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Cisco Catalyst 6506 Switch Booting Into Rommon Mode

herr.verner
Level 1
Level 1

Currently the Cisco Catalyst 6506 Switch I am configuring is having booting issues (in addition to prior issues), and will  fail to automatically load the IOS after a reload or loss of power. I can specify the boot path and load the IOS in rommon>, though I would prefer to not have to manually boot the IOS and possibly find the underlying cause of prior and current issues. I will describe and list out the current issues and my attempts thus far.

Cisco Catalyst 6506 Switch

  • (1)WS-X6K-S2U-MSFC2 
  • (2)48 port 10/100/1000mb EtherModule WS-X6148-GE-TX 
  • (3) 8 port 1000mb ethernet WS-X6408-GBIC
  • PSU1 [On]
  • PSU2 [Off]

Prior to this the 6500 was unable to boot at all. After issuing a boot command from rommon mode , it would decompress the image and return to rommon mode. The following messages were also displayed :

================================================================================

Warning: Rommon NVRAM area is corrupted. Initialize the area to default values

================================================================================

00:03:04: %SYS-SP-3-LOGGER_FLUSHED: System was paused for 00:00:00 to ensure console debugging output.

00:03:05: %OIR-SP-6-CONSOLE: Changing console ownership to switch processor
================================================================================
*** System received a Software forced crash ***
signal= 0x17, code= 0x42370000, context= 0x4239d6a4
PC = 0x40130b4c, Cause = 0x1820, Status Reg = 0x34018002

================================================================================

I at first tried to reset and reinitialize, and transferred in the IOS image over xmodem after about a day. After ensuring the proper configuration register was set, exploring device contents, and resetting I was able to boot the IOS image. However after setting some initial configurations, I found the reload brought me right back into rommon mode. I first thought to configure the boot path within the IOS itself and individually tried the following commands:

boot system sup-bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin
boot system flash sup-bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin

However after each reload I still had to issue boot bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin at the rommon prompt. At the prompt I attempted to set the boot path with the following(output attached)

rommon 1 > dev
Devices in device table:
id name
bootflash: boot flash
slot0: PCMCIA slot 0
disk0: PCMCIA slot 0
eprom: eprom
rommon 2 > dir bootflash:
File size Checksum File name
20360360 bytes (0x136aca8) 0x65c3cdc4 c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin
rommon 3 > BOOT=bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin
rommon 4 > sync

This seemed to be successful once, and returned to its previous behavior. I have thought about reformatting, though haven't gone that route yet. Attached are the current command outputs of relevant information. Thanks. 

6 Replies 6

Jose Solano
Level 4
Level 4

Hi,

The error Warning: Rommon NVRAM area is corrupted. Initialize the area to default values is normally an indication of a hardware problem, you may try reformatting but most likely this is a HW issue.

Also the sup module is EOL/EOS since 2012, so you may consider moving to a supported platform.

HTH.

Jose

What platform would you recommend moving to?

Iulian Vaideanu
Level 4
Level 4

Replace the two CR1225 batteries (one on the SUP, one on the MSFC) and set the BOOT variable and config register (0x2102) again.

Working on this now, thanks. Getting some ordered now, I will reply with the results. In the meantime I will check them with a multi meter. 

Did readings on both batteries , the SUP was lower than expected and the CR1225 battery on the MSFC was completely dead. While I had the board out for testing, i replaced it with a WS-X6K-SUP2-2GE, and I loaded a configuration onto it , and there wasn't any real issue, except that it booted into rommon as well, I was attempting to fix the conf register when it got stuck in an autoboot error

Autoboot executing command: "boot bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin"
open(): Open Error = -9
loadprog: error - on file open
boot: cannot load "bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin"

As for the MSFC Supervisor I borrowed a functioning battery from another board until batteries arrive. In looking it over, somethings that I am unfamiliar with is Sessions and SP/RP mode. I am not sure how to tell when I am in RP rommon , and in cases like this:

Router#show bootvar
BOOT variable = bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin,1;sup-bootflash:c6sup22-js-
mz.121-27b.E1.bin,12
CONFIG_FILE variable does not exist
BOOTLDR variable does not exist
Configuration register is 0x2102

Standby is not up.
Router#remote command switch show bootvar

BOOT variable = bootflash:c6sup22-js-mz.121-27b.E1.bin,1;bootflash:c6sup22-js-
mz.121-27b.E1.bin,12
CONFIG_FILE variable does not exist
BOOTLDR variable does not exist
Configuration register is 0x0

Where i see a missing configuration register by performing {remote command switch show bootvar} , but I am not certain if it needs to be set in conjunction or how to set it on the switch. 

Just do "conf t", "config-register 0x2102", "wr mem" and it should get updated on both SP and RP.

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