Solved: 2811 Router cannot load IOS from Flash

kelloggs4life · ‎12-04-2007

Hi,

I have a 2811 router that was recently uploaded with a new IOS. The router was however unable to load the new IOS as well as the previous one.

All efforts to lead try and load from the flash has failed. Router just keeps giving "cannot load flash" error and defaults to rommon prompt.

Any ideas please?

smothuku · ‎12-05-2007

Hi Femi ,

Follow the below steps which helps you to come out the rommon mode...

If your router keeps entering the ROMmon mode each time the system is restarted, it is probably due to the setting of the configuration register. To verify the configured value of the configuration register, use the confreg command as shown below:

rommon 2 > confreg

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: the ROM Monitor

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: As indicated by the output of the confreg command above, the configuration register is set to a value that forces the router to go into the ROMmon mode each time it is reloaded or power-cycled. To make the router boot automatically from a default Cisco IOS software image, change the configuration register value as shown below:

rommon 2 > confreg

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: the ROM Monitor

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: y

enable "diagnostic mode"? y/n [n]:

enable "use net in IP bcast address"? y/n [n]:

disable "load rom after netboot fails"? y/n [n]:

enable "use all zero broadcast"? y/n [n]:

enable "break/abort has effect"? y/n [n]:

enable "ignore system config info"? y/n [n]:

change console baud rate? y/n [n]:

change the boot characteristics? y/n [n]: y

enter to boot:

0 = ROM Monitor

1 = the boot helper image

2-15 = boot system

[0]: 2

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: image specified by the boot system commands

or default to: cisco2-C2600

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: n

You must reset or power cycle for new config to take effect

By doing this, you have changed the configuration register to a value that makes it look for a valid Cisco IOS software image on startup and boot from the same. The router must now be reset.

rommon 3 > reset

System Bootstrap, Version 11.3(2)XA4, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

TAC:Home:SW:IOS:Specials for info

The router should now reload with a valid Cisco IOS software image.

Look for a Valid Image in Flash

If the configuration register value is set to make the system boot automatically from a default Cisco IOS software image, and if no break signal is sent during start up, the router should boot normally. However, if the router still enters the ROMmon mode, it is probably because the device is unable to locate a valid Cisco IOS software image.

The first thing you need to do then is to look for a valid Cisco IOS software image. To do this, issue the dir command for each available device, and look for a valid Cisco IOS software image. For example, to look for the IOS in the Flash, use the command shown below.

rommon 1 > dir flash:

File size Checksum File name

5358032 bytes (0x51c1d0) 0x7b16 c2600-i-mz.122-10b.bin

rommon 2 >

Note that if the router returns the "bad device name" message, the device specified probably does not exist. The output above indicates that a valid image is indeed present in the Flash. Try to boot from that image using the boot command.

rommon 2 > boot flash:c2600-i-mz.122-10b.bin

program load complete, entry point: 0x80008000, size: 0x51c0dc

Self decompressing the image : #################################################

##################################

...

The router should now boot with the Cisco IOS software image specified in the boot command. However, there are times when a valid image does not exist on any of the devices or the image on the Flash might be corrupted. In these cases, a valid image has to be downloaded using Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) or by using the Xmodem procedure. Both these procedures can be carried out from the ROMmon mode.

Thanks,

satish

View solution in original post

lgijssel · ‎12-05-2007

Please upload the console output from the failed boot sequence. The part of the config that relates to booting and a dir: of your flash would be nice to have a look at also.

Leo

kelloggs4life · ‎12-05-2007

Hi Leo,

Below is the console output:

rommon 2 > reset

c2811 platform with 262144 Kbytes of main memory

Main memory is configured to 64 bit mode with ECC enabled

Upgrade ROMMON initialized

program load complete, entry point: 0x8000f000, size: 0xcb80

loadprog: error - on read during ELF program load

requested 26002760 (0x18cc548) bytes, got 22314364 (0x1547d7c)

boot: cannot load "flash:"

c2811 platform with 262144 Kbytes of main memory

Main memory is configured to 64 bit mode with ECC enabled

Upgrade ROMMON initialized

rommon 1 >

how do i display the dir of the flash from rommon?

Femi

kelloggs4life · ‎12-05-2007

Hi Leo,

Here is the output of the dir of the flash:

rommon 16 > dir flash:

program load complete, entry point: 0x8000f000, size: 0xcb80

Directory of flash:

2 22337524 -rw- c2800nm-spservicesk9-mz.123-8.T10.bin

3642 1823 -rw- sdmconfig-2811.cfg

3643 4734464 -rw- sdm.tar

4799 833024 -rw- es.tar

5003 1052160 -rw- common.tar

5260 1038 -rw- home.shtml

5261 102400 -rw- home.tar

5286 491213 -rw- 128MB.sdf

5406 1684577 -rw- securedesktop-ios-3.1.1.27-k9.pkg

5818 398305 -rw- sslclient-win-1.1.0.154.pkg

5916 2736 -rw- SDM_Backup

8829 14906116 -rw- c2800nm-ipbase-mz.124-3g.bin

Femi

smothuku · ‎12-05-2007

Hi Femi ,

Follow the below steps which helps you to come out the rommon mode...

