Using the Flash Disk
Available Languages
Table Of Contents
Hardware and Software Requirements
System Memory and Software Image Functions and Interactions
Electrical Equipment Guidelines
Electrostatic Discharge Prevention
Obtaining Technical Assistance
Contacting TAC by Using the Cisco TAC Website
Using the Flash Disk
Product Numbers: MEM-C4K-FLD64M=, MEM-C4K-FLD128M=
Customer Order Number: DOC-7814096=
Introduction
This configuration note is a standalone publication that provides instructions for installing, removing, and using Flash Disks in Cisco products that have PC Card slots—formerly called Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slots. This document also applies to the compact Flash Disk used on the Catalyst 4000 family Supervisor Engine III.
Flash Disks and the compact Flash Disk provide from 48 MB to 128 MB of storage space for your configuration files, Cisco IOS software images, and so forth. (For a more complete discussion of Flash Disk features, see the "Product Description" section.)
Contents
This configuration note includes the following sections:
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Obtaining Technical Assistance
Related Documentation
Your system and the Cisco IOS software running on it contain extensive features and functionality. For information on Cisco IOS software and for general installation and maintenance information for your system, use the following resources:
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Installation Prerequisites
This section describes installation prerequisites you should observe before you can use the Flash Disk in your system, and includes the following subsections:
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Hardware and Software Requirements
The Flash Disk provides file storage for the Catalyst 4000 family Supervisor Engine III if this system is running Cisco IOS Release 12.1(8) EY or later.
Tools and Parts Required
You need some or all of the following tools and parts to install a Flash Disk:
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Compatibility Requirements
This section discusses Flash Disk compatibility and use between supported systems.
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The compact Flash Disk is supported by the Cisco 7401ASR router only.
The format command places a processor-specific library on the Flash Disk so that the ROM monitor software can read the Flash memory media. If you plan to use the boot or dir commands at the ROM monitor prompt (rommon>), you might need to reformat your Flash Disk if it was not already formatted on a like system processor. To ensure Flash Disk system compatibility, observe the following guidelines:
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In order to boot a Cisco IOS software image from the Flash Disk, when the system is executing from the ROM monitor software image, your ROM monitor software image and your rxboot image (which are contained in the boot ROM device on your system processor) must be Cisco IOS Release 12.1(8) EY or later. Use the show version or show hardware commands to verify that your RSP8-based system is running these software images.
System Memory and Software Image Functions and Interactions
The read-only memory (ROM) monitor image on your system performs important functions, such as running a brief set of system diagnostics, and initializing the hardware. This image gains control at reset or power on, or after a nonrecoverable event (such as a bus error). The ROM monitor software image has a rudimentary user interface that is recognizable by way of the ROM monitor prompt (rommon>). The ROM monitor software image has console drivers and trap handlers for parity and bus errors; however, the ROM monitor does not have any network interface code and it cannot boot an image over the network.
By default, and as a result of a reset or power on, the ROM monitor loads the rxboot image from boot flash memory. If the ROM monitor cannot find a bootable image in boot flash memory, it searches the PC Card-based devices (such as linear Flash memory cards or Flash Disks) for the first bootable image. Normally, this would be the boot image.
The boot image, when loaded, looks in the boot environment variables—stored in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM)—to determine the location of the Cisco IOS software image and the configuration to use.
The operation of the boot environment variables is described in the "Boot Environment Variables" section, which follows.
Boot Environment Variables
The contents of the boot environment variables, which are stored in the configuration file in NVRAM, determine the actions your system takes on bootup. To see the current settings of these variables, use the show bootvar command as follows:
Router> show bootvarBOOT variable =CONFIG_FILE variable =Current CONFIG_FILE variable =BOOTLDR variable does not existConfiguration register is 0x100Following are explanations for each of these boot environment variables:
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Enter configuration mode and specify a filename and PC Card slot from which to boot using the configure terminal and boot system commands as follows:
Router# configure terminalEnter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL-Z.System(config)# boot system flash disk0:<image>The result of this configuration file entry is that the BOOT variable is disk0:rsp-p-mz.12-0.
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Router# configure terminalEnter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL-Z.System(config)# boot config disk0:<image>The result of this configuration file entry is that the CONFIG_FILE variable is disk0:configfile.
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Router# configure terminalEnter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL-Z.System(config)# boot bootldr bootflash:<image>The result of this configuration file entry is that the BOOTLDR variable is bootflash:c7200-boot-mz.
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Router# configure terminalEnter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL-Z.System(config)# config-register 0x102If there is no boot system command in the configuration file, the router will try to load the default file image from the Flash Disk. For more information, see "Rebooting the Router" in the Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals manual.
Sample Upgrade Process
This section applies to users who want to use Flash Disks for simple file storage.
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You should now be able to store configuration files and Cisco IOS software images on your Flash Disk.
If you have an NPE-300 (or a later processor)-based system, you should now be able to boot from any Cisco IOS software images you store on your Flash Disk.
Safety Guidelines
Following are safety guidelines that you should follow when working with any equipment that connects to electrical power, or which might be sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage.
