Question

How to Reset a Cisco 1700 password

Asked by: jamesreddy

Alright, my fellow network junkies.  I have a new client whose former network administrator has an incorrect enable password recorded in her admin documents, so, of course, I cannot gain access to the router's higher brain funtions.  It is a Cisco 1751, I believe (I'm not on site).  I do have the initial access password (telnet password), but typing enable is a bum function for me without an adequate password.

So....I did some research...and found this document on Cisco's site.  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps221/products_installation_guide_chapter09186a0080091696.html#12942

Will this do what I want, WITHOUT losing the router's current configuration?  The client is still new, so if I lose any settings, it'll take me a LONG time to get them back up and running so I don't want to screw this up.  I saw other posts on EE indicating that Cisco password resets do not mess up the configuration, BUT, I am proceeding with extreme caution and guess I am looking for some extra feedback to insure this is going to work.  Cisco is, of course, no hjelp because they want money.

I have many years of experience in maintaining an existing Cisco router/PIX setup, but not of this procedure or of setting up one from scratch so I really want to tip-toe this until I'm absolutely sure.  And so far, EE has never steered me wrong.  Any Cisco experts out there...can you confirm with absolute certaintly that this procedure will work for my situation?  I do have direct access to the router to run a console connection so that shouldn't be a problem.

Pete...if you see this post and tell me it's ok, I'll be absolutely sure.  :)  I know you know this stuff better than I.

Thanks!

James

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Asked On
2005-06-03 at 06:11:18ID21445795
Tags

cisco

,

1700

,

reset

,

password

Topics

Miscellaneous Networking

,

Enterprise Firewalls

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
5

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Answers

 

by: nodiscoPosted on 2005-06-03 at 06:23:39ID: 14139267

James
heres the full details for the 1700 series password recovey.  I have successfully done what you want to do several times with no problems.  Just take your time and follow the steps in exact order and you won't go wrong.

http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/474/pswdrec_1700.shtml

 

by: sunray_2003Posted on 2005-06-03 at 06:25:14ID: 14139286

Hi jamesreddy,

I have done password reset quite a few times and I have found this article to be more useful than the one that you had mentioned
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/474/pswdrec_1700.shtml

If you are not confident enough , I would surely recommend to test the above procedure or any procedure on a test router (assuming you have one) and follow the same method on the 1751 .. that way you will feel good.

I would also copy the configuration once you give the command "show running-config" , just as a backup if you had not already taken .

Good luck !!

SR..

 

by: jamesreddyPosted on 2005-06-03 at 06:41:48ID: 14139449

Ok...this is precisely why I'm a little nervous.  Two different documents have some uniquely different steps to do the same thing.  I saw the document the two of you posted elsewhere in EE, hence the reason for my posting this.

For example, the part on your document that says to execute the following step:

========================================

Router#configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#interface Ethernet0/0
Router(config-if)#no shutdown
Router(config-if)#
00:02:14: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface Ethernet0/0, changed state to up
00:02:15: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Ethernet0/0,
changed state to up
Router(config-if)#interface BRI0/0
Router(config-if)#no shutdown
Router(config-if)#
00:02:26: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface BRI0/0:1, changed state to down
00:02:26: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface BRI0/0:2, changed state to down
00:02:26: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface BRI0/0, changed state to up
00:02:115964116991: %ISDN-6-LAYER2UP: Layer 2 for Interface BR0/0,
TEI 68 changed to up
Router(config-if)#^Z

==========================================

Doesn't show up on the other procedure I got from Cisco's site.  So why is one way right and not the other.  It seems like a relatively insignificant step, but I am being cautious...

 

by: nodiscoPosted on 2005-06-03 at 06:46:08ID: 14139491

Hey again James

You're right it is rather insignificant but what it does is bring up interfaces that would otherwise be shut down.  Its not changing the config in any way, it just means that when you have changed the password, brought the interfaces back up and changed the config-register back that the router will boot up in a working state - like it was before you began.

 

by: jamesreddyPosted on 2005-06-03 at 07:03:30ID: 14139662

Alright...I'm feeling a little bit better about this.  I already did test the procedure on another router (the one I found, not the one you found) and had some problems, but no problem that wiped the current config or anything.  I just did it again and it worked.  I'll give it a whirl.  If I never post here again, it's because my client killed me.  :)

Thanks guys!

James

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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