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WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:13 pm
by AdamB
I have a WS-24-400B (one of 3) that resets its password to default any time power is removed. The other settings, including the admin user name, seem to persist. This is the only switch that does this. Password persists through reboot, but not power removal. Does this make any sense to anyone else? What is the process for activating Netonix support?

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:42 pm
by sirhc
Hi Adam,

No the password should not be getting reset, it does not do this on any of my switches in service at my WISP.

What version of the firmware are you using?

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:50 pm
by AdamB
I'm using 1.1.1. This switch was new in box just this week. I know it's not supposed to do that, I'm just trying to figure out how it is doing that. Is the password stored in some sort of different EEPROM than the rest of the configuration? Is there a password reset jumper that is being held closed or something?

Edit: I do have 3 identical switches, and this is the only one that does this.

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:17 pm
by sirhc
AdamB wrote:I'm using 1.1.1. This switch was new in box just this week. I know it's not supposed to do that, I'm just trying to figure out how it is doing that. Is the password stored in some sort of different EEPROM than the rest of the configuration? Is there a password reset jumper that is being held closed or something?

Edit: I do have 3 identical switches, and this is the only one that does this.


I am not sure how this happening?

The password is stored in a hashed format in the config file on the flash.

The only thing I can suggest is do a hardware default (not the UI default) - see this post viewtopic.php?f=17&t=409

Press the default button in while you power it on and hold it in for a slow 10 count then let up.
The switch will take about 3-4 minutes to re-format the JFFS2 files system and restore a default config.
Then re-set the switch back up.

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:52 pm
by AdamB
Chris, I think I know what is happening here, possibly. I am guessing these switches run Linux under the covers. Is it possible that after a config change, we are trusting that the config file changes have been committed to physical disk without explicitly using sync to flush the VFS buffers? The reason I suspect this is I tried it with another switch from the shelf, and had the same problem. Then I went to do it again and it didn't have the problem the second time. My theory is that if you wait long enough (semi-random of course) that everything is flushed to disk.

Perhaps a 2-prong approach. 1) Have some kind of 'clean shutdown' option similar to what that other company does with their EdgeMax products. 2) Any time a config change is saved, after closing the config file, do a 'sync' to hopefully flush VFS cache.

Any chance this is the issue? Not sure how to tell 100% for sure.

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:58 pm
by sirhc
Try version v1.1.8 - You want v1.1.8
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=240
This was fixed in v1.1.6

v1.1.6 wrote: FIXES
- fixed problem changing password where you sometimes had to change the password TWICE sometimes for it to take.
****There are no other changes to v1.1.6 over v1.1.5

KNOWN BUGS
- If using DHCP and you change the Default/Management VLAN ID after the switch gets an address is does not get a new address.
- Not all CLI commands are present.
- In the CLI some voltages are reported incorrectly with the "sh status" command
- In the CLI not all command are present to configure VLANs

Released - 3/31/2015

Re: WS-24-400B password resets to default when power removed

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:09 pm
by AdamB
Thanks. Already in process of upgrading to 1.1.8 after seeing that in release notes a few minutes ago. I'll report back in that thread if all goes well. Thanks!