Password recovery for 6500 series Catalyst

[Richard Ortiz]

Hey All,

      I need to know why during the password recovery process for the CAT 6500 series with IOS that you have to do a "no shutdown" to the interfaces, again.

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Router#copy startup-config running-config Destination filename [running-config]? <press enter>

!--- This pulls in the original configuration. Since you are already in privilege !--- mode, the passwords in this configuration do not affect you.

4864 bytes copied in 2.48 secs (2432 bytes/sec)

Router#configure terminal Enter configuration commands, one per line.

End with CNTL/Z.

Router(config)#enable secret < password > [Choose a strong password with at least one capital letter, one number, and one special character.]

!--- Overwrite the password that you do not know. This is your new enable password.

Router(config)#^Z
Router#
Router#show ip interface brief
Interface                  IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Prol
Vlan1                      172.17.10.10    YES TFTP   administratively down dow
Vlan10                     10.1.1.1        YES TFTP   administratively down dow
GigabitEthernet1/1         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down dow
GigabitEthernet1/2         unassigned      YES TFTP   administratively down dow
GigabitEthernet2/1         unassigned      YES TFTP   administratively down dow
GigabitEthernet2/2         unassigned      YES TFTP   administratively down dow
FastEthernet3/1            172.16.84.110   YES TFTP   administratively down dow
<snip>...

!--- Issue the no shut command on all interfaces that you want to bring up.

[Edison Ortiz]

During password recovery, you remove the previous configuration from the switch and goes back to factory default.

Default setting on interfaces is 'shutdown' which is a security measure.

When you perform the 'copy startup-config to running-config', you are transferring the config as is.

There isn't any command on the startup-config to issue a 'no shutdown'.

You can easily bring all switchports to no shutdown with the interface range command.