AP4800E no password

I recently started working at my wifes business and they have a Aironet AP4800E V8.24 AP4800E_28cd5e and the old IT person left and did not leave any passwords to any of the equipment. I have attached a serial cable and can get onto the 4800 but am locked out. I have scrounged Cisco for password recovery but to no avail. There are only two options on the menu when I boot up 1 is Privilege and 2 is help. When I select 1 then W it asks for a password which I don't have. I have tried ctrl x and resetall both don't work. I did read somewhere some units have to be sent to Cisco for the reset. I can't find any info on Cisco relating directly to the AP4800E is the 340 and 350 the same thing and have the same commands. The reason I ask is when I do a search on Cisco's site for AP4800 it does sometimes point to the 340.

Can anyone tell me if I can access this unit without sending it to Cisco? And if not how to reset it..

Thanks Randy

Reply to
Randy
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Hi Randy,

Cisco Aironet hardware and software do not allow password recovery.

You must instead return the equipment to its default state, from which it can be reconfigured:

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Hope this helps.

Brad Reese BradReese.Com Cisco Repair Service Experts

1293 Hendersonville Road, Suite 17 Asheville, North Carolina USA 28803 U.S. Toll Free: 877-549-2680 International: 828-277-7272 Website:
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www.BradReese.Com

Unfortunately this is the only Aironet in the whole building and at my disposal. :(

Thanks for the prompt reply

Randy Simm> Randy schrieb:

Reply to
Randy

Randy schrieb:

The official answer: there is no passwd recovery in the fw.

But if you have another 4500 or 4800 AP and access to the other unit, then you can upgrade the other to 8.80 and then push the fw update to the unit without passwd, if the old admin hasn't turned fw update of. Perhaps the radio stops working with 8.80, but after recovering the passswd, you can downgrade the fw back and the radio will work again.

Did this with a bunch of 3500 AP after pulling the radio, so they accepted the wrong firmware. All still working ;-)

Reply to
Uli Link

Randy schrieb:

I still have a few 3500E, but in Germany.

Reply to
Uli Link

| Unfortunately this is the only Aironet in the whole building and at my | disposal. :(

If you can convince the boot block that the main firmware is missing or corrupt it will request an Xmodem load on the console. (You can then install a newer firmware version that supports password reset.) You will probably have to rig up a circuit to disable the flash chip after the boot block is copied to RAM but before the main firmware is fully decompressed. Interestingly, once when I was doing this I glitched something at the wrong (right?) time and got a prompt that (among other things) let me enter the normal menu system with write privilege without resetting the configuration to default.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

Is this using a eeprom? if so can I open it up and reset it manually? Or is this in a sense what you are saying I thought of this last night

I know the unit works fine because I left it on last night and forgot about it. I turned on my laptop this afternoon and it found the signal. Ah but it is also pw protected. :(

Dan Lanciani wrote:

Reply to
Randy

| Is this using a eeprom?

It's a flash chip.

| if so can I open it up and reset it manually?

I suppose you could unsolder the surface-mount chip, reprogram it, and re-solder it...

|Or | is this in a sense what you are saying I thought of this last night

I was suggesting a somewhat less invasive strategy to trick the boot block into thinking thinking that it didn't have a valid main firmware image.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

Hi,

I just saw this thread and was wondering if the following would help. It is a part of the upgrade procedure for the AP4800 (and other VxWorks devices).

There is an option to format the config area of flash - this should allow you to wipe the config. I haven't tried it myself but it may be of some use, I have modified the text to show what you should try:

Determine the Boot-Block Version

When you connect to the AP and the Summary Status screen appears, reboot the AP: press Ctrl-X, or unplug and then replug the power connector.

As the AP reboots, introductory system information appears. The boot-block version appears in the third line of this text and is labeled Bootstrap Ver.

*** If your boot-block version is 1.01, your introductory text might look like this:

System ID: 00409625854D Motherboard: MPC860 50MHz, 2048KB FLASH, 16384KB DRAM, Revision 20 Bootstrap Ver. 1.01: FLASH, CRC 4143E410 (OK) Initialization: OK Upgrade Method for Boot-Block Versions 1.01 and Earlier Follow these steps to upgrade your AP if the boot-block version is 1.01 or earlier:

While the terminal emulator is connected to the console at 9600-8-N-1, power up the AP. This prompt appears:

Type within 5 seconds for menu.To enter the menu, press Esc. This prompt appears:

Type '=' for main menu.Press = (the equal sign key) to go to the main menu.

c -- Copy file f -- File dir l -- downLoad file into DRAM u -- Upload file p -- xfer Protocol n -- coNsole r -- Run s -- System info. ! -- FORMAT memory bank

Note: The menus are case-sensitive, and there is no command prompt like those seen in a Windows or UNIX command shell.

Press ! (the exclamation mark key, Shift-1) to erase the contents of Flash memory

! -- FORMAT memory bank Press 2 to select the Config bank.

FORMAT Memory Bank:

1 -- DRAM 2 -- Config 3 -- FLASH Press Y to confirm FORMAT.

Caution: This step erases all files in the bank.

Y -- *FORMAT* N -- CANCEL

When the Flash memory is erased, the system displays the updated contents of all memory types.

OR...

*** Method for Boot-Block Versions 1.02 and Later

Follow these steps to upgrade your AP if the boot-block version is 1.02 or later:

When the memory files are listed under the heading of Memory:File, press Ctrl-W within five seconds to reach the boot-block menu.

Press = (the equal sign key) to go to the main menu.

c -- Copy file f -- File dir l -- downLoad file into DRAM u -- Upload file p -- xfer Protocol n -- coNsole r -- Run s -- System info.Note:

The menus are case-sensitive, and there is no command prompt like those seen in a Windows or UNIX command shell.

Press Ctrl-Z to display the hidden reformat menu.

Press ! (the exclamation mark key, Shift-1) to erase the contents of Flash memory

! -- FORMAT memory bank Press 2 to select the Config memory bank.

FORMAT Memory Bank:

1 -- DRAM 2 -- Config 3 -- FLASH Press Y to confirm FORMAT.

Caution: This step erases all files in the bank.

Y -- *FORMAT* N -- CANCEL

When the Flash memory is erased, the system displays the updated contents of all memory types.

Regards,

Martin

Reply to
Martin Kayes

In article , snipped-for-privacy@anon.com (Martin Kayes) writes: | Hi, | | I just saw this thread and was wondering if the following would help. It is | a part of the upgrade procedure for the AP4800 (and other VxWorks devices).

The AP4800E is not a VxWorks device; it runs the original Aironet custom OS.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

That rings a bell. The example on Cisco's website that I copied the posted commands from was done on an AP4800E so either the interrupt sequence is the same or at some time they may have had a VxWorks upgrade available.

It's a bit before my time though!

Martin

Reply to
Martin Kayes

Martin Kayes schrieb:

No, there is no such upgrade. The Aironet 4800E is totally different hardware, with a Motorolla 68020 CPU. Larger case. The Aironet VxWorks 4800B is a PowerPC860. This is what shortly later was renamed to Cisco Aironet 340. Those one don't have AUI and BNC connectors and no Power switch.

Reply to
Uli Link

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