Cisco NX-OS Software

Table Of Contents

Password Recovery Procedure for Cisco NX-OS

Contents

Prerequisites

Requirements

Conventions

Recovering the Network Administrator Password

Using the CLI with Network-Admin Privileges

Power Cycling the Device

Related Documentation

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

Password Recovery Procedure for Cisco NX-OS

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Revised: August 6, 2008

This document describes how to recover a lost network administrator password from the console port of a device operating with Cisco NX-OS.

The Cisco NX-OS software is a data center-class operating system that is based on the Cisco SAN-OS software. The Cisco NX-OS software fulfills the routing, switching, and storage networking requirements of data centers and provides an Extensible Markup Language (XML) interface and a command-line interface (CLI) similar Cisco IOS software.

Contents

This document includes the following sections:

•Prerequisites

•Recovering the Network Administrator Password

•Related Documentation, page 3

•Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

Prerequisites

This section describes the prerequisites to performing the recovery procedure and includes the following topics:

•Requirements

•Conventions

Requirements

On a device with two supervisor modules, you must perform the password recovery procedure on the supervisor module that will become the active module after you complete the recovery procedure. In order to ensure that the other supervisor module does not become active, perform one of the following two tasks:

•Physically remove the other supervisor module from the chassis.

•Change the console prompt of the other supervisor module to one of the following two prompts until the recovery procedure completes:

–loader >

–switch(boot) #

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Note For more information about these prompts, see the documentation for your device.

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Conventions

For more information about document conventions, see the Cisco Technical Tips Conventions at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/paws/17016/techtip_conventions.pdf

Recovering the Network Administrator Password

You can recover the network administrator password using one of two methods:

•From the CLI with a username that has network-admin privileges

•By power cycling the device

This section includes the following topies:

•Using the CLI with Network-Admin Privileges

•Power Cycling the Device

Using the CLI with Network-Admin Privileges

If you are logged in to, or can log into, the device with a username that has network-admin privileges, follow these steps:

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Step 1 Verify that your username has network-admin privileges.

switch# show user-account

user:admin

        this user account has no expiry date

        roles:network-admin

user:dbgusr

        this user account has no expiry date

        roles:network-admin network-operator

Step 2 Assign a new network administrator password if your username has network-admin privileges, .

switch# configure terminal

switch(config)# username admin password <new password>

switch(config)# exit

switch#

Step 3 Save the configuration.

switch# copy running-config startup-config

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Power Cycling the Device

If you cannot start a session on the device that has network-admin privileges, you must recover the network administrator password by power cycling the device.

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Caution This procedure disrupts all traffic on the device. All connections to the device will be lost for 2 to 3 minutes.

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Note You cannot recover the administrator password from a Telnet or SSH session. You must have access to the local console connection. See the "Starting a Switch in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family" section on page 5-2 for information on setting up the console connection.

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To recover the network administrator password by power cycling the device, follow these steps:

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Step 1 Establish a terminal session on the console port of the active supervisor module.

Step 2 Power cycle the device.

Step 3 Press the Ctrl-] key sequence from the console port session when the device begins the Cisco NX-OS software boot sequence to enter the switch(boot)# prompt mode.

Ctrl-] 

switch(boot)#

Step 4 Reset the network administrator password.

switch(boot)# configure terminal

switch(boot-config)# admin-password <new password>

switch(boot-config)# exit

switch(boot)#

Step 5 Display the bootflash: contents to locate the Cisco NX-OS software image file.

switch(boot)# dir bootflash:

Step 6 Load the Cisco NX-OS system software image.

In the following example, the system image filename is nx-os.bin:

switch(boot) # load bootflash:nx-os.bin

Step 7 Log in to the device using the new administrator password.

switch login: admin

Password: <new password>

Step 8 Reset the new password to ensure that is it is also the SNMP password.

switch# configure terminal

switch(config)# username admin password <new password>

switch(config)# exit

switch#

Step 9 Insert the previously removed standby supervisor module into the chassis, if necessary.

Step 10 Boot the Cisco NX-OS kickstart image on the standby supervisor module, if necessary.

In the following example, the image filename is nx-os_kickstart.bin:

loader# boot bootflash:nx-os_kickstart.bin

Step 11 Load the Cisco NX-OS system software on the standby supervisor module, if necessary.

In the following example, the image filename is nx-os.bin:

switch(boot)# load bootflash:nx-os.bin

Step 12 Save the configuration.

switch# copy running-config startup-config

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Related Documentation

Cisco NX-OS documentation is available at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9372/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

The documentation set for Cisco NX-OS includes the following documents:

Release Notes

Cisco NX-OS Release Notes, Release 4.0

NX-OS Configuration Guides

Cisco NX-OS Getting Started with Virtual Device Contexts, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Fundamentals Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 4. 0

Cisco NX-OS Layer 2 Switching Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Quality of Service Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Multicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Security Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Virtual Device Context Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Software Upgrade Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS High Availability and Redundancy Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS XML Management Interface User Guide, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS System Messages Reference

Cisco NX-OS MIB Quick Reference

NX-OS Command References

Cisco NX-OS Command Reference Master Index, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Fundamentals Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Interfaces Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Layer 2 Switching Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Quality of Service Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Unicast Routing Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Multicast Routing Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Security Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS Virtual Device Context Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS High Availability and Redundancy Command Reference, Release 4.0

Cisco NX-OS System Management Command Reference, Release 4.0

Other Software Document

Cisco NX-OS Troubleshooting Guide, Release 4.0

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html

Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS version 2.0.

This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Related Documentation" section.

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