14

QUESTION

For a Cisco 2960-S switch, when connecting on the console port, normally the prompt is:

SwitchName>

then you issue an enable command and end-up with a prompt like:

SwitchName#

However, I stumbled to diagnostic a switch which was improperly booted with this prompt:

switch:

Note that the hostname wasn't shown, switch: is the exact prompt displayed, ending with a colon. I tried finding more information about this mode so that I can understand what happened and if it will happen again, but couldn't.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

  • there was a blinking-amber light on the front panel (I must admit I did not note which one, but it was one of the top ones, I think it could be RPS)
  • this was following a power outage
  • none of the ports had any indicators ON
  • no command of my knowledge were recognized on that prompt
  • I ended-up powering off twice the switch until it booted properly again
  • I haven't been able to reproduce since
Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
14

The colon indicates that you've entered the switch bootloader.

There are a few things you can do in this mode, the most popular I can think of is replacing a corrupted IOS image, which would be a good reason why you ended up there in the first place.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    "bootloader mode" is then the cisco nomenclature for this mode
    – Philibert Perusse
    Aug 5, 2013 at 16:20
  • 4
    another good reason to be in the bootrom is to bypass the saved config on next boot. This is often times useful and used for password resets.
    – emynd
    Aug 5, 2013 at 16:49
2

You've most likely accidentally pushed the "Mode" button on the front-left of the switch while it was booting. This will put the switch into "switch: mode", where you can perform functions such as password recovery, work with the flash, etc. -- see Cisco here:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps628/products_password_recovery09186a0080094184.shtml#topic1

You can type the command "boot" to reload the switch (or simply power cycle it), and it should then boot up normally.

-Rob.

Improve this answer
1
  • If it was following a power outage, there's also a chance that a glitch on the console got interpreted as a break.
    – chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic-
    Aug 7, 2013 at 20:37

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.