Netbooting Netbooting is a common network administration tool. You run a small piece of software called a TFTP server (trivial file transfer protocol) on any networked PC and store your IOS on the hard drive. The router is configured to boot IOS from that PC across the network. This is a method to use for booting up a version of IOS that's larger than you have the flash to store. It's also a great way to save your configurations and various code releases. If you want to get serious about networking, you should learn to use netboot and TFTP. Cisco has free software for TFTP at http://cio.cisco.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copy Configuration File(s) to TFTP: router# copy running-config tftp router# copy startup-config tftp Copy Configuration File(s) from TFTP: router# copy tftp running-config router# copy tftp startup-config Copy IOS to Router from TFTP: router# copy tftp flash Save IOS from Flash RAM to TFTP Server: router# show flash (to find filename) router# copy flash tftp Save IOS from Flash RAM to TFTP Server (2600): copy c2600-12-3.xxxx.bin tftp://10.253.15.72 Boot IOS from TFTP Server: router(config)# boot system tftp IOS-filename tftp-server-ip-address boot from FLASH memory (to change back?) router(config)# boot system flash IOS-filename boot from system ROM (emergency?) router(config)# boot system rom Startup-config via TFTP on Boot: (does this work?) router(config)# boot host tftp startup-config-beta 192.168.4.251 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using Cisco Router as TFTP Server This configuration can be used to reload an IOS from another Cisco router. This is useful when using the same model routers and you run the same IOS on each one, or if you have lost the original IOS binary. main#show flash main#configure terminal main(config)#tftp-server flash:c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin router(boot)#copy tftp flash System flash directory: File Length Name/status 1 8013396 c2500-i-l.121-15.bin [8013460 bytes used, 375148 available, 8388608 total] Address or name of remote host [10.50.0.254]? 10.51.0.3 Source file name? c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin Destination file name [c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin]? Accessing file 'c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin' on 10.51.0.3... Loading c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin from 10.51.0.3 (via Serial0.112): ! [OK] Erase flash device before writing? [confirm]y Flash contains files. Are you sure you want to erase? [confirm]y Copy 'c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin' from server as 'c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin' into Flash WITH erase? [yes/no]yes Erasing device... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ...erased Loading c2500-p7-l.121-22b.bin from 10.51.0.3 (via Serial0.112): !!.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The file must ALREADY exist in /home/tftp/* and be writable before you can save it from the router.