My BSC-2200/3200/5200 will not boot. There is no access to the secure web based administrative console or the serial port console menu. How can I recover the BSC?

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Q: My BSC-2200/3200/5200 will not boot. There is no access to the secure web based administrative console or the serial port console menu. How can I recover the BSC?

A: Serial port boot interrupt/manual switch of partitions (BSC-2200/3200/5200)

Introduction
This document explains how to perform a serial port boot interrupt to manually switch to the alternate partition when there is no access to the secure web based administrative console or the serial port console menu. This process is typically used for recovery of a BSC-2100/2200/3200/5200 that will not complete a boot of the active partition. If you can successfully boot to the alternate partition you can then perform an upgrade. The upgrade is applied to the alternate partition so it will repair the original partition. For further info on upgrades see BSC software upgrade documentation.

Requirements
Ensure that you meet these requirements before you attempt this process: -Basic knowledge of how to use a terminal emulation application such as Microsoft HyperTerminal.
- Physical access to the BSC's serial console port.
-A nine pin null-modem serial cable.
-A laptop running a terminal emulation application such as Microsoft HyperTerminal.

Components Used
The information in this document is based on these hardware and software versions:
- BSC-2100/2200/3200/5200 running any software image.
- A laptop running Microsoft Windows XP with a terminal emulation application such as Microsoft HyperTerminal.

In summary we will access the BSC via the serial console port. Using a laptop running a terminal emulation application such as Microsoft HyperTerminal we will attempt to interrupt the boot process to get to a boot: prompt where we can manually switch partitions. If we can successfully boot to the alternate partition we can then perform an upgrade. The upgrade is applied to the alternate partition so it will repair the original partition. For further info on upgrades see BSC software upgrade documentation.

1. Start with the BSC powered off. Connect a laptop with a nine-pin null-modem serial cable to the BSC¿s serial console port. Use a terminal emulation program such as Microsoft HyperTerminal (9600,8,none,1,none).
2. Power on the BSC. Immediately begin to press the TAB key repeatedly until the interrupt in the boot process stops at the boot: prompt. There is only a 2-3 second time frame for the interrupt from the time BSC is powered on. You will see:

LILO boot hda5 hda6 boot: -- OR -- LILO boot hda6 hda5 boot:

The second line of the boot interrupt indicates the two partitions. The first in list is the ACTIVE partition. The second in list is the ALTERNATE partition.

3. At the boot: prompt type hda5 or hda6 and then press enter. You want to choose the second in the list for the alternate partition.

4. If you can successfully boot to the alternate partition you can then perform an upgrade. The upgrade is applied to the alternate partition so it will repair the original partition. For further info on upgrades see BSC software upgrade documentation.