Need to access settings of SF300-24p

[drdizonwork]

Hi I was just recently hired in my company, we have an sf300-24p switch but I cant find the console cable for it, I think it needs a female to female db9 serial cable, all I have is  a DB9 serial to rj45 console cable for the 2801 router, also I cant find the IP address of the sf300 switch, it is directly connected to the 2801 router, I issued a show arp to the router but didnt find the switch's IP add for web access, to sum it up I have no way of configuring the switch, is there any way to find the IP address of the switch? It also dosnt show on show cdp neighbors, thanks!

[Davidwagman1]

Hi Daniele,

Yes, it is a db9 serial cable, f/f. I got one off monoprice for like $2 (actually, $1.68).

You can try Cisco's FindIT tool, maybe it can pick it up.  (watch for english file as opposed to japanese, en is on the bottom). Its a toolbar in IE, that opens up the left side panel. I Just installed it to check it out and it found my SG300 switches no problem.

Otherwise, if sh cdp neigh isn't working, maybe you can figure it out with something like solarwinds ip address tracker (free) and  you'll hit it eventually. Could someone have disabled the http gui? You can also try arp -a on your computer and try to narrow it down that way.

Best,

David

Please rate helpful posts.

[Davidwagman1 · Accepted solution]

Daniele,

Just another thought, look at the sticker on the back of the SF300's to determine the switch's mac address and find that mac in the routers arp.

Best,

David

[drdizonwork]

thanks I tried all of that but I think the sf300 http was turned off, might reset it to factory defaults but Im kind of scared since Im not sure how the 7942g IP phones are set up in the switch, anyway thanks for the confirmation

[Davidwagman1]

Daniele,

Were you able to find the IP? You can try https, telnet or ssh if you know the password. Depending on the size of your network, I would try the solarwinds ip tracker. Use that to eliminate ips that you know what they are, and then try the rest that show active with http, https, telnet, ssh and see what you find. It may sound a bit daunting, but at least the phones are still up unlike after a factory default .

If you reset to factory defaults, you'll need to know the vlan information. Do use the built in switch on the phones (ie plug the computer into the second port)?  There is also QoS config that you may be losing if you factory default. 

Best,

David

[drdizonwork]

no I wasnt the switch's mac isnt listed on any arp tables, I have thedude installed and I also have every IP to mac - hostname listed and the switch is no where, Im saving the factory efaults for the worst case scenario, also I have no password whatsoever related to the cisco devices, I was only able to reset the 2801 using confreg 0x2142 but that isnt applicable to sf300 sadly though,

[Davidwagman1 · Accepted solution]

Daniele,

You would be able to do something similar, password recovery, if you had the serial cable.

I'll update this post with instructions in a minute. I don't know if this is a project you need to get done today, but it sounds like that serial cable will make your life a heck of a lot simpler. If you can't wait to order one, is there somewhere you can get one locally?

Best,

David

Password recovery steps:

You'll need a serial connection to the switch with the following serial connections settings (I'm using Putty in the screenshot):

You will see a prompt during boot right after the cisco logo made out  of #s that says "Autoboot in 2 seconds - press RETURN or Esc. to abort  and enter prom." 

Hit return, and you will get the following startup menu:

    

You'll want  [3] Password Recovery Procedure  and follow the prompts to reset the password without erasing your config file.

[drdizonwork]

yeah I think the serial cable will be indeed a lifesaver, provided the previous IT did not set any passwords, no worries I dont need to get it done anytime soon but Im just preparing for the worst as any network is bound to fail sooner or later, also I used wireshark and snooped for any cdp vtp packets but only found IP phones cdp, I will try to find the cable tonight (I hope I will find it here in doha qatar = goodluck to me) also if there is a way to recover the password like the one I used on 2801 it would help tremendously as I dont want to lose configs of the switch, thanks

[Davidwagman1]

Daniele,

I edited my post above to include the password recovery for the switch. You will keep your config, but need that serial cable.

As far as somewhere to source a serial cable in Qatar, as you said, good luck. I'm in NY, so I guess I've got it lucky on that front. Perhaps searching the Cisco partner listing for someone local can either get you a serial cable or point you in the right direction. Apparently google.com.qa doesn't have the "Shopping" tab like the US version does.

Best,

David

[drdizonwork]

many thanks for that as that wasnt on the sf300 manual i perused, I will try that and update you when I have the cable with me,

[Davidwagman1]

Danielle,

Good luck. Let me know if you need anything else.

Just a note, I did update the post with the instructions to include the serial settings, as its baud is different from the 2801. The SF300 uses 115200, 8, 1, none, none.

Best,

David

[drdizonwork]

tried the db9 f to f serial cable I bought last night, using hyperterm and the settings written above there is no response and nothing shows on the window even when I press enter, then when I disconnected the cable the screws holding the console port on the sf300 came with the cable and the console port sank inside the case, now need to have the port repaired haha not my best day I guess

[Davidwagman1]

Hi Daniele,

Not a good day! Sorry to hear. You may want to call Cisco SBSC about the console port. I haven't taken any of my 300 series apart, but it can't be too difficult to fix yourself, just speak with SBSC first to make sure that if you're still under warranty you don't void anything (or let them help you out with a better solution).

Make sure it's a regular serial cable and not a null modem cable. You may need to choose the appropriate com port for your machine as opposed to com1. And of course, 115200 is the default baud, but the prior admin could have changed it.

Best,

David

[drdizonwork]

Hi David,

I contacted the service provider and as it turned out the cisco devices are managed/serviced/configured by them and we cant have access to configs and are prohibited to do so, makes life a lot easier to me but a part of me wants to tinker and learn these new toys, but anyway the case is solved and I dont need to think about anything regarding the network VOIP or network devices as they will fix it when something comes up. Thank you very much for the help and Godbless you David.

Sincerely,

Daniele

[sallymonchy]

Trust me the best way to enter the sf300 is through browser and you can use any port on the 24 port section. The default ip is 192.168.1.254 and username password cisco cisco.

Then you can set the management vlan to be able to access from another console. like putty. etc