Solved: Cisco IPS4255 won't boot (error=Searching / for images to boot. No images found in / Error 15: File...

fjatkinson · ‎08-15-2010

Hello,

I have a Cisco IPS4255 that will not boot an image. I'm seemingly successfully completing a TFTPDNLD each time, but it keeps rebooting with the cannot find image in \ error.

Here is a detailed snap shot:

#1- I TFTP image to device which automatically starts the output below:

ENABLING IO-APIC IRQs

Setting 14 in the phys_id_present_map

...changing IO-APIC physical APIC ID to 14 ... ok.

Setting 13 in the phys_id_present_map

...changing IO-APIC physical APIC ID to 13 ... ok.

..TIMER: vector=0x31 pin1=2 pin2=0

testing the IO APIC.......................

.................................... done.

Using local APIC timer interrupts.

calibrating APIC timer ...

..... CPU clock speed is 3000.1599 MHz.

..... host bus clock speed is 200.0105 MHz.

cpu: 0, clocks: 2000105, slice: 1000052

CPU0<T0:2000096,T1:1000032,D:12,S:1000052,C:2000105>

Waiting on wait_init_idle (map = 0x0)

All processors have done init_idle

PCI: PCI BIOS revision 2.10 entry at 0xff648, last bus=4

PCI: Using configuration type 1

PCI: Probing PCI hardware

PCI: Probing PCI hardware (bus 00)

PCI: Ignoring BAR0-3 of IDE controller 00:1f.2

Transparent bridge - Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB/EB PCI Bridge

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B0,I29,P0) -> 16

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B0,I29,P1) -> 19

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B0,I29,P3) -> 23

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B0,I31,P0) -> 16

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B0,I31,P1) -> 17

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B2,I1,P0) -> 18

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B3,I1,P0) -> 24

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B3,I2,P0) -> 24

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B3,I2,P1) -> 25

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B3,I3,P0) -> 26

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B3,I3,P1) -> 27

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B4,I2,P0) -> 16

PCI->APIC IRQ transform: (B4,I3,P0) -> 17

PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 0 of device 00:00.0

isapnp: Scanning for PnP cards...

isapnp: No Plug & Play device found

Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.4

Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039

Initializing RT netlink socket

Starting kswapd

allocated 32 pages and 32 bhs reserved for the highmem bounces

Journalled Block Device driver loaded

keyboard: controller not found

pty: 2048 Unix98 ptys configured

Serial driver version 5.05c (2001-07-08) with MANY_PORTS MULTIPORT SHARE_IRQ SER

IAL_PCI ISAPNP enabled

ttyS00 at 0x03f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A

ttyS01 at 0x02f8 (irq = 3) is a 16550A

Real Time Clock Driver v1.10f

RAMDISK driver initialized: 16 RAM disks of 30720K size 1024 blocksize

loop: loaded (max 8 devices)

lpc: version 0.1 (Mar 4 2005)

Uniform Multi-Platform E-IDE driver Revision: 7.00beta4-2.4

ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes; override with idebus=xx

hda: TOQHIBA THLCD512MBA, CFA DISK drive

hdb: QalDisi QDAF@-510, ATA DISK drive

ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14

hda: attached ide-disk driver.

hda: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }

hda: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }

hda: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/2KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63

hdb: attached ide-disk driver.

hdb: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }

hdb: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }

hdb: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/1KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63

Partition check:

hda: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4

hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4

ide: late registration of driver.

SCSI subsystem driver Revision: 1.00

i2c-core.o: i2c core module version 2.8.7 (20040611)

i2c-dev.o: i2c /dev entries driver module version 2.8.7 (20040611)

i2c-proc.o version 2.8.7 (20040611)

i2c-i801 version 2.8.7 (20040611)

NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0

IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP, IGMP

IP: routing cache hash table of 32768 buckets, 256Kbytes

TCP: Hash tables configured (established 262144 bind 65536)

Linux IP multicast router 0.06 plus PIM-SM

NET4: Unix domain sockets 1.0/SMP for Linux NET4.0.

RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0

Freeing initrd memory: 26522k freed

VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly.

Freeing unused kernel memory: 136k freed

init started: EXT2-fs warning: checktime reached, running e2fsck is recommended

BusyBox v1.00-rc1 (2005.03.04-09:39+0000) multi-call binary

init started: BusyBox v1.00-rc1 (2005.03.04-09:39+0000) multi-call binary

Starting pid 10, console /dev/ttyS0: '/etc/init.d/rcS'

Recovery version 1.13

Started on Sun Mar 7 05:17:41 UTC 2010

Full system recovery

A

Please press Enter to activate this console.

tarting pid 86, console /dev/ttyS0: '/bin/sh'

BusyBox v1.00-rc1 (2005.03.04-09:39+0000) Built-in shell (ash)

Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

#

#2- I’m not a unix/linux person so I don’t have the knowledge to fix the “hdx” errors above, so after reboot it goes to “rommon”

Booting system, please wait...

