Mailing List Archive: Cisco: NSP

[nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card

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garlic at garlic

Aug 26, 2002, 8:00 AM

Post #1 of 10 (331 views)
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[nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card

I am looking at increasing the flash memory in some 7200VXRs. Has
anyone had success using Compact Flash memory in a PCMCIA adapter? That
seems to be a cheap way to go. I inserted the card from my camera into
a router and could see disk1: and all its files. I seemed to be able to
write to it also.

Roy

jlewis at lewis

Aug 26, 2002, 7:47 PM

Post #2 of 10 (330 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Roy wrote:

> I am looking at increasing the flash memory in some 7200VXRs. Has
> anyone had success using Compact Flash memory in a PCMCIA adapter? That
> seems to be a cheap way to go. I inserted the card from my camera into
> a router and could see disk1: and all its files. I seemed to be able to
> write to it also.

The real question is, could you boot from it? We have one 7206 that came
(used) with a 48mb card that's seen as disk0:. Is there any disadvantage
to such flash 'disks' instead of the (I assume older) flash memory cards?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon Lewis *jlewis [at] lewis*| I route
System Administrator | therefore you are
Atlantic Net |
_________ http://www.lewis.org/~jlewis/pgp for PGP public key_________

jared at puck

Aug 26, 2002, 8:40 PM

Post #3 of 10 (326 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Mon, Aug 26, 2002 at 10:47:28PM -0400, jlewis [at] lewis wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Roy wrote:
>
> > I am looking at increasing the flash memory in some 7200VXRs. Has
> > anyone had success using Compact Flash memory in a PCMCIA adapter? That
> > seems to be a cheap way to go. I inserted the card from my camera into
> > a router and could see disk1: and all its files. I seemed to be able to
> > write to it also.
>
> The real question is, could you boot from it? We have one 7206 that came
> (used) with a 48mb card that's seen as disk0:. Is there any disadvantage
> to such flash 'disks' instead of the (I assume older) flash memory cards?

I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
it writes all the bootloader stuff.

Works great, *MUCH* faster than the 'old' 'linear-flash' cards.
I would not buy any more of those if I were you. Stick to 128M+ flash cards
in your routers and let cisco know that with continued image size increase
they need to test more of the larger ATA flash cards.

- Jared

--
Jared Mauch | pgp key available via finger from jared [at] puck
clue++; | http://puck.nether.net/~jared/ My statements are only mine.

jlewis at lewis

Aug 26, 2002, 8:54 PM

Post #4 of 10 (322 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Jared Mauch wrote:

> I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
> is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
> it writes all the bootloader stuff.

I don't have one available to try, or I'd just do it...but do these also
work in 3640's?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon Lewis *jlewis [at] lewis*| I route
System Administrator | therefore you are
Atlantic Net |
_________ http://www.lewis.org/~jlewis/pgp for PGP public key_________

jared at puck

Aug 26, 2002, 8:59 PM

Post #5 of 10 (323 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Mon, Aug 26, 2002 at 11:54:37PM -0400, jlewis [at] lewis wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Jared Mauch wrote:
>
> > I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
> > is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
> > it writes all the bootloader stuff.
>
> I don't have one available to try, or I'd just do it...but do these also
> work in 3640's?

No. Those are not designed to be able to talk to
anything else.

You'll see this message:

%Error: No PCMCIA Slot0 flash chip information available

- jared

--
Jared Mauch | pgp key available via finger from jared [at] puck
clue++; | http://puck.nether.net/~jared/ My statements are only mine.

brian at meganet

Aug 26, 2002, 9:28 PM

Post #6 of 10 (327 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Mon, 26 Aug 2002 jlewis [at] lewis wrote:

:On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Jared Mauch wrote:
:
:> I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
:> is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
:> it writes all the bootloader stuff.
:
:I don't have one available to try, or I'd just do it...but do these also
:work in 3640's?

