USB Support On a Cisco ISR Router

We needed to upgrade the IOS and upload a config on a remote router via USB. There are two USB ports behind the Cisco 2911 router: USB0 and USB1.

I used a generic 2 GB flash disk formatted as FAT16. The router will auto detect the USB flash drive and creates a temporary flash memory (USBFLASH).

Router#    
*Dec 10 05:02:13.427: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash1 has been inserted!

Router#copy ?
  /erase          Erase destination file system.
  /error          Allow to copy error file.
  /noverify       Don't verify image signature before reload.
  /verify         Verify image signature before reload.
  archive:        Copy from archive: file system
  cns:            Copy from cns: file system
  flash0:         Copy from flash0: file system
  flash1:         Copy from flash1: file system
  flash:          Copy from flash: file system
  ftp:            Copy from ftp: file system
  http:           Copy from http: file system
  https:          Copy from https: file system
  null:           Copy from null: file system
  nvram:          Copy from nvram: file system
  pram:           Copy from pram: file system
  rcp:            Copy from rcp: file system
  running-config  Copy from current system configuration
  scp:            Copy from scp: file system
  startup-config  Copy from startup configuration
  system:         Copy from system: file system
  tar:            Copy from tar: file system
  tftp:           Copy from tftp: file system
  tmpsys:         Copy from tmpsys: file system
  usbflash1:      Copy from usbflash1: file system     // WILL APPEAR IF ROUTER SUPPORTS USB FLASH DRIVE VENDOR
  xmodem:         Copy from xmodem: file system
  ymodem:         Copy from ymodem: file system

Router#format ?
  flash0:     Filesystem to be formatted
  flash1:     Filesystem to be formatted
  flash:      Filesystem to be formatted
  usbflash1:  Filesystem to be formatted


Router#copy flash:c2900-universalk9-mz.SPA.152-4.M3.bin usbflash1:
Destination filename [c2900-universalk9-mz.SPA.152-4.M3.bin]?
Copy in

progress...CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

<OUTPUT TRUNCATED>

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
98981944 bytes copied in 859.868 secs (115113 bytes/sec)    


Router#dir usbflash1:
Directory of usbflash1:/

    2  -rw-    98981944  Dec 10 2014 04:59:40 +00:00  c2900-universalk9-mz.SPA.152-4.M3.bin

2021326848 bytes total (1914208256 bytes free)


Router#
*Dec 10 05:01:23.179: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash1 has been removed!

Router#copy ?
  /erase          Erase destination file system.
  /error          Allow to copy error file.
  /noverify       Don't verify image signature before reload.
  /verify         Verify image signature before reload.
  archive:        Copy from archive: file system
  cns:            Copy from cns: file system
  flash0:         Copy from flash0: file system
  flash1:         Copy from flash1: file system
  flash:          Copy from flash: file system
  ftp:            Copy from ftp: file system
  http:           Copy from http: file system
  https:          Copy from https: file system
  null:           Copy from null: file system
  nvram:          Copy from nvram: file system
  pram:           Copy from pram: file system
  rcp:            Copy from rcp: file system
  running-config  Copy from current system configuration
  scp:            Copy from scp: file system
  startup-config  Copy from startup configuration
  system:         Copy from system: file system
  tar:            Copy from tar: file system
  tftp:           Copy from tftp: file system
  tmpsys:         Copy from tmpsys: file system
  xmodem:         Copy from xmodem: file system
  ymodem:         Copy from ymodem: file system

Router#
*Dec 10 05:02:45.563: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash0 has been inserted!

Router(config)#boot system usbflash0:c2900-universalk9-mz.SPA.152-4.M3.bin


I tried to use the same USB flash drive on my 871w ISR1 router at home. The 871w router have two USB ports namely USB 0 and USB 1.

871W#
*May 20 04:14:18.937 SGT: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash0 has been inserted!

871W#show version | inc IOS
Cisco IOS Software, C870 Software (C870-ADVSECURITYK9-M), Version 12.4(15)T10, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc3)
871W#copy ?
  /erase          Erase destination file system.
  /noverify       Don't verify image signature before reload.
  /verify         Verify image signature before reload.
  archive:        Copy from archive: file system
  cns:            Copy from cns: file system
  flash:          Copy from flash: file system
  ftp:            Copy from ftp: file system
  http:           Copy from http: file system
  https:          Copy from https: file system
  null:           Copy from null: file system
  nvram:          Copy from nvram: file system
  rcp:            Copy from rcp: file system
  running-config  Copy from current system configuration
  scp:            Copy from scp: file system
  startup-config  Copy from startup configuration
  system:         Copy from system: file system
  tar:            Copy from tar: file system
  tftp:           Copy from tftp: file system
  tmpsys:         Copy from tmpsys: file system
  usbflash0:      Copy from usbflash0: file system
  xmodem:         Copy from xmodem: file system
  ymodem:         Copy from ymodem: file system

871W#copy usbflash0:c870-advipservicesk9-mz.124-24.T4.bin flash
Destination filename [c870-advipservicesk9-mz.124-24.T4.bin]?

<OUTPUT TRUNCATED>

*May 20 04:16:47.942 SGT: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash0 has been removed!
*May 20 04:16:51.871 SGT: %USBFLASH-5-CHANGE: usbflash1 has been inserted!