Flash memory formatting

[darkhut]

I have a 2501 and a 2514, I took the flash out of the 2514 and put it in the 2501, and the router booted fine, but it only showed 2 flash partitions of 4 mb each instead of a single 8mb one. My question is how do you make the router see a single 8mb flash, so I can install a biger IOS.

fresh CCNA

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Darkhut,

You might want to read this Cisco site about memory configs -

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products..._guide_chapter09186a00800ca737.html#wp1001143

This is from that page but you might want to read the whole thing first!

Partitioning Flash Memory
To partition Flash memory, use one of the forms of the following command in global configuration mode:


Command -
Router(config)# partition flash partitions [size1 size2]

Purpose -
Partitions Flash memory.

Hope this helps!





E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[darkhut]

well I did read that and some more, and I still can't find anything related to my problem. I tried:

partition flash 1 8

and I get:

%Error: requested partitioning cannot be done

which is kind of logical, since 2500 series runs from flash , and the bank from which the image is loaded is read only. Any other ideas?


fresh CCNA

 

[darkhut]

never mind, it was so easy but I couldn't see it. This is how you do it:
you restart the router in rxboot, and issue a copy tftp flash command. the router treats the 2 flash simms as being one 8 mb simm, so you confirm the erasing of whatever you had on the 2 simms, and you're good to go
so now, I have this on my 25$ router

Router#show version
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) 2500 Software (C2500-IS56I-L), Version 12.0(24), RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Copyright (c) 1986-2002 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Mon 30-Sep-02 21:39 by srani
Image text-base: 0x03042828, data-base: 0x00001000

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 4.14(9.1), SOFTWARE

Router uptime is 9 minutes
System restarted by reload
System image file is "flash:c2500-is56i-l.120-24.bin"

cisco 2500 (68030) processor (revision D) with 4096K/2048K bytes of memory.
Processor board ID 01707381, with hardware revision 00000000
Bridging software.
X.25 software, Version 3.0.0.
1 Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interface(s)
2 Serial network interface(s)
32K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
8192K bytes of processor board System flash (Read ONLY)

Configuration register is 0x2102

fresh CCNA

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Darkhut,

You can tell you are a real CCNA now - you are able to answer your own questions!

That is kindof what I was trying to get at when I said to read it all because I remembered that with the 2500s it was a little different!

Thanks for posting the solution - I know I will need it soon for several of my 2500s I will upgrade the flash on !


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[darkhut]

hehe, oh yea, it feels good when you make it work

fresh CCNA

 

[darkhut]

one more thing, if you go for the 16mb max flash, you might have to upgrade the boot roms too, they sell on Ebay around 50$ and up

fresh CCNA

 

[darkhut]

Router#show version
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) 2500 Software (C2500-IS56I-L), Version 12.0(24), RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Copyright (c) 1986-2002 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Mon 30-Sep-02 21:39 by srani
Image text-base: 0x03042828, data-base: 0x00001000

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 4.14(9.1), SOFTWARE

Router uptime is 1 minute
System restarted by power-on
System image file is "flash:c2500-is56i-l.120-24.bin"

cisco 2500 (68030) processor (revision D) with 16384K/2048K bytes of memory.
Processor board ID 01707381, with hardware revision 00000000
Bridging software.
X.25 software, Version 3.0.0.
1 Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interface(s)
2 Serial network interface(s)
32K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
8192K bytes of processor board System flash (Read ONLY)

Configuration register is 0x2102



What is different from the previous "show version"?

fresh CCNA

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Darkhut,

Before - cisco 2500 (68030) processor (revision D) with 4096K/2048K bytes of memory.

After - cisco 2500 (68030) processor (revision D) with 16384K/2048K bytes of memory.

You now have MAX DRAM 16 megs but both "show" only 8 megs of FLASH.


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[darkhut]

yea, even with my old boot rom I can have max dram, I wonder about max flash though. the router seems a little faster in responding to commands, but the boot sequence is slower with more flash

fresh CCNA