CISCO SYSTEMS

Embedded BIOS Version 1.0(10)0 03/25/05 22:42:05.25

Low Memory: 631 KB

High Memory: 3968 MB

PCI Device Table.

Bus Dev Func VendID DevID Class Irq

00 00 00 8086 2578 Host Bridge

00 01 00 8086 2579 PCI-to-PCI Bridge

00 03 00 8086 257B PCI-to-PCI Bridge

00 1C 00 8086 25AE PCI-to-PCI Bridge

00 1D 00 8086 25A9 Serial Bus 11

00 1D 01 8086 25AA Serial Bus 10

00 1D 04 8086 25AB System

00 1D 05 8086 25AC IRQ Controller

00 1D 07 8086 25AD Serial Bus 9

00 1E 00 8086 244E PCI-to-PCI Bridge

00 1F 00 8086 25A1 ISA Bridge

00 1F 02 8086 25A3 IDE Controller 11

00 1F 03 8086 25A4 Serial Bus 5

00 1F 05 8086 25A6 Audio 5

02 01 00 8086 1075 Ethernet 11

03 01 00 177D 0003 Encrypt/Decrypt 9

03 02 00 8086 1079 Ethernet 9

03 02 01 8086 1079 Ethernet 9

03 03 00 8086 1079 Ethernet 9

03 03 01 8086 1079 Ethernet 9

04 02 00 8086 1209 Ethernet 11

04 03 00 8086 1209 Ethernet 5

Evaluating BIOS Options ...

Launch BIOS Extension to setup ROMMON

Cisco Systems ROMMON Version (1.0(10)0) #0: Fri Mar 25 23:02:10 PST 2005

Platform IPS-4255-K9

Management0/0

Link is UP

MAC Address: 000f.f775.7e24

Use ? for help.

rommon #0>

#3- If the TFTP is rerun the entire cycle starts again.

Dustin Ralich · ‎08-23-2010

The IPS 4255 sensor appliance has only a single 512 MB internal CompactFlash module for storage by-default, so this part of the output you posted is interesting:

hda: TOQHIBA THLCD512MBA, CFA DISK drive
hdb: QalDisi QDAF@-510, ATA DISK drive
ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14
hda: attached ide-disk driver.
hda: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hda: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }
hda: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/2KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63
hdb: attached ide-disk driver.
hdb: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdb: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }
hdb: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/1KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63

As it appears that two (2) 256 MB ("248 MB") storage devices are being detected (despite the model of the first even containing "512MB" in its name).

I'd recommend double-checking that there is nothing installed in the "External compact flash device" slot located on the back of the appliance. See here for reference: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/ips/7.0/installation/guide/hw_installing_4240_4255.html#wp2726

If there is a CompactFlash module installed there, eject and remove it, then power-cycle the appliance and attempt the re-image ("recovery") process once more. If the boot output still contains the same errors for hda and hdb, then it is probably a failing/failed CompactFlash module, so an RMA will likely be necessary to resolve.

View solution in original post

Dustin Ralich · ‎08-23-2010

The IPS 4255 sensor appliance has only a single 512 MB internal CompactFlash module for storage by-default, so this part of the output you posted is interesting:

hda: TOQHIBA THLCD512MBA, CFA DISK drive
hdb: QalDisi QDAF@-510, ATA DISK drive
ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14
hda: attached ide-disk driver.
hda: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hda: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }
hda: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/2KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63
hdb: attached ide-disk driver.
hdb: task_no_data_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdb: task_no_data_intr: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }
hdb: 484848 sectors (248 MB) w/1KiB Cache, CHS=481/16/63

As it appears that two (2) 256 MB ("248 MB") storage devices are being detected (despite the model of the first even containing "512MB" in its name).

I'd recommend double-checking that there is nothing installed in the "External compact flash device" slot located on the back of the appliance. See here for reference: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/ips/7.0/installation/guide/hw_installing_4240_4255.html#wp2726

If there is a CompactFlash module installed there, eject and remove it, then power-cycle the appliance and attempt the re-image ("recovery") process once more. If the boot output still contains the same errors for hda and hdb, then it is probably a failing/failed CompactFlash module, so an RMA will likely be necessary to resolve.

fjatkinson · ‎08-23-2010

Hello,

Your feedback helped 125%. The problem turned out to be 2-fold. I did have an external flash card installed. Once I removed that as per your direction, the TFTP'd image finally booted. However when I rebooted, it would go back to rommon. If I booted from roomon, it woudl go back to sensor prompt..back-n-forth. I then realized that I must have messed around with the config-register. After updating the register, I no boot to "sensor#" prompt every time.

Again, thanks for you timely and 100% effective feedback.

Dustin Ralich · ‎08-24-2010

Excellent. Glad to be of assistance .

Cisco IPS4255 won't boot (error=Searching / for images to boot. No images found in / Error 15: File not found unable to boot an image)