[AusNOG] Preparing 100s of routers for resale

[Ashley Lowde]

Are they all using the same (or only a couple of different) images? If so
I'd suggest
replacing *all* the compact flash cards, then booting each one and grabbing
the appropriate
image from a tftp server. You can then reboot it and clear the config using
password
recovery mode if necessary.

This way you know you have no old data lurking on the CF cards, and
grabbing IOS image/
clearing config should be fairly easily scripted. OEM CF cards are cheap
enough even
when purchased individually.


On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 7:21 PM, Karl Auer <kauer at biplane.com.au> wrote:

> On Thu, 2012-04-12 at 09:12 +0100, Tom Storey wrote:
> > Also make sure to check flash: nvram: et al to make sure there arent
> > "backup" copies of configs floating around.
>
> When one erases flash/nvram in a Cisco router, or just deletes files off
> it, is the data really gone? I have recovered allegedly deleted files
> off all sorts of media, and even from formatted drives. I haven't tried
> it off a Cisco switch or router.
>
> It seems likely to me that long term storage devices in routers and
> switches will retain most, and possibly all, of their data in a
> recoverable or largely recoverable state unless explicit steps are taken
> to overwrite it.
>
> Maybe it would be a good idea to prepare a large file of random data and
> write it to any long term storage devices at some point. Filling the
> device with random data would probably leave a little structural info
> untouched (directory entries and suchlike) but should obliterate most
> actual data.
>
> Since the flash memory in such devices is usually removable without much
> difficulty, it might be possible to shred the data more conveniently
> (and probably faster and more effectively) by putting it into a card
> read/writer of some sort.
>
> On the other hand, I could be wrong.
>
> Regards, K.
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)
> http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer
>
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