneff]

Hi everyone,

I added the following command to startup-config

<...>

boot-start-marker

boot system tftp://192.168.5.2/c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-1.T3.bin

boot-end-marker

<...>

Changed config-register to allow booting ftom tftp and flash at the same time

(config)#config-register 0x10F

show ver

<..>

Configuration register is 0x2102 (will be 0x10F at next reload)

Issued a reload command

May 27 19:36:43: %SYS-5-RELOAD: Reload requested  by osenevp on console. Reload Reason: Reload Command.
System Bootstrap, Version 12.3(8r)YI6, RELEASE SOFTWARE
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2009 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C870 series (Board ID: 3-148) platform with 131072 Kbytes of main memory


Missing or illegal ip address for variable IP_ADDRESS
Illegal IP address.

usage: tftpdnld [-ur]
   Monitor variables are used to set up parameters for the transfer.
   (Syntax: "VARIABLE_NAME=value" and use "set" to show current variables.)
   "ctrl-c" or "break" stops the transfer before flash erase begins.

   The following variables are REQUIRED to be set for tftpdnld:
             IP_ADDRESS: The IP address for this unit
         IP_SUBNET_MASK: The subnet mask for this unit
        DEFAULT_GATEWAY: The default gateway for this unit
            TFTP_SERVER: The IP address of the server to fetch from
              TFTP_FILE: The filename to fetch

   The following variables are OPTIONAL:
           TFTP_VERBOSE: Print setting. 0=quiet, 1=progress(default), 2=verbose
       TFTP_RETRY_COUNT: Retry count for ARP and TFTP (default=7)
           TFTP_TIMEOUT: Overall timeout of operation in seconds (default=7200)
          TFTP_CHECKSUM: Perform checksum test on image, 0=no, 1=yes (default=1)
          FE_SPEED_MODE: 0=10/hdx, 1=10/fdx, 2=100/hdx, 3=100/fdx, 4=Auto(deflt)

   Command line options:
    -r: do not write flash, load to DRAM only and launch image
    -u: upgrade the rommon, system will reboot once upgrade is complete

<...>

rommon 1 >
rommon 1 > set
PS1=rommon ! >
TFTP_TIMEOUT=800000
FE_SPEED_MODE=4
TFTP_RETRY_COUNT=20
BOOT=tftp://192.168.5.2/c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-1.T3.bin
BSI=0
RANDOM_NUM=1152513893
ROM_PERSISTENT_UTC=1306511572
RET_2_RTS=19:52:52 MSD Fri May 27 2011
RET_2_RCALTS=
?=0
rommon 2 > ?

<...>

Then I added all required values manually

<...>

rommon 17 > set
PS1=rommon ! >
TFTP_TIMEOUT=800000
FE_SPEED_MODE=4
TFTP_RETRY_COUNT=20
BSI=0
RANDOM_NUM=1950683591
ROM_PERSISTENT_UTC=1306514227
RET_2_RTS=20:37:07 MSD Fri May 27 2011
RET_2_RCALTS=
IP_ADDRESS=192.168.5.1
IP_SUBNET_MASK=255.255.255.0
TFTP_SERVER=192.168.5.2
TFTP_FILE=c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-1.T3.bin
?=1
DEFAULT_GATEWAY=192.168.5.2
rommon 18 >
rommon 18 > tftpdnld -r

           IP_ADDRESS: 192.168.5.1
       IP_SUBNET_MASK: 255.255.255.0
      DEFAULT_GATEWAY: 192.168.5.2
          TFTP_SERVER: 192.168.5.2
            TFTP_FILE: c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-1.T3.bin

Receiving c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-1.T3.bin from 192.168.5.2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
File reception completed.
Launching

I don't understand why router was unable to download image from tftp using boot system tftp command

Looks like a bug to me...

[cadet alain · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Why did you change your config-register? It should work with the default 0x2102

Regards.

Alain.

[peteroseneff]

Hi Alain,

I googled couple of articles that recomended to change confg-register this way. Now returning it back.

[kmccourt · Accepted solution]

This works fine on an 871. I've just checked it on the lab box here.

1. Do not change your conf reg. Leave it at 0x2102.

2. The correct syntax is as this example: boot system tftp c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-3.T1.bin 192.168.1.7

3. I believe TFTP booting only works off FE0 on an 871.

For example, on the box here using the above boot system command, this is the start of the reload sequence (the other TFTP parameters are those that have already been set in ROMMON mode):

System Bootstrap, Version 12.3(8r)YI6, RELEASE SOFTWARE
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2009 by cisco Systems, Inc.

C870 series (Board ID: 3-148) platform with 262144 Kbytes of main memory


          IP_ADDRESS: 192.168.1.201
      IP_SUBNET_MASK: 255.255.255.0
     DEFAULT_GATEWAY: 192.168.1.1
         TFTP_SERVER: 192.168.1.7
           TFTP_FILE: c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-3.T1.bin

Receiving c870-advipservicesk9-mz.151-3.T1.bin from 192.168.1.7 !!! (snip)
Self decompressing the image : ###(snip)