Cisco Router 2621 Help

[mjchilders]

I'm relatively new to dealing with Cisco routers so please forgive me if this is one of those "newbie" questions. Is there a way to make a backup of the image file of my current Cisco 2621 router to load onto another 2621 that will serve as a backup router over the Console or AUX port? The reason for this is that my spare has a corrupt IOS image on it and it will not boot into anything but Rmon mode. As far as I know, there is no TFTP server for it pull the image from. I would like to capture all of the settings, etc. from the production router and load them onto the spare - so that in case we have a failure all I have to do is plug it in.

[thisisshanky]

Michael,

No question is stupid!

Transferring the file over console port or aux port can be extremely slow. I would suggest an alternative.

1. Connect both Cisco routers on the same lan.(switch/hub)

2. Configure ip address for first router (working) 10.1.1.1.

3. Type sh flash on first router to find out name of the IOS image. I will call that

4. On this router configure

Router(config)#tftp-server flash:

5. Now this router is acting as a TFTP server.

6. On router 2 (not working), boot into rommon mode and use the following link to download the image from Router 1 to Router 2 via TFTPDNLD.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/products_tech_note09186a008015bf9e.shtml

Remember to set all 5 paramters exactly like in the link. Use Router 1 as the TFTP server.

HTH

Sankar

PS: please remember to rate posts!

[mjchilders]

Thanks! I will give that a try. That's not going to interrupt anything on the first router is it? I can't change the IP address on the first router - right now it's our internet router and I can't just take it down in the middle of the day.

Actually, is there a way I can download the image from the first router to my laptop?

Thanks again!

[thisisshanky]

You dont have to change ip address on first router. I was just trying to set an example. You can keep the ip of the first address as such and modify the IP you configure for TFTPDNLD on the second router to match with the same subnet as the first router.

To download the image to your laptop you can use tftp client from laptop (command line) or you can use TFTPD32 from

http://tftpd32.jounin.net/

From command line the syntax is as follows.

TFTP [-i] host [GET | PUT] source [destination]

-i Specifies binary image transfer mode (also called

octet). In binary image mode the file is moved

literally, byte by byte. Use this mode when

transferring binary files.

host Specifies the local or remote host.

GET Transfers the file destination on the remote host to

the file source on the local host.

PUT Transfers the file source on the local host to

the file destination on the remote host.

source Specifies the file to transfer.

destination Specifies where to transfer the file.

------------

Once you download the image to your laptop, you can use your laptop as TFTP server. You can use TFTPD32 as TFTP server. Remember to disable any XP firewall that is enabled on your laptop while you do this.

HTH

PS: please remember to rate posts!

[mjchilders]

Just in case I did want to back up the image file through the console port to my laptop, how would I accomplish that? The 2600 that I have is an internet router and all of the ethernet ports are in use. Unplugging one of them would cut off one section of the network from the internet.

If I wanted to use TFTPDNLD or TFTP from a command line, is there any special command or switch that I need to tell it download through Com1 instead of an IP Address?

Will I need to use the -i switch to transfer the image file?

[thisisshanky]

AFAIK, Xmodem is the only procedure available to download software into a Cisco router. Check this link

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/products_tech_note09186a008015bfac.shtml

Now I am not sure (or dont see) about an option to upload software from the router via the console. Check xmodem command options on your router to see if an upload option is supported. (Also paste output of xmodem (+ return key) options in your next post. You got to do this from the router that is broken.

HTH

Sankar

PS: please remember to rate posts!

[mjchilders]

Thanks again for the help - I was able to back up the existing one successfully to my laptop using TFTP. What do I need to do to turn TFTP off on the router that I got the image from?

[Richard Burts]

If you want to turn off tftp on the production router which was the source then you should do this:

On the router configure

Router(config)#no tftp-server flash:

whhich is the original command you used to set up tftp with a no set in front of the command.

HTH

Rick