Owner's Manual

826 | Appendix B. Software Upgrade and Boot Options
NETGEAR 8800 User Manual
The switch deletes the old configuration files on the backup node only upon a successful file
synchronization. If an error occurs, the switch does not delete the old configuration files on
the backup node. For example, if you install a backup node that contains different
configuration files from the primary node, the old configuration files are deleted after a
successful bootup of the backup node.
To see a complete listing of the configuration files on your system, use the ls command.
For more detailed information, see Replicating Data Between Nodes on page 66.
Accessing the Bootloader
The Bootloader of the switch initializes certain important switch variables during the boot
process. In the event the switch does not boot properly, some boot option functions can be
accessed through the Bootloader.
Interaction with the Bootloader is required only under special circumstances and should be
done only under the direction of NETGEAR Customer Support. The necessity of using these
functions implies a nonstandard problem which requires the assistance of NETGEAR
Customer Support.
To access the Bootloader menu:
1. Attach a serial cable to the console port of the switch.
2. Attach the other end of the serial cable to a properly configured terminal or terminal
emulator, power cycle the switch, and press the spacebar key on the keyboard of the
terminal during the bootup process.
As soon as you see the BootRom -> prompt, release the spacebar. You can issue a series
of commands to:
• View the installed images.
• Select the image to boot from.
• Select the configuration to use.
• Load a recovery image over the management port.
To see a list of available commands or additional information about a specific command,
enter
h or type help.
The following describes some ways that you can use the Bootloader:
• Viewing images—To display a list of installed images, use the show image command.
• Selecting an image—To change the image that the switch boots from in flash memory,
use the
boot {image number} command. If you specify image number, the specified image
is booted. If you do not specify an image number, the default image is booted.
• Selecting a configuration—To select a different configuration from the one currently
running, use the
config {alt | default | <filename> | none} command. This
command is useful if you experience a problem with the current configuration and there is
an alternate configuration available.