Table Of Contents
PXM45 Backup Boot Procedures
Changing to PXM45 Backup Boot Mode
Browsing the File System in Backup Boot Mode
Locating Software Updates
Transferring Software Files to and from the Switch
Clearing the Switch Configuration
Initializing the PXM45 Hard Disk
PXM45 Backup Boot Procedures
When a PXM45 card starts up, it first loads the boot software on the card. If the PXM45 cannot load the runtime firmware, the card continues to run the boot software in what is called backup boot mode. The backup boot prompt is as follows:
Some switch procedures, such as PXM45 card initialization and boot software upgrades, must be performed in backup boot mode. This appendix describes the following procedures:
•
Changing to PXM45 Backup Boot Mode
•
Browsing the File System in Backup Boot Mode
•
Locating Software Updates
•
Transferring Software Files to and from the Switch
•
Clearing the Switch Configuration
•
Initializing the PXM45 Hard Disk
Changing to PXM45 Backup Boot Mode
You must enter PXM45 backup boot mode to perform certain configuration procedures such as burning boot software. The following procedure describes how to switch to backup boot mode.
Step 1
Establish a CLI session with the PXM45 card using the CP port on the UI-S3 back card and a user name with CISCO_GP privileges.
Note
A CP port session is required because you will be resetting the node and entering commands in "Backup Boot mode," which is not accessible through other connection methods.
Step 2
At the switch prompt, enter the sh command to switch to the PXM45 shell mode.
The switch will display the following shell mode prompt:
Step 3
At the shell prompt, enter the enter the sysBackupBoot command:
Note
This command and all commands that you enter in shell mode are case sensitive.
The PXM45 card reboots after you enter this command.
Tip
If you are accessing the CP port through a terminal server, rebooting the PXM45 may disrupt your connection. Random characters may appear on the display or the display may appear to "hang." If this happens, use your terminal software command to reset the terminal connection. After a successful reset, switch status messages should start appearing on the display.
When the reboot is complete, the following PXM45 Backup Boot banner appears:
PPPPPPPPPPP XXX XXX M M 4444 555555555
PP PP XX XX MM MM 44 44 55
PP pp XX XX MMM MMM 44 44 55 555
PP pp XX XX MMMM MMMM 44 44 5555 55
PP PP XXXX MM MMMMM MM 44 44 55 55
PPPPPPPPP XX XX MM MMM MM 44444444444 55
PPPP XXX XXX MMMM MMMM 4444 5555
To avoid reset from the Active card, use sysPxmRemove()
pxm45bkup>Use sysFWLoad() for FW download from active PXM.
Step 4
When the PXM45 Backup Boot banner appears, press return to display the backup boot prompt:
When the backup boot prompt appears, you are in backup boot mode.
Caution 
Some backup boot mode commands, such as debug commands, can consume switch resources and reduce switch performance. Cisco recommends that you only execute backup boot commands described in the product documentation. Experimenting with some commands can degrade switch performance or interrupt switch operation completely.
Step 5
If the PXM45 you restarted is the standby card for an active PXM45 card in the same switch, enter the sysPxmRemove command to prevent the active card from restarting the card you are working on.
Tip
To display a list of commands available in backup boot mode, enter the help command.
Browsing the File System in Backup Boot Mode
The PXM45 hard disk stores log files, configuration files, and boot and runtime software. The switch operating system supports a set of UNIX-like commands that you can use to locate log files or manage software updates. Many of the commands are the same commands that operate at the switch prompt, however, in backup boot mode you must enclose the file path in quotation marks. Table B-1 lists commands that you can use to browse the file system.
Note
File and directory names in the switch file system are case sensitive.
Table B-1 File System Commands at Backup Boot Prompt
Command
|
Description
|
cd
|
Change directories.
Syntax: cd "<path>"
Example: cd "C:FW"
|
copy
|
Copies a file from one location to another.
Syntax: copy "<source file name>", "<destination file name>"
Example: copy "C:FW/pxm45_002.001.000.000_bt.fw", "C:FW/test"
|
remove
|
Deletes a file.
Syntax: remove "<file name>"
Example: remove "test"
|
ll
|
List directory contents using long format, which includes the name, size, modification date, and modification time for each file. This command also displays the total disk space and free disk space.
Syntax: ll ["path"]
Example: ll "C:FW"
Note When you first start a session in backup boot mode, the present working directory is a directory on a remote server as specified by the runtime software bootchange command. If you enter the ll command and the remote server is unavailable or does not exist, the switch appears to hang as the switch attempts to access the remote server. To avoid this, select a directory on the C: drive with the cd command first or specify a path with the ll command. To reboot the PXM45 card when it is searching for a remote server, press Control-X.
|
ls
|
List directory contents using the short format, which displays filenames, total disk space, and free disk space.
Syntax: ls ["path"]
Example: ls
|
pwd
|
Display the present working directory.
When you first start a session in backup boot mode, the present working directory is a directory on a remote server as specified by the runtime software bootchange command. To change to a directory on the C: drive, enter the cd command.
