Reset the password on a Cisco Catalyst 3560

Reset the password on a Cisco Catalyst 3560

October 22, 2012 Geeking Out One comment

This assumes you have access to the switch.. and that at the very least.. your dumb ass forgot the password.
Step One: Connect your serial cable to the switch with your very favorite terminal software (I use gtkterm) and set the port to 9600 baud data bits 8 no parity stop bits 1 and Flow Control as Xon/Xoff
Step Two: Unplug the switch.
Step Three: Hold down the mode button on the front and plug the switch back in. Release the Mode button after approximately 15 seconds when the SYST LED turns solid green. When you release the Mode button, the SYST LED blinks green.
Step 4: Issue the flash_init command
switch:flash_init
Initializing Flash...
flashfs[0]: 402 files, 6 directories
flashfs[0]: 0 orphaned files, 0 orphaned directories
flashfs[0]: Total bytes: 15998976
flashfs[0]: Bytes used: 8165888
flashfs[0]: Bytes available: 7833088
flashfs[0]: flashfs fsck took 9 seconds.
...done Initializing Flash.
Boot Sector Filesystem (bs) installed, fsid: 3
Setting console baud rate to 9600...
Step 5: Issue the load_helper command
switch: load_helper
Step 6: Issue the dir flash: command
switch: dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
2 -rwx 796 vlan.dat
4 -rwx 10968 config.text
5 drwx 192 c3560-ipbase-mz.122-25.SEE2
409 -rwx 27 private-config.text
7833088 bytes available (8165888 bytes used)
Step 7: rename the current config on the flash to something else to save it by typing..
switch: rename flash:config.text flash:config.old
Step 8: Boot the system with the boot command
switch:boot
This takes a minute or so.. and you will see a message to the effect of:
Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:
You type No. and this gets you to a Switch> prompt.
Step 9: type en, to enter enable mode.
Switch>en
Switch#
Step 10: You are now going to re-rename that config file.
Switch#rename flash:config.old flash:config.text
Destination filename [config.text]? (press enter here, don't type y.. if you type y.. you rename the file to y.. lol
Step 11: Copy that very same config into memory
Switch#copy flash:config.text system:running-config
Destination filename [running-config]?
Step 12: type conf t
switchname#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
switchname(config)#
Step 13: Reset your Passwords:
reset secret:
switchname(config)#enable secret secretpass
reset switch password
switchname(config)#enable password pass
reset vty password
switchname(config)#line vty 0 15
switchname(config-line)#password vtypass
reset console password
switchname(config)#line con 0
switchname(config-line)#password conpassword
Step 14: Type exit a couple of times to get back to # and write memory to save.
switchname#write memory
Building configuration...
[OK]