Reload switch

[morenoj5958]

I've just inherited a bunch of work from another employee who was let go (I now know why).  One of these new tasks is to fix 3500 XL switch that he did a write erase and delete flash:vlan.dat commands on, but no reload command.  The result is a switch which powers up, but cannot be accessed through the console port.  I've not been able to figure out how to re-enable the console port so that I can configure the switch.  Any ideas?

[Antonio Knox]

When you say "cannot be accessed through the console port" do you mean that the console port works, but you cannot get in or you can't see anything while connected to console.  I'll assume for now that you can see the console, you just have no credentials.  In this case do the following,

1. Connect to Console
   
2. Power cycle the switch
3. While the switch is booting, watch for mention of autoboot, and immediately press "Ctrl + Break"
4. At the "switch:" prompt type 'flash_init"
5. When "switch" prompt returns, type "load_helper"
6. When "switch" prompt returns, rename your config file "rename flash:config.text flash:oldconfig.text1"
7. When "switch" prompt returns, type "boot"

the machine should boot to a clean config.  Once you're in, you can name your config file back to config.text using the 'rename' command above and then copy it to running configuration if need be.  That should do it.

[morenoj5958]

I see nothing on the console.  I've tried different baud rates (even though I doubted it would make a difference), but no luck.  Keyboard gives no input, console port gives no information.  My client softwares (even tried with hyperterm) tells me I'm connected, but I nothing, nada.

[vragotha]

Jim

Have you tried consoling in with different baud rates?

[morenoj5958]

Yes, every rate from 300 through 115200, nothing.  I would expect at least some text output of some kind, even if its garbage, if it were a baud rate issue.

[Jon Marshall]

Jim

Are the LEDs okay -

3500XL LEDs

Also have you tried altering the flowcontrol, has sometimes worked for me.

Jon

[morenoj5958]

LEDs are good.  Yes, I tried altering the flow control, no help.

[Reza Sharifi]

Is your com setting correct?  If your laptop takes USB type connector, the com port is 4

[morenoj5958]

COM settings are correct.

[Antonio Knox]

Have you verified the COM setting in your device manager (assuming you're using Windows)?  Mu usb-to-serial flips between COM4 and COM5.  And I'm sure you've already tried this, but in case you haven't have you tried swapping your cables (both console cable and USB)?

[morenoj5958]

Yes, I've verfied that my cables, pc hardware and software is working correctly.  As I stated in my original post, a write erase command was done without a succeeding reload command.  I believe that that is the root of the problem.  I believe the write erase caused the console port to be disabled since there is no longer any configuration for the console port.  I need to find a way to re-enable the console port.

[Nagaraja Thanthry]

Hello,

Doing a write erase will not disable the Console port. In fact, it will

bring the configurations to default values. If you are using HyperTerminal,

can you please make sure that ScrLk is not set on the machine? If you are

rebooting the switch, can you hold the mode button, and then

power-off/power-on the switch and release mode button only after the light

on the first port goes off? That will tell us if the switch is working well.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

NT

[Leo Laohoo]

Sounds like you need to RMA the switch.

[Antonio Knox · Accepted solution]

If the config was truly wiped and powercycling doesn't bring back the console port, then you my friend are working with a broken switch.  And besides that, with no console port, there's nothing left for you to do to fix it.....because you have no access.  Which begins a viciously infinite loop that can only be broken by RMA (or a hammer, which I don't suggest).