Skip to content

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Password Recovery

Complete procedure for recovering the admin password on Cisco Nexus 9000 series switches (9200, 9300, 9500).

Prerequisites

Item Details
Console Cable USB or RJ-45 console cable
Terminal Software PuTTY, TeraTerm, or similar
Console Settings 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
Physical Access Access to console port and power

Service Disruption

Password recovery requires a reboot. All traffic will be disrupted during this process.

Password Recovery Procedure

Part 1: Enter Loader Mode

  1. Connect console cable to the switch
  2. Open terminal session with settings: 9600-8-N-1
  3. Power cycle the switch (or issue reload if you have any access)
  4. Watch the boot sequence carefully
  5. Press Ctrl+C when you see the boot messages
  6. You should see the loader> prompt

Timing

Press Ctrl+C as soon as you see the switch starting to boot. You have a few seconds window.

Part 2: Enable Recovery Mode

At the loader> prompt:

# Enable recovery mode
loader> cmdline recoverymode=1

# List available images
loader> dir

# Boot the NX-OS image (use your actual filename)
loader> boot nxos.9.3.10.bin

Finding the Image

Use dir to list available images. Look for files like nxos.9.x.x.bin or nxos64-cs.10.x.x.bin

Part 3: Reset Admin Password

After booting in recovery mode, you'll see the switch(boot)# prompt:

# Enter configuration mode
switch(boot)# configure terminal

# Set new admin password
switch(boot-config)# admin-password YourNewSecurePassword123

# Exit configuration mode
switch(boot-config)# exit

# List boot images
switch(boot)# dir

# Boot the system normally
switch(boot)# load bootflash:nxos.9.3.10.bin

Part 4: Login and Verify

# Login with new credentials
Username: admin
Password: YourNewSecurePassword123

# Verify access
switch# show users

# Save configuration
switch# copy running-config startup-config

Optional: Factory Reset

To completely wipe the switch configuration:

# Erase all configurations
switch# write erase
switch# write erase boot
switch# write erase poap
switch# write erase debug

# Reload to apply
switch# reload

Loader Commands Reference

Command Description
dir List bootflash contents
boot <image> Boot specific NX-OS image
cmdline recoverymode=1 Enable password recovery mode
set Show environment variables
reboot Reboot the switch
help Show available commands

NX-OS Commands Reference

Command Purpose
show version Display NX-OS version and hardware
show boot Show boot configuration
dir bootflash: List bootflash contents
admin-password <pass> Set admin password (boot mode)
write erase Erase startup configuration
copy run start Save running configuration
show users Display logged-in users

Troubleshooting

Cannot Enter Loader Mode

  • Ensure you press Ctrl+C early in the boot process
  • Try multiple times - timing can be tricky
  • Verify console settings are 9600-8-N-1
  • Try a different console cable

Recovery Mode Boot Fails

# If the image won't boot, try:
loader> dir

# Look for any valid NX-OS image
# Try booting an older/different version if available
loader> boot nxos.9.2.4.bin

No Boot Images Found

If bootflash is empty or corrupted:

  1. Copy image via USB: 

    loader> dir usb1:
loader> boot usb1:nxos.9.3.10.bin

  2. Or use TFTP (if network is configured): 

    loader> ip address 192.168.1.100 255.255.255.0
loader> ip gateway 192.168.1.1
loader> boot tftp://192.168.1.50/nxos.9.3.10.bin

Dual Supervisor Modules

For switches with redundant supervisors:

  • Perform recovery on the active supervisor
  • Ensure the standby supervisor is in the correct state
  • After recovery, sync to standby: 
    switch# copy running-config startup-config

Default Credentials

Username Default Password Notes
admin (none on first boot) Must set during initial setup
admin Admin_1234! Some factory defaults

Security

Always change default passwords immediately after setup or recovery.

References