If your router keeps entering the ROMmon mode each time the system is restarted, it is probably due to the setting of the configuration register. To verify the configured value of the configuration register, use the confreg command as shown below:

rommon 2 > confreg

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: the ROM Monitor

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: As indicated by the output of the confreg command above, the configuration register is set to a value that forces the router to go into the ROMmon mode each time it is reloaded or power-cycled. To make the router boot automatically from a default Cisco IOS software image, change the configuration register value as shown below:

rommon 2 > confreg

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: the ROM Monitor

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: y

enable "diagnostic mode"? y/n [n]:

enable "use net in IP bcast address"? y/n [n]:

disable "load rom after netboot fails"? y/n [n]:

enable "use all zero broadcast"? y/n [n]:

enable "break/abort has effect"? y/n [n]:

enable "ignore system config info"? y/n [n]:

change console baud rate? y/n [n]:

change the boot characteristics? y/n [n]: y

enter to boot:

0 = ROM Monitor

1 = the boot helper image

2-15 = boot system

[0]: 2

Configuration Summary

enabled are:

load rom after netboot fails

console baud: 9600

boot: image specified by the boot system commands

or default to: cisco2-C2600

do you wish to change the configuration? y/n [n]: n

You must reset or power cycle for new config to take effect

By doing this, you have changed the configuration register to a value that makes it look for a valid Cisco IOS software image on startup and boot from the same. The router must now be reset.

rommon 3 > reset

System Bootstrap, Version 11.3(2)XA4, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

TAC:Home:SW:IOS:Specials for info

The router should now reload with a valid Cisco IOS software image.

Look for a Valid Image in Flash

If the configuration register value is set to make the system boot automatically from a default Cisco IOS software image, and if no break signal is sent during start up, the router should boot normally. However, if the router still enters the ROMmon mode, it is probably because the device is unable to locate a valid Cisco IOS software image.

The first thing you need to do then is to look for a valid Cisco IOS software image. To do this, issue the dir command for each available device, and look for a valid Cisco IOS software image. For example, to look for the IOS in the Flash, use the command shown below.

rommon 1 > dir flash:

File size Checksum File name

5358032 bytes (0x51c1d0) 0x7b16 c2600-i-mz.122-10b.bin

rommon 2 >

Note that if the router returns the "bad device name" message, the device specified probably does not exist. The output above indicates that a valid image is indeed present in the Flash. Try to boot from that image using the boot command.

rommon 2 > boot flash:c2600-i-mz.122-10b.bin

program load complete, entry point: 0x80008000, size: 0x51c0dc

Self decompressing the image : #################################################

##################################

...

The router should now boot with the Cisco IOS software image specified in the boot command. However, there are times when a valid image does not exist on any of the devices or the image on the Flash might be corrupted. In these cases, a valid image has to be downloaded using Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) or by using the Xmodem procedure. Both these procedures can be carried out from the ROMmon mode.

Thanks,

satish

kelloggs4life · ‎12-07-2007

Hello Satish,

Thanks a lot for your post. It was quite helpful. I have been able to resolve the issue by simply booting the router from the good IOS from the rommon> mode with the following command just as you stated above...

rommon 2> boot flash:****

And thanks to all who dropped one suggestion or the other. You all have been quite helpful.

Cheers,

Femi

smothuku · ‎12-05-2007

Hi Femi ,

Check the below links...

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/products_tech_note09186a0080094a0b.shtml

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5854/products_tech_note09186a008073dc12.shtml

Thanks,

satish

bvsnarayana03 · ‎12-05-2007

Not sure if you have both images in flash & cant find one due to absence of boot command in configuration or probably the old ios is erased & new ios didnt load.

Try this. from rommon set the confreg to "0x2101" & reload. Now use the boot command to specify the image to be loaded while powercycle.

If this works, well & good otherwise you may have to load the ios once again.

Pls refer this link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps214/products_tech_note09186a0080110ed1.shtml

lgijssel · ‎12-05-2007

That's about what I wanted to advise you as well. The spservices image is the one that the router tries to load but it looks corrupted with an invalid length.

That is probably why the router cannot find the ipbase image that is also on flash.

It looks as if there is little free room on your flash anyway. In that case, you will need to delete one image to make all of this fit.

regards,

Leo

ccbootcamp · ‎12-05-2007

Delete the bad IPServices flash image from flash. Boot the router. After the router boots to the ipservices image, delete the ipservices image. then go ahead and transfer over the new image.

or:

use a CF card reader, connect the CF card reader to your pc. delete both images. copy over a new spservices image. stick the cf card back in the router and go.

-brad

www.ccbootcamp.com

(please rate the post if this helps!)