Service Password-Recovery - Cisco Catalyst 2950 Command Reference Manual

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Chapter 2 Catalyst 2950 and 2955 Cisco IOS Commands

service password-recovery

Use the service password-recovery global configuration command to enable the password-recovery
mechanism (the default). An end user with physical access to the switch can hold down the Mode button
and interrupt the boot process while the switch is powering up and can assign a new password. Use the
no form of this command to disable part of the password-recovery functionality. When the
password-recovery mechanism is disabled, interrupting the boot process is allowed only if the user
agrees to set the system back to the default configuration.
This command is available only on Catalyst 2950 Long-Reach Ethernet (LRE) switches.
Syntax Description This command has no arguments or keywords.
Defaults
The password-recovery mechanism is enabled.
Command Modes
Global configuration
Command History Release
12.1(11)YJ
Usage Guidelines
This command is valid only on Catalyst 2950 LRE switches.
As a system administrator, you can use the no service password-recovery command to disable some of
the functionality of the password recovery feature by allowing an end user to reset a password only by
agreeing to return to the default configuration.
To use the password-recovery procedure, a user with physical access to the switch holds down the Mode
button while the unit powers up and for a second or two after the LED above port 1X goes off. When the
button is released, the system continues with initialization. If the password-recovery mechanism is disabled,
this message appears:
The password-recovery mechanism has been triggered, but
is currently disabled.
through the password-recovery mechanism is disallowed at
this point.
reset back to the default system configuration, access
to the boot loader prompt can still be allowed.
Would you like to reset the system back to the default configuration (y/n)?
If the user chooses not to reset the system back to the default configuration, the normal boot process
continues, as if the Mode button had not been pressed. If you choose to reset the system back to the
default configuration, the configuration file in flash memory is deleted and the VLAN database file,
flash:vlan.dat (if present) is deleted.
0L-10102-01
service password-recovery
no service password-recovery
Modification
This command was introduced.
Access to the boot loader prompt
However, if you agree to let the system be
Catalyst 2950 and Catalyst 2955 Switch Command Reference
service password-recovery
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