“!@#$%&*(*%$@”. Are you tired...? frustrated...? confused...? ’Cause your @#$!% PASSWORD won’t work!#&(*!!!

“!@#$%&*(*%$@”

Are you tired . . .?frustrated . . .?

confused . . .?

’Cause your @#$!% PASSWORD won’t work!#&(*!!!

No problem, I’ve got just the key!

Given that you’re already consoled in to the offending router,manually flip the router switch off and then on again.

As soon as you turn the router back on, you will see text scrollingby indicating that the router is rebooting. Within 60 seconds of re-powering the router, press Ctrl + Break.

Keyboards will vary.

Ctrl

PauseBreak

Upon halting the routing process, you will be given a prompt.At this prompt, you must enter a command that tells the routerthat at next reboot, it must ignore the contents of NVRAM. Thatcommand is

o/r 0x2142

Enter

i

Enter

Now press and tell the router to reboot

with the command and then

press again.

As the router is rebooting, it will discover that it cannot find itsconfiguration files (because you tricked it) and it will ask you if you would like to enter setup mode. Type n for “no” and press n

Enter

Following reboot, you will see a generic prompt. Type enableto enter priveleged mode. Notice that you didn’t need a passwordbecause the router is not utilizing the contents of NVRAM where that password is stored.

Once you have entered the privileged mode, you have successfullyovercome your initial problem -- remember?

work!#&(*!!!

Now we must get the router back to the way it was before you broke into it!

work!#&(*!!!

Your @#$!% PASSWORD wouldn’t

At the privileged prompt, type copy start run .

copyrun start

Moves the contents of NVRAM into RAM, your running-configuration.

Now that we’re back where we want to be, let’s change the passwordsback to the way they should be.

Enter global configuration mode: Change your secret password:Enter line configuration mode:Log in to the console:Reconfigure the console password:Return to global configuration mode:

enable secret *****line con 0

config t

loginpassword *****exit

Enter follows each of these commands.

We’re almost done! Now we must go back and undo what we’ve done to the config-register. Right now you have your router set so that it boots to 0x2142. This needs to be changed to 0x2102 so that your router will find its running-config files in

NVRAM when it boots.

SuperRouter(config-line)#exit SuperRouter(config)#

Return to global configuration mode.

SuperRouter(config)#config-register 0x2102

SuperRouter(config)#show ver

Configuration register is 0x2142 (will be 0x2102 at next reboot)

Change the config-register back by entering config-register 0x2102And then show ver to verify that the change has been made.

You made it! Now all you need to do is copy your present configurationback into your NVRAM so that when you re-boot your router, you won’thave any more password woes.

SuperRouter#copy run start

Destination filename [startup-config]?

Building configuration...

[OK]

That’s all you do!

Within 60 seconds of re-booting the router, <ctrl break>. Set up a register entry to ignore NVRAM , <o/r 0x2142> Restart the router, <i> Bypass the configuration utility, <n> or <Ctrl c> Enter privileged mode, <enable> Copy NVRAM to RAM, <copy start run> Enter global configuration mode, <config t> Change secret password, <enable secret *****> Change console password, < line con 0>, <login>, <password *****> Return to global configuration mode, <exit> or <Ctrl z> Reset register entry, <config-register 0x2102>Verify changes, <show ver> Copy RAM to NVRAM, <copy run start>