Field Notice: FN - 63641 - Catalyst 3850 Switches and 5760 Wireless LAN Controllers Might Fail to Boot After the Configuration is Saved for IOS XE Software, Release 3.2.0SE - Software Upgrade Recommended

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Updated:October 12, 2017
Document ID:FN63641

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Notice

THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.

Revision History

Revision Publish Date Comments
1.0
10-May-13
Initial Release
10.0
12-Oct-17
Migration to new field notice system

Products Affected

Affected Product ID Comments
AIR-CT5760-100-K9
AIR-CT5760-1K-K9
AIR-CT5760-25-K9
AIR-CT5760-250-K9
AIR-CT5760-50-K9
AIR-CT5760-500-K9
AIR-CT5760-HA-K9
WS-C3850-24P-E
WS-C3850-24P-L
WS-C3850-24P-S
WS-C3850-24PW-S
WS-C3850-24T-E
WS-C3850-24T-L
WS-C3850-24T-S
WS-C3850-48F-E
WS-C3850-48F-L
WS-C3850-48F-S
WS-C3850-48P-E
WS-C3850-48P-L
WS-C3850-48P-S
WS-C3850-48PW-S
WS-C3850-48T-E
WS-C3850-48T-L
WS-C3850-48T-S

Defect Information

Defect ID Headline
CSCue76684 3850/5760 fails to boot after configuration is saved

Problem Description

In certain boot sequences the BOOT variable is removed from the device, which causes the next reboot to fail and the device remains in the boot loader at the switch: prompt.

Background

All Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switches and Cisco 5760 Wireless LAN Controllers shipped with IOS XE Software, Release 3.2.0SE code are affected by this issue.

Problem Symptom

This problem is observed in both the Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switches and Cisco 5760 Wireless LAN Controllers.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switches

The device is not configured with the use of a boot variable with the command boot system switch all flash:packages.conf at configuration and the running configuration of the system is saved with the copy running-config startup-config or the write memory command. This causes the current boot variable to be removed from the boot loader. Once the device is reloaded, it is not able to automatically boot and remains at the switch: (boot loader) prompt.

Switches in a stack are not configured with the use of a boot variable with the command boot system switch all flash:packages.conf and one or more of the member switches in the stack are reloaded. Since the BOOT= variable is not configured, the member switches are synced with a null BOOT= variable. This prevents the booting of a member switch after the reload and the switch remains at the switch: (boot loader) prompt.

Cisco 5760 Wireless LAN Controllers

The device is not configured with the use of a boot variable with the command boot system flash:packages.conf during configuration and the running configuration of the system is saved with the copy running-config startup-config or write memory command. This causes the current boot variable to be removed from the boot loader. Once the device is reloaded, it is not be able to automatically boot and remains at the switch: (boot loader) prompt.

Workaround/Solution

The software issue documented in this Field Notice, Cisco bug ID CSCue76684 (registered customers only), is resolved in IOS XE Software, Release 3.2.1SE or later. IOS XE Software, Release 3.2.0SE has been deferred on Cisco.com and is no longer accessible for download by customers.

Workaround

If the device is in boot loader mode at the switch: prompt, there are two options:

- At the switch: prompt, enter boot flash:packages.conf.

- Set the BOOT variable explicitly in the boot loader. At the switch: prompt, enter the BOOT=flash:packages.conf command. Then, enter the boot command to boot the switch.

If the device is currently in Cisco IOS, follow these directions:

Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switches

In order to configure the desired boot variable, enter the boot system switch all flash:packages.conf command in configuration mode. Then, enter the write memory command to save the configuration and update the boot variable. This updates the boot variable for all of the switches in a 3850 stack.

Cisco 5760 Wireless LAN Controllers

In order to configure the desired boot variable, enter the boot system flash:packages.conf command in configuration mode. Then, enter the write memory command to save the configuration and update the boot variable.

For More Information

If you require further assistance, or if you have any further questions regarding this field notice, please contact the Cisco Systems Technical Assistance Center (TAC) by one of the following methods:

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