Syntax: pwd
Example: pwd
|
rename
|
Renames a file.
Syntax: rename "<old file name>", "<new file name>"
Example: rename "test", "deleteme"
|
whoami
|
Lists the login name for the current session.
Since there is no user log-in procedure for backup boot mode, the username reported by the whoami command is the username configured by the runtime software bootchange command for remote server access.
Syntax: whoami
Example: whoami
|
Locating Software Updates
For information on locating software updates, refer to the Release Notes for Cisco MGX 8850 and MGX 8830 Software Version 3 (PXM45/B and PXM1E) or the Release Notes for Cisco MGX 8950 Software Version 3.
Transferring Software Files to and from the Switch
This section describes how to copy software files between the switch and another computer when the switch is in backup boot mode. In most cases, you will use this procedure because the switch cannot completely load the runtime software and ends start up in either backup boot mode or shell mode.
Note
When the switch displays the switch prompt (which includes the switch name), copy files to the switch using the procedure described in the "Copying Software Files to the Switch" section in "Downloading and Installing Software Upgrades."
The Cisco MGX 8850 and the Cisco MGX 8950 switches provide a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) service to support file transfers between the switch and other computers. If you have FTP client software and network connectivity to both the switch and the server where the software files are stored, you can FTP files directly from the server to the switch. You can also use this FTP service to recover log files, boot and runtime files, or saved configuration files before replacing the hard disk.
To transfer files with the FTP service, use the following procedure.
Step 1
If you are copying software files to the switch, refer to the Release Notes for Cisco MGX 8850 and MGX 8830 Software Version 3 (PXM45/B and PXM1E) or the Release Notes for Cisco MGX 8950 Software Version 3 to locate a server from which you can download the files.
Step 2
Using a workstation with FTP client software, establish connections to the server where the files are stored and to the switch.
The procedure you use for transferring the files depends on the FTP client software you are using. When initiating the FTP connection, remember the following:
•
Select the switch by entering its IP address.
•
When prompted for a username and password, the username for backup boot mode access is cisco and the password is supplied with your switch.
Step 3
For all transfers to or from the switch, select binary mode for the file transfer. The files are located in the following directories:
•
PXM45 and AXSM files are in the directory C:FW.
•
RPM-PR files are in the directory E:RPM.
•
Log files are in the directory C:LOG.
•
Configuration files are in the directory C:CNF.
Step 4
To verify that files have been transferred to the switch, use the directory commands listed in the "Browsing the File System in Backup Boot Mode" section which appears earlier in this appendix.
Clearing the Switch Configuration
To clear the entire switch configuration, use the sysClrallcnf command. This command clears all the provisioning data and most of the general switch configuration parameters, such as the switch name and SNMP configuration.
Initializing the PXM45 Hard Disk
If the switch troubleshooting process indicates that the PXM45 hard disk is not operating correctly, you can try to correct the problem by re initializing the hard disk as described in the following procedure.
Step 1
Establish a backup boot session on the PXM45 that connects to the affected hard disk as described in the "Changing to PXM45 Backup Boot Mode" section, which appears earlier in this chapter.
Step 2
Start a disk format by entering the diskFormat command as shown in the following example:
pxm45bkup>diskFormat "C:"
IDE: format in progress. This takes a while ........
When the format is complete, a message similar to the one in the following example appears:
Disk format complete. Reboot the system .....
Step 3
Enter the reboot command to restart the card.
Step 4
When the stop auto-boot prompt appears, press return to enter backup boot mode.
The following example shows the prompt and the message that appears when a newly formatted hard disk is detected.
Press Return key to stop auto-boot...2
To avoid reset from the Active card, use sysPxmRemove()
Use sysFWLoad() for FW download from active PXM.
********************************************************
* Disk does not have valid configuration. *
* Please run sysDiskCfgCreate(), and then reboot. *
********************************************************
Step 5
If the PXM45 you restarted is the standby card for an active PXM45 card in the same switch, enter the sysPxmRemove command to prevent the active card from restarting the card you are working on.
Step 6
Enter the sysDiskCfgCreate command to set up the PXM45 hard disk.
Step 7
If this is a standalone PXM45 card, copy the runtime and boot software files to the switch as described in the "Transferring Software Files to and from the Switch" section, which appears earlier in this appendix.
Step 8
Enter the reboot command to restart the card.
Step 9
If this is a standalone PXM45 card, set up the switch as if it were a new switch as described in the "Configuration Quickstart" section in "Configuring General Switch Features."
If this is a standby PXM45 card, the active PXM45 card will update the newly-formatted hard disk with the active configuration. When the update is complete, the card will enter standby mode and the switch prompts you for a user name and password. Enter the user name and password to log in. After login, the switch prompt should include the letter s, indicating the card is operating in standby mode. For example:
Note
The switch prompt might initially display the letter i for initialization. Press Return to display an updated switch prompt, or enter the dspcds command several times until the switch prompt or the dspcds command display shows the card is operating in standby mode. The card must complete initialization before entering standby mode.