IOS - TFTP or copy/paste ?

[LeeNorman]

When populating the uBR7111 flash card with IOS (12.3), the TFTP operation from PC to flash-card is correct, or is a copy/paste operation from PC hard-drive to PCMCIA card allowable?

[Giuseppe Larosa]

Hello Lee,

being the IOS image the operating system of the router I recommend to use TFTP,

It is better to use the safer way and to have the router itself to write the file on flash

Hope to help

Giuseppe

[Joseph W. Doherty]

If you try the PC to PCMCIA card, that will probably be alright as long as the card was formatted on the Cisco device and the PC appears to recognize the file structure.

However, I agree with Giuseppe's suggestion that using TFTP to the Cisco device is the safest approach. (Or other file transfer protocols to the Cisco device too.)

[LeeNorman]

Hi Joe, ...

Can I please ask that you assist me here for just a moment ...?

Do you have a mop (method of procedure) on how to format the flash-card along with the tftp loading back to the flash-card?

[Joseph W. Doherty]

I haven't worked with a uBR7111, but with some other Cisco devices, you format flash either by using the format (preferred) or erase commands followed by the device name, e.g. "format flash:".

Once that's accomplished, again some of the other Cisco devices support a "copy" command, e.g. "copy tftp: flash". If the command is entered as in my example without providing file names or IP addresses, you should be prompted for them.

To use TFTP, you'll need a TFTP server (often hosted on a PC - free ones can be found on the Internet) and both the TFTP server and Cisco device on network where they can reach each other. (Hint: for this purpose, some of the newer IOS software supports using DHCP as an Ethernet interface address, e.g. "ip addresses dhcp" under the interface config.)