Software upgrade of WS-C2960X-48FPS hangs on EXTRACT: Extracting the image

[luckyborn13]

Hello,

Software upgrade hangs on EXTRACT: Extracting the image.

How that happened:

"I wanted to install an update on the device WS-C2960X-48FPS, using the well-known command archive download-sw /reload ftp://lic:lic@10.10.10.10/c2960x-universalk9-tar.152-6.E1.tar

However the command was canceled night. In the next day it shows:

OregonSW2#sh archive status
EXTRACT: Extracting the image
OregonSW2# "

Any help will be much appreciated!

[Leo Laohoo]

Can the switch ping the FTP server?

[luckyborn13]

Yes, positive :) The point is that it hangs on Extract and it is taking so long time that it lasts forever..

[Leo Laohoo]

---

@luckyborn13 wrote:
The point is that it hangs on Extract and it is taking so long time that it lasts forever..

---

Depending on the latency between the switch and the FTP server, it normally takes 10 to 15 minutes before the switch starts to un-pack. 

Some IOS versions are more "tricky" because it doesn't show users that the system is unpacking the files.  It'll just say "extracting" and then about 30 minutes later it'll say it's finished.

[luckyborn13]

Well, the ftp server has max 25ms roundtrip time.
We have been waiting for about 6-8hours.
Probably there is no way to upgrade a switch softly without rebooting it hard?

We now fixed it though uploading the binary file, fixing boot var and reloading the switch and installing the tar archive again since I prefer using tar.
Is there a better way?

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

Copy the TAR file into the switch and run the command from there.

[luckyborn13]

Thank you for your help, mate!

[luckyborn]

The command was issued locally as suggested (archive download-sw flash:/c2960x….) but with the same effect. 

Is there any other way to install the image?

Our current way is to upload the binary file (no tar) and boot once. Run the archive command to install the tar file and remove the binary. “

[Leo Laohoo]

---

@luckyborn wrote:

Our current way is to upload the binary file (no tar) and boot once. Run the archive command to install the tar file and remove the binary.  

---

Wow.  This is an illogical method of doing things.  

This method makes the entire process three times longer. 

The option "/overwrite" would force delete the old IOS image sub-directory. 

"installing" by using the BIN file is not very safe because there is no way to determine whether or not the BIN file is corrupt.  The "archive download-sw" incorporates a check to see if the TAR file is corrupt or not before proceeding to unpack the files.  

[luckyborn]

It is logical when we have already used any other option and anything else isn't left...

The flash is empty so the overwrite sub command probably is not going to help us.

The applying of the command archive download-sw led to hangs on EXTRACT: Extracting the image and it dies here. It have been passed hours and the command was aborted at the end...

Then in this case what to use from your perspective as to be able to upload an new image on the flash and to boot from it...