Detailed process on how to initiate bootstrap mode for a NetVanta 3120 Adtran

[jmiller10]

Hello, I am looking for help to initiate bootstrap mode via putty.

I am can successfully log in vai putty on a 192.x.x.1

The reason i want to bootstrap is because I forgot the admin password but still want to recover the running config on the machine

Where I get stuck in bootstrap is how the light turns a solid amber after I power on and press the rest button, but bootstrap never initiates. It times out of putty and I cannot log back in

When I do an ip config of the device after that, there is no gateway address either

I am wondering what I am doing wrong in this regards

Any info/help will be appreciated.

[mick]

Hi jmiller10,

When you power on the unit you should keep the reset button pressed until the STAT light stops flashing.  Then you should be able to access the device on the default IP address 10.10.10.1 (not 192.X.X.1) over telnet.  Your PC should have been set to a static address within the 10.10.10.X/24 subnet and you should have also configured a TFTP server within the same subnet to transfer files from/to the unit.

Hope this helps.

--

Regards,

Mick

[jmiller10]

So to my understanding when I telnet, my pc should already have the static setup for a 10.10.10.1 DG? The stat light literally immediately stops flashing as soon as I press the rest button so I don't know if I should hold it any longer.

[mick]

Yes, you should have set a static IP of e.g. 10.10.10.2 to your PC in advance, or you won't have a route to 10.10.10.1 which is the default IP address for the 3120.

As soon as the STAT light stops flashing you should release the reset button.  Otherwise you risk wiping the config of the unit with a default empty config template - this is what the reset function is meant to do.  With the unit in bootstrap mode you should be able to access it on address 10.10.10.1, port 23.

--

Regards,

Mick

[jmiller10]

Okay perfect thank you I got into bootstrap. The only road block im facing now is that when I type #bypass passwords then #boot. I cannot access the device again when it comes back online. It times out my connection in putty and I am confused as to why. The statics are already set up on my cpu with a 10.10.10.1 DG but I cannot telnet back into the device after bootstrap.

This is literally my last step and you've been great so far.

Any info for this would be much appreciated.

[mick]

OK, when you reboot, the device will use its existing configuration.  From what you said this has specified an IP address for the router within the 192.x.x.1/24 subnet.  Therefore switch your PC back to DHCP so it acquires an address within 192.x.x.x/24, or set it statically to an unallocated IP address e.g. 192.x.x.250.  Therefafter you should be able to access the router again.

[jmiller10]

Okay, im back in on my 192.x.x.1 DG, it still prompts me for the password but instead on the configured interface I had, its just a default login interface. I put the login as admin, then it prompts and says whats the password for 192.x.x.1..

I don't know the password in this regards and am wondering if there is a default password or something I can use?

[jmiller10]

Okay so false alarm, I got back in the device and it still prompts me for a password on the configured interface I had originally. I think I'm convinced there is nothing more I can do in this regards to retrieve my configuration.

Unless I am doing something wrong again please let me know.

[mick]

Hi jmiller10,

The sequence you should follow is this:

1. Get into bootstrap mode, by pressing the reset button and power-cycling the device. The default IP address of the router will be 10.10.10.1 and therefore you have to configure your PC with an IP address within the same subnet.

2. Run 'bypass password' and 'boot'.

3. For the next boot session and this one boot session only, the device should not ask for login credentials.  The IP address of the device will be whatever has been configured in its config file.  If you reboot the device after this session without having changed the enable password, it will ask for the original password once more.  In this case, you will need to go back to step 1 above.

Once you connect to the device you should be able to reset the password to something new, retrieve its config file, etc.

[jmiller10]

Sorry for the quality of this video but I cannot screen record with this pc since it isnt mine.

But in this short video I have done everything you listed there and it still prompts for a password.

IMG_3502.MOV - Google Drive

[mick]

Yes, I can see clearly in the video you are not able to bypass the passwords.  In addition, I tried here on a 3120 which is running boot ROM version 14.04.B1 and I also cannot bypass the passwords, or the startup-config.  In all cases it loads the existing startup config settings and asks me for a password.  So I wonder if the bypass command works at all on this unit, or if it is only applicable to models which have a serial connection. 

The other solution I can think of is to get into bootstrap as you have been doing, then copy over to your PC the start up config using tftp.  You can then modify the retrieved config file with a text editor and remove any passwords before you upload it back into the unit - would this work for you?

[jmiller10]

This solution can definitely work. I ran the command i believe is #copy tftp flash and I get stuck at these things it asks. I know the remote host address is whatever I set my static ip to but the other two lines I get lost so i'm unable to retrieve the config. Any help for this would be appreciated.

Address of remote host?10.10.10.x

Source file name?

Destination filename?

Or maybe there is an easier solution to save the running config?

[mick]

OK, you need to use the name for the file you want to copy from the unit to your PC, but the command you mention will upload instead of downloading files from the unit - see below.  The config file is called 'startup-config'.  You can verify this after you enter bootstrap mode and connect to the unit.  Run 'dir' or 'show flash' to list the files in flash storage.  The command for the tftp download you need to run on the Netvanta would be:

copy startup-config tftp

Address of remote host? 10.10.10.x   (this should be your PC where you're running a listening tftp server)

Source filename? startup-config (it may not ask for this, since you provided it in the initial command line)

Destination filename? startup-config_orig_20190115.txt (choose something meaningful to you)

To upload the modified config file first you should delete the original startup-config file on the device.

erase startup-config

Then you need to run this command to perform the upload of your modifed config file:

copy tftp flash

Address of remote host? 10.10.10.x

Source filename? modified_startup-config.txt

Destination filename? startup-config  (this needs to be named startup-config)

Once it finishes run 'boot' to reboot into the modified config file.

[jmiller10]

Okay so I ran the copy startup-config tftp command

It fails at the end where it is stuck on initializing at 0% then gives me an error stating "the request for the packet timed out".

Am I doing something wrong in this case?

Sorry for the late reply I have been super busy.

[mick]

Check the PC you are running the tftp server on has an open port and there is a tftp server listening on it.  The tftp transfer request is initialized on port 69, with sender and receiver arranging random ephemeral data ports thereafter.  So you may want to briefly disable any firewall on the PC where the tftp server is running.