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copy boot image to 7500 flash

We have a Cisco 7513 router that is stuck at the rommon> prompt. It has no boot or IOS image in flash so we can go no further.

We have boot and IOS images. Cisco documentation says that we have to use an existing 7500 series router(or anything that can talk to a Cisco Class A filesystem) to copy the boot image to a pcmcia pc card and use that to boot the router, then we can use tftp to get the IOS image into flash.

We are familiar with tftp file copies but we have no access to another Cisco 7500 series router to get the boot image onto the pcmcia pc card. Is there any other way to write the boot image to the pcmcia pc card? Do Windows operating systems or common pc card readers work with that Cisco Class A filesystem?

Danny Miller

Reply to
danny
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There used to be a linux-software to read (and perhaps write) class B filesystems and partially call A. It's from 2002... If you take some live-linux from those days it might work (I did not try :-) :

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Yours, Holger

Reply to
Holger Petersen

Are you sure that you have lost the image(s) from the bootflash. This is an on-board flash seperate from the pcmcia card?

Also:- It's a few years (several few years:) since I saw a 7500 and I will never have needed to recover one from this state however it does surprise me that there is no xmodem or tftp boot facility in the rommon.

I have looked and cannot see it documented but I would be for having a look anyway. The only cisco device that I have encountered that could not be recovered was the early 6500 supervisor - not that I needed to, but there were warning about it in the CatOS->IOS swapover documents.

Reply to
bod43

You can't TFTP an image on a 7500 series because each line card runs IOS (it is a distributed IOS system), so without a bootable IOS flash device, the interfaces don't work. The bootflash should contain a recovery IOS version (which is different that your bootable version of IOS), which will allow you to TFTP an IOS to the flash. If you have accidentially deleted the emergency boot IOS from the bootflash, and you don't have another 7500, your only recourse will be to open a TAC case and RMA the RSP. The replacement RSP will include an emergency boot IOS on the bootflash and a valid IOS image on the flash. Follow these procedures to see if you have an image on the bootflash.

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Are you sure that you have lost the image(s) from the bootflash. This is an on-board flash seperate from the pcmcia card?

Also:- It's a few years (several few years:) since I saw a 7500 and I will never have needed to recover one from this state however it does surprise me that there is no xmodem or tftp boot facility in the rommon.

I have looked and cannot see it documented but I would be for having a look anyway. The only cisco device that I have encountered that could not be recovered was the early 6500 supervisor - not that I needed to, but there were warning about it in the CatOS->IOS swapover documents.

Reply to
Thrill5

Most likely bootflash: still is there, they just have to find the files in there and boot from it. There was seldom a 75xx I've ever touched that the techs ever updated bootflash: boot images on. It would surprise me greately if the files really are gone from there.

A 7500 has tftpdnld in its rommon. That will be by far the easiest way to restore any IOS image needed on its Flash card.

The OP will not be able to deal with the linear flash card from a 7513 on a PC system. The 7513 can use ATA Flash like a PC would expect, but then its referenced with disk0: instead of slot0: and is totally unsupported configuration. Rather quirky too from what I remember.

Really, the 3620/3640 are the only ones (until you get back to the 4500M/3000 series IIRC) that don't have tftpdnld, or ROM IOS (ie. 2500, AGS/CGS/MGS/2000) that requires you do do the fun xmodem download.

Reply to
Doug McIntyre

I don't think that we have any boot image in bootflash or eeprom, here is what I get on the 7513:

rommon 8 > dev Devices in device table: id name bootflash: boot flash slot0: PCMCIA slot 0 slot1: PCMCIA slot 1 eprom: eprom rommon 9 > dir bootflash: File size Checksum File name 192344 bytes (0x2ef58) 0xb301df90 crashinfo_20010626-211512 121996 bytes (0x1dc8c) 0xbf54375a crashinfo_vip_0_20010710-153655 171033 bytes (0x29c19) 0x15eaf2b4 crashinfo_20010710-153710 196569 bytes (0x2ffd9) 0xd60e80b7 crashinfo_20010718-203014 rommon 10 > dir eprom: File size Checksum File name 3249 bytes (0xcb1) 0xfc06 uncompress 14505 bytes (0x38a9) 0x9276 dbus_image rommon 11 >

But there is a dnld command here:

rommon 11 > ? alias set and display aliases command boot boot up an external process break set/show/clear the breakpoint confreg configuration register utility cont continue executing a downloaded image context display the context of a loaded image dev list the device table dir list files in file system dis disassemble instruction stream dnld serial download a program module frame print out a selected stack frame help monitor builtin command help history monitor command history meminfo main memory information repeat repeat a monitor command reset system reset set display the monitor variables stack produce a stack trace sync write monitor environment to NVRAM sysret print out info from last system return unalias unset an alias unset unset a monitor variable rommon 12 >

so maybe I can use this "dnld" command. I did find a Cisco document that talks about using this command, thanks for the pointer.

Danny Miller

Reply to
danny

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