Cisco 7000 Series Hardware Installation And Maintenance Manual page 181

Recovering a Lost Password
An overview of recovering a lost password follows:
•
Enter the show version command to note the existing software configuration register value.
•
Break to the bootstrap program prompt (ROM monitor).
•
Change the configuration register to 0x0141 (ignore Break; ignore NVRAM; boot from ROM).
A key to recovering a lost password is to set the configuration register so that the contents of
Note
NVRAM are ignored (0x0040), allowing you to see your password.
•
Enter privileged level in the system bootstrap program.
•
Enter the show configuration command to display the enable password.
•
Change the configuration register value back to its original setting.
Note To recover a lost password if Break is disabled on the router, you must have physical access
to the router.
To recover a lost password, follow these procedures.
Attach an ASCII terminal to the router console port, which is located on the rear panel.
Step 1
Configure the terminal to operate at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 2 stop bits (or to
Step 2
whatever settings the router is set).
Step 3 Enter the show version command to display the existing configuration register value. Note
this value for later use in Step 14.
Step 4 If Break is disabled, power cycle the router. (Turn the router OFF, wait five seconds, and
then turn it ON again.) If Break is enabled on the router, press the Break key or send a break
and then proceed to Step 5.
Within 60 seconds of turning on the router, press the Break key. This action causes the
Step 5
terminal to display the bootstrap program prompt (>).
To reset the configuration register to boot from the boot ROMs and ignore NVRAM, enter
Step 6
o/r at the bootstrap prompt as follows:
> o/r
If the boot ROMs do not support the software configuration register—that is, they are not
Note
Release 10.0 or later—this command will not be recognized and the current hardware configuration
register value will display.
Installing and Configuring Processor Modules
Maintenance 5-23