Nope, not even close :) Drastically different architecture.

cheers,
brian

jared at puck

Aug 27, 2002, 8:27 AM

Post #7 of 10 (327 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

On Tue, Aug 27, 2002 at 12:28:58AM -0400, Brian Wallingford wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Aug 2002 jlewis [at] lewis wrote:
>
> :On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Jared Mauch wrote:
> :
> :> I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
> :> is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
> :> it writes all the bootloader stuff.
> :
> :I don't have one available to try, or I'd just do it...but do these also
> :work in 3640's?
>
> Nope, not even close :) Drastically different architecture.

Actually, I assume that if someone ported the ATA disk
code over to the 3600 platform it should work as long as cisco
hasn't done something very strange with the PCMCIA controllers
involved.

You may not be able to boot from them but they could
release a "diet" or -boot- image you could load in
the internal flash that had support to read/write the ATA disk
and nothing else so you could access it.

- Jared

--
Jared Mauch | pgp key available via finger from jared [at] puck
clue++; | http://puck.nether.net/~jared/ My statements are only mine.

cisco at peakpeak

Aug 27, 2002, 10:22 AM

Post #8 of 10 (320 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

At 11:27 AM 8/27/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>On Tue, Aug 27, 2002 at 12:28:58AM -0400, Brian Wallingford wrote:
> > On Mon, 26 Aug 2002 jlewis [at] lewis wrote:
> >
> > :On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Jared Mauch wrote:
> > :
> > :> I'm using a ATA flash disk in my 7200. Works fine. Only caveat
> > :> is you need to format it inside the router once it's there to insure
> > :> it writes all the bootloader stuff.
> > :
> > :I don't have one available to try, or I'd just do it...but do these also
> > :work in 3640's?
> >
> > Nope, not even close :) Drastically different architecture.
>
> Actually, I assume that if someone ported the ATA disk
>code over to the 3600 platform it should work as long as cisco
>hasn't done something very strange with the PCMCIA controllers
>involved.
>
> You may not be able to boot from them but they could
>release a "diet" or -boot- image you could load in
>the internal flash that had support to read/write the ATA disk
>and nothing else so you could access it.
>
> - Jared
>
>--

I may have missed the "meat" of this thread.

Do Compact Flash cards with an adapter work in 3600s? In 7200s? In 7500s?

I've tried getting some 16Meg compact flash cards and a Sandisk PC Card
adapter from Best Buy and I couldn't get anything to work.

The full-size PC cards I can always seem to get working, but the compact
flash I can't. Are these supported?

Chris

garlic at garlic

Aug 27, 2002, 2:00 PM

Post #9 of 10 (320 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

Cisco Geek Rotation wrote:

> I may have missed the "meat" of this thread.
>
> Do Compact Flash cards with an adapter work in 3600s? In 7200s? In 7500s?
>
> I've tried getting some 16Meg compact flash cards and a Sandisk PC Card
> adapter from Best Buy and I couldn't get anything to work.
>
> The full-size PC cards I can always seem to get working, but the compact
> flash I can't. Are these supported?
>
> Chris
>

Ypu didn't miss it. It was never answered. My basic test showed that it seemed
to work but I didn't have a CF card to play with expect the one from my camera.
I guess I will run some more tests

k at adamski

Aug 27, 2002, 3:59 PM

Post #10 of 10 (320 views)
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Re: [nsp] Flash Memory via Compact Flash card [In reply to]

I have tested the compact flash in a 3640 and it does not work.

K

On Tue, 27 Aug 2002, Roy wrote:

>
>
> Cisco Geek Rotation wrote:
>
> > I may have missed the "meat" of this thread.
> >
> > Do Compact Flash cards with an adapter work in 3600s? In 7200s? In 7500s?
> >
> > I've tried getting some 16Meg compact flash cards and a Sandisk PC Card
> > adapter from Best Buy and I couldn't get anything to work.
> >
> > The full-size PC cards I can always seem to get working, but the compact
> > flash I can't. Are these supported?
> >
> > Chris
> >
>
> Ypu didn't miss it. It was never answered. My basic test showed that it seemed
> to work but I didn't have a CF card to play with expect the one from my camera.
> I guess I will run some more tests
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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