for the Cisco Catalyst 1700, 1900, 2100, 2800, and 2820

Contents

Introduction
Before You Begin
     Conventions
     Prerequisites
Step-by-Step Procedure
     Firmware Version 1.10 and Later
     Firmware Version 1.09 and Earlier
Related Information

Introduction

This document describes the password recovery procedure for the following Cisco products:

• Cisco Catalyst 1700

• Cisco Catalyst 1900

• Cisco Catalyst

• Cisco Catalyst 2800

• Cisco Catalyst 2820

Before You Begin

Conventions

For more information on document conventions, see the Cisco Technical Tips Conventions.

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites for this document.

Step-by-Step Procedure

Note: This section does not apply to those Catalyst 2800 switches that do not have the Mode button in their front panel. To recover the password on those switches, please refer to the Firmware Version 1.09 and Earlier section listed at the end of this document.

Check the boot firmware version number from the Systems Engineering menu. To access the Systems Engineering menu, follow the procedure below:

1. Disconnect the power cord from the rear panel.

2. Press and hold the Mode button on the front panel.

3. Power-cycle the switch.

4. Release the Mode button one or two seconds after the LED above port 1x goes off.

   -------------------------------------------------
   Cisco Systems Diagnostic Console
   Copyright(c) Cisco Systems, Inc. 1999
   All rights reserved.
   
   
   Ethernet Address: 00-E0-1E-7E-B4-40
   -------------------------------------------------
   

   Press Enter to continue.

5. Press Enter to display the Diagnostic Console - Systems Engineering menu.

   You will see the following Systems Engineering menu:

   Diagnostic Console - Systems Engineering
   Operation firmware version: 8.00.00 Status: valid
   Boot firmware version: 3.02
   [C] Continue with standard system start up
   [U] Upgrade operation firmware (XMODEM)
   [S] System Debug Interface
   Enter Selection:

6. The bold letters above show the Boot firmware version.

Firmware Version 1.10 and Later

Note:  If the shipping date is before June 1997, please refer to the Firmware Version 1.09 and Earlier section of this document, and contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for password recovery.

Clearing the Password

To clear your password, follow the steps below:

1. Power-cycle the switch.

   After POST completes, the following prompt displays:

   Do you wish to clear the passwords? [Y]es or [N]o: 
   

   Note: You have ten seconds to respond. If you don't respond within that time, the Management Console Logon screen displays. You cannot change this waiting period.

2. Enter [Y]es to delete the existing password from Nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM).

   Note: If you type [N]o, the existing password remains valid.

3. Assign a password from the switch management interfaces (management console or Command Line Interface (CLI)).

Viewing the Password

For firmware versions between 1.10 and 3.02, you can view the password you are trying to recover (instead of clearing it as described in the previous section).

1. Access the diagnostic console.

   1. Press and hold the Mode button.

   2. Power-cycle the switch.

   3. Release the Mode button one or two seconds after the LED above port 1x goes off.

      You will see the following logon screen:

      -------------------------------------------------
      Cisco Systems Diagnostic Console
      Copyright(c) Cisco Systems, Inc. 1999
      All rights reserved.
       
      
      Ethernet Address: 00-E0-1E-7E-B4-40
      -------------------------------------------------
      
      

   4. Press Enter to continue.

2. Press Enter and select the [S] option on the Diagnostic Console - Systems Engineering menu, and then select the [V] option on the Diagnostic Console - System Debug Interface menu to display the management console password.

3. If you want to change the password, select the [M] option on the Console Settings menu.

Firmware Version 1.09 and Earlier

Note: If the shipping date is before June 1997, please gather the information listed in this section, and contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for password recovery.

Note: This section is also applicable for those Catalyst 2800 switches that do not have the Mode button in their front panel.

To recover your password, follow the steps below:

1. Contact the Cisco TAC for the factory-installed password.

2. Provide the serial number and/or Media Access Control (MAC) address of the switch.

   The serial number is usually located on the back of the unit. To obtain the MAC address, remove the cover and read the Ethernet address of the Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM).

Related Information

• Technical Support - Cisco Systems