Electrical Equipment Guidelines
Follow these basic guidelines when working with any electrical equipment:
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Electrostatic Discharge Prevention
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage, which can occur when electronic cards or components are improperly handled, results in complete or intermittent failures.
Use the following guidelines for preventing ESD damage:
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WarningProduct Description
Flash Disks are Flash memory-based devices that conform to the PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) standard, and that present an ATA (AT Attachment) interface to the system. This interface complies with the ANSI ATA Interface Document X3T13.1153 D Rev. 9 specification.
The Flash Disk is more flexible than linear Flash memory because the Flash Disk has controller circuitry that allows it to emulate a hard disk and that automatically maps out bad blocks and performs automatic block erasure. Further, the Flash Disk provides the capability to allocate noncontiguous sectors, which eliminates the need for the squeeze command (previously required with linear Flash memory cards).
The Flash Disk provides increased Flash-based memory space—64 to 128 MB—for storage of system configuration files, Cisco IOS software images, and other types of system-related files. Table 1 provides memory information for the Flash Disk.
Table 1 Flash Disk Memory Options
64 MB
MEM-C4K-FLD64M1
128 MB
MEM-C4K-FLD128M
1 These products are also available as Flash Disk upgrades. To order an upgrade, add an equal sign (=) after the Product Number, for example, MEM-C4K-FLD64M=.
Note
The Cisco IOS File System feature provides a single interface to all file systems your system uses:
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Installing a Flash Disk
This section provides the Flash Disk installation procedures.
Use the show version command to verify that a Flash Disk-compatible version of Cisco IOS software is running on your system:
System> show versionCisco Internetwork Operating System SoftwareIOS (tm) 7200 Software (C7200-J-M), Released Version 12.0(2)Copyright (c) 1986-1998 by cisco Systems, Inc.If a Flash Disk-compatible version of Cisco IOS software is running on your system, proceed with the installation procedure. If a Flash Disk-compatible version of Cisco IOS software is not running on your system, install an appropriate software image before proceeding with the installation procedure.
Use the following procedure to install and eject a Flash Disk:
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Figure 1 Installing and Ejecting a Flash Disk
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The Flash Disk is keyed and cannot be seated the wrong way. The ejector button does not pop out if the Flash Disk is not completely inserted.
Step 3
(See b in Figure 1).The Flash Disk does not insert all the way inside the PC Card slot; a portion of the Flash Disk remains outside the slot. Do not attempt to force the Flash Disk past this point.
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(See c in Figure 1.)Step 5
This completes the procedure for installing and removing a Flash Disk. Proceed to the "Working with a Flash Disk" section.
Working with a Flash Disk
This section provides basic instructions for working with a Flash Disk in your system. Detailed descriptions of more complex Flash Disk options and the Cisco IOS File System feature are beyond the scope of this publication and can be found in the following Cisco IOS Release 12.x publications:
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This section includes the following subsections:
Software Command Overview
This section lists some of the basic software commands you can use with the Flash Disk. Examples of these commands are included in the sections that follow.
The Flash Disk and other memory devices and locations in your system are defined as file systems, which are locations where you can store, use, or retrieve files and software images. (See the brief discussion about the Cisco IOS File System feature in the "Product Description" section.
You can use Flash Disks in either one or both of the PC Card slots on your system processor, or you can use one Flash Disk in one PC Card slot and a linear Flash memory card in the adjacent PC Card slot. Flash Disks in PC Card slots 0 and 1 are referred to as disk0: and disk1:, respectively, whereas linear Flash memory cards in PC Card slots 0 and 1 are referred to as slot0: and slot1:, respectively.
The following partial output of the show file systems command shows a sample system with a Flash Disk—called disk0:—installed in PC Card slot 0 and a linear Flash memory card—called slot1:—installed in PC Card slot 1:
System# show file systemsFile Systems:Size(b) Free(b) Type Flags Prefixes(Additional displayed text omitted from this example.)48755200 48747008 flash rw disk0:7995392 4717276 flash rw slot1:Table 2 lists the software commands that you can use with the Flash Disk.
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For a discussion of additional command arguments, refer to the Configuration Fundamentals Command Reference document, in the chapter "File Management Commands."
Using Software Commands
This section provides examples of some of the basic software commands you can use with the Flash Disk. See Table 2 for optional arguments you can use with some of the following commands:
Using the show Command
To display information about Flash Disk format and geometry, use the show [disk0: | disk1:]command:
System# show disk0:******** ATA Flash Card Geometry/Format Info ********ATA CARD GEOMETRYNumber of Heads: 16Number of Cylinders 840Sectors per Cylinder 32Sector Size 512Total Sectors 430080ATA CARD FORMATNumber of FAT Sectors 105Sectors Per Cluster 16Number of Clusters 26822Number of Data Sectors 429536Base Root Sector 338Base FAT Sector 128Base Data Sector 370Router#In this example:
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Using the pwd Command
To determine which PC Card slot you are accessing, use the pwd command:
System# pwddisk0:/System#The preceding example indicates that you are currently in the working directory called disk0:, which is the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 0.
