Flash - Read only file system

[sannymlao]

Good day,

I have a switch cisco ws-3650 -24ps-s which in rommon mode "switch:" I tried to boot packages.cnf but keeps rebooting.

I tried to copy a new IOS version in rommon mode  to flash: but I got a message which indicates an error  "Read only file system."

Could you please help me on how to copy IOS in rommon mode to flash successfully?

Your help is very much appreciated.

Thank you and regards,

Sanny

[vstepanov]

This is not the answer to the questions why this behavior changed, where is it mentioned in the documentation and is it possible to change it to behave like before. 

[Comm4nd0]

The main question is "Could you please help me on how to copy IOS in rommon mode to flash successfully?"

The answer i gave is 100% the right answer. I've just had to do the same thing myself.

[vstepanov]

your answer contains 0% information about how to copy a file to the flash in rommon mode. After you boot from the usb drive and copy the file - it is not a rommon mode. 

[Comm4nd0]

feel free to google the commands if you don't know them.

[vstepanov]

Of cause I tried to google. Just found a lot of similar questions here and nobody has answered yet, neither from cisco nor community side. It seems like nobody can find by googling the answer.

 Again, your answer "Don't try to copy the .bin file to flash while in ROMON. "  is not the answer to the question how to copy files to the flash in rommon mode. There can be different tasks and environments. Before it was possible to use the flash in read-write mode, now it's not possible, the question is it possible to change it or not, also, where is this change mentioned in the documentation. If you don't know any answer to these questions - why are you arguing? :)

[Comm4nd0]

right, ok so i don't know why you may have used to be able to and now you can't.

but the work-around then is to simply boot the IOS from USB, then once the device has booted you can copy to your hearts content.

I didn't realise you didn't know what the commands were your self so here are the ones i used on a 3850-48P.

boot: boot usbflash0:cat3k_caa-universalk9.16.06.03.SPA.bin

once the device has booted use these commands

copy usbflash0:cat3k_caa-universalk9.16.06.03.SPA.bin flash:

you may need to rename your packages.conf file if it exist:

rename flash:packages.conf packages.conf.bak

Then install the image:

request platform software package expand file flash:cat3k_caa-universalk9.16.06.02.SPA.bin

reload the device

reload

once the device has reloaded into the new firmware it's best practice to do a clean up.

request platform software package clean
y

At this point then you'll be back to a full operational device, as far as the firmware is concerned anyway.

[vstepanov]

of cause, I know all these commands, but I don't need them. I need the command to change the read-only mode to read-write in rommon mode, or the reference to the documentation why it is not possible to do like it was possible before. 

[Comm4nd0]

flash_init

[vstepanov]

no, flash_init doesn't change the mode to read-write. 

[Vignesh Ekanathan]

hi... Did you find the answer on how to change the read-only mode to read-write? 

My switch is busted and goes into Rommon mode everytime I boot. I just need to know how to enable read-only mode on the switch so that I can copy an image to the Flash.

Tried googling it, but can't find the answer for it anywhere. 

[Georg Pauwen]

Hello,

I am not sure about this, but I don't think you can write to flash in ROMMON. Try and boot from USB, then once the image is loaded and the switch up and running, copy the '.bin' file to flash...

[Leo Laohoo]

Please read Emergency Recovery.

[Ahmad Fayaz Alizad]

Dear,

how to call emergency_install, please let me know.

[Leo Laohoo]

Emergency Recovery

[Tra Tran]

Worked for me!  just boot from usb