Need to free up space on 3750-X for upgrade

[Paddy S]

Hi experts!

I am looking to free up space on some flash for some 3750-X switch stacks with very old IOS on them.  They are in production.

Is it okay to remove the .tar file from the sub-directory of each flash?

For example I have a stack with 12.55.se5 installed on production switches (please refrain from laughter if possible)  .  The boot var points to the .BIN file, so I am assuming it's okay to remove the .TAR file in that directory now that it's been unzipped and installed?

I need to make room for a new .BIN file.  I will only be using the .BIN file to upgrade (no .TAR file to bring them up to 15.2.4E10 MD ).

I want to delete only the .TAR file in this sub-directory to make room for the new .BIN file.

dir flash:/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5
Directory of flash:/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5/

7 drwx 5632 Mar 1 1993 00:06:26 +00:00 html
511 -rwx 1024000 Mar 1 1993 00:07:26 +00:00 pucode_bundle.dat
512 -rwx 488 Mar 1 1993 00:07:33 +00:00 info
513 -rwx 14597910 Mar 1 1993 00:07:33 +00:00 c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5.bin
514 -rwx 15912960 Mar 1 1993 00:04:48 +00:00 c3750-ipbasek9-tar.122-55.SE5.tar

Thanks in advance!

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

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@Paddy S wrote:

c3750-ipbasek9-tar.122-55.SE5.tar

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Yes, delete the TAR file using the command "delete /f /r flash:c3750-ipbasek9-tar.122-55.SE5.tar".

[Paddy S]

Thanks for the fast reply Leo!  I just needed a verification before doing that.  Appreciate your fast attention and expertise.

Paddy

[Paddy S]

Just for a clarification if anyone reads this post.

Leo's reply was correct.  The only thing I had to do was reference the sub-directory for each flash thus:

delete flash2:/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5/c3750-ipbasek9-tar.122-55.SE5.tar

delete flash3:/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5/c3750-ipbasek9-tar.122-55.SE5.tar

If there's a way to delete from all flash in all stack units with one command, I'm certain Leo knows it.

[Leo Laohoo]

That's too "dirty" for me. 
If you wanted to do an IOS upgrade, I'd clean out the flash of each stack member and then put the config and IOS back in: 

delete /f /r flash1:.
delete /f /r flash2:.
delete /f /r flash3:.
wr
archive download-sw tftp://IOS_filename.tar

[Paddy S]

Thanks, Leo!  I'll certainly clean things up with that command after upgrade.  Really appreciate it!

I'm doing upgrade using only the newer .BIN file since these are much older switches.  Deleting the .TAR file lets me download it from our TFTP server without running out of space on each flash.

I just wanted to be sure that .TAR file is no longer needed in case the stack reloads before upgrade (we have power outages on that campus lasting longer than our UPS systems backup time).

Boot var points to the .BIN file in that same sub-directory:

BOOT path-list : flash:/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5/c3750e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5.bin

Really appreciate your fast reply and expertise!

Paddy

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Paddy S wrote:

I'm doing upgrade using only the newer .BIN file since these are much older switches

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Use the TAR file and the "archive download-sw" because it is a lot safer.

With the "archive download-sw" the boot variable string gets automatically updated to point to the new IOS file.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

"I just wanted to be sure that .TAR file is no longer needed in case the stack reloads before upgrade (we have power outages on that campus lasting longer than our UPS systems backup time)."

That's really an "it depends".

If you have a power outage, and no bootable IOS, switch won't, of course, boot after power comes back on.  Further, sometimes getting an IOS image back on the switch might require loading via console cable (much joy - not!).  (Unsure about the 3570-X's ROMMON support net IOS image loading.)

[Paddy S]

Thanks, Joseph.  Understood.  We had a power outage last week and I can see the stack came back up using the .BIN files in the sub-directory.  Not using the original .TAR file to boot the IOS.