Using the cd Command
To move back and forth between installed Flash Disks, use the cd command by defining a specific path name. Then to verify your working directory, use the pwd command:
System# cd disk1:System# pwddisk1:/System# cd disk0:System# pwddisk0:/You can also move up (or back) one level in the Flash Disk directory hierarchy using the cd .. command, and then verify your working directory with the pwd command:
System# pwddisk1:daily_dir/System# cd ..System# pwddisk1:/System#Using the dir Command
To list the directory structure and contents of the Flash Disk from which you are currently working, use the dir command with no arguments:
System# dirDirectory of disk1:/1 drw- 0 Jul 25 1998 10:23:11 daily_dir2 drw- 0 Jul 25 1998 10:28:37 access_lists48755200 bytes total (48742912 bytes free)System#Note that the size of the Flash Disk is shown in the output of the dir command. (A 48-MB Flash Disk is shown in this example.) You can also view the contents of other directories and file systems using specific optional arguments with the dir command. (See Table 2.)
Using the format Command
To format a new Flash Disk, use the format [disk0: | disk1:] command.
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Caution
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Use the following procedure to format a new Flash Disk using the format command. (The procedure assumes you have already booted your system.)
Step 1
If slot 0 is not available, use slot 1, but in the following step use the format disk1: command, not the format disk0: command, or you will format the Flash Disk that is being used in slot 0.
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System# format disk0:Format operation may take a while. Continue? [confirm]Format operation will destroy all data in `disk0:'. Continue? [confirm]Format:Drive communication & 1st Sector Write OK...Writing Monlibsectors............................................................................................Monlib write completeFormat:All system sectors written. OK...Format:Total sectors in formatted partition:81760Format:Total bytes in formatted partition:49861120Format:Operation completed successfully.Format of disk0:complete
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The new Flash Disk is now formatted and ready to use in the system on which you formatted it.
(For specific formatting and compatibility requirements, see the "Compatibility Requirements" section.)Using the copy Command
To copy an image from a Flash Disk to another file system or from another file system to the Flash Disk, use the copy command:
copy [tftp: | bootflash: | disk0: | disk1:]source-filename [tftp: | bootflash: | disk0: | disk1:]destination-filename
In this example:
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You do not need to change the filename; this is an option.
The following assumptions are made for this command:
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An Ethernet interface is used in the examples that follow.
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Use the following procedure to copy a file (called new.image in this example) located on a Flash Disk—called disk1:—in PC Card slot 1 to the Flash Disk—called disk0:—in PC Card slot 0:
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System> enablePassword:System# copy disk1:new.image disk0:new.image3393 bytes copied in 0.548 secs#System#In the preceding example, the 3393-byte file new.image was copied to the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 0 in approximately one-half second.
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System# pwddisk0:/System# dirDirectory of disk0:/1 -rw- 3393 Jul 26 1998 17:44:47 new.image48755200 bytes total (48747008 bytes free)System#
Using the mkdir Command
To create a directory on the Flash Disk, use the mkdir command. The following example shows how to create a directory called daily_dir on the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 1, and then verify that it was created:
System# mkdir disk1:daily_dirCreated dir disk1:daily_dirSystem# dirDirectory of disk1:/1 drw- 0 Jul 25 1998 10:15:43 daily_dir48755200 bytes total (48751104 bytes free)System#
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For example, if you placed the file itsa.file into the directory daily_dir on the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 1, you must designate the entire directory path as follows: disk1:daily_dir/itsa.file. Otherwise, the system might not be able to locate this file.
Using the rmdir Command
To remove a directory from the Flash Disk, use the rmdir command. The following example shows how to remove the directory daily_dir from the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 1, and then verify that it was removed:
System# rmdir disk1:daily_dirDelete disk1:daily_dir? [confirm] yRemoved dir disk1:daily_dirSystem# dirDirectory of disk1:/No files in directory.48755200 bytes total (48751104 bytes free)System#Using the delete Command
To delete a file from a Flash Disk, use the delete command. Use the dir command to find the file you want to delete, and then use the delete command to delete it.
The following example shows how to find a file (called fun1) on the Flash Disk in PC Card slot 0, delete the file, and then verify that it is deleted:
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System# dirDirectory of disk0:/1 drw- 0 May 10 1998 09:54:53 fun148755200 bytes total (48742912 bytes free)Step 2
System# delete disk0:fun1Step 3
System# dirDirectory of disk0:/No files in directory.48755200 bytes total (48742912 bytes free)System#
Obtaining Documentation
The following sections provide sources for obtaining documentation from Cisco Systems.
World Wide Web
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Ordering Documentation
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http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/order/order_root.pl
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Obtaining Technical Assistance
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The Cisco TAC website is available to all customers who need technical assistance with a Cisco product or technology that is under warranty or covered by a maintenance contract.
Contacting TAC by Using the Cisco TAC Website
If you have a priority level 3 (P3) or priority level 4 (P4) problem, contact TAC by going to the TAC website:
P3 and P4 level problems are defined as follows:
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In each of the above cases, use the Cisco TAC website to quickly find answers to your questions.
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Contacting TAC by Telephone
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http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/687/Directory/DirTAC.shtml
P1 and P2 level problems are defined as follows:
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