Cisco router help

[daaim0]

Hi, i got given 2 old school 10mb cisco routers from my collage (cisco 2516). They, however, have passwords on them. I know that you cant really 'hack' into a router that easily but since i have physical contact with the routers, im wondering if there is like a reset switch hiding somewhere.

Thanks.

[Snurfen]

There's a relatively easy set of commands to bash this baby back to factory settings. Have you got a console lead to connect them to your pc? cos you wont be going very far without one.

Usually blue with a d-sub 9 connector at one end and an rj45 at the other.

Newer type (http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cisco/files/2007/10/newerconsolecable.jpg)
Oleder type (http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cisco/files/2007/10/olderconsolecable.jpg)

[daaim0]

Yep i do, new type. Theres was password to get into exec mode which was just "cisco" ;) but its the privilege exec mode i cant get into.

The other router i managed to brute force in the end. (since they are just practice routers, password strength isn't that high)

[Snurfen]

Sorry for being slow responding, the sun was out yesterday!

I've just had a look through my notes, and to be perfectly honest, they make sense to me but would be a bit too cryptic for someone else! In that case, I'll point you to this superb link onthe cisco site. The times this page has bailed me out of dead schtook!

Clicky for Password blasting. (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/products_password_recovery09186a0080094675.shtml)

***EDIT****
and here's some other info I forgot to post earlier - D'OH.

If you are using hyper-term, the "break" command you have to send to get in to rommon (in the link above) is Ctrl-F6-pause on a standard IBM keyboard. Personaly, I use teraterm, a much frendlier utility - for example, you can scroll back screens and screens worth without getting any issues, and it is far easier to write data out from the session. Available for download here (http://www.tucows.com/preview/195282). "Break" is Alt+b in a teraterm sesh.

Look at my lovely colour scheme (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/snurfen/teraterm.jpg) (damn site easier on the eye when they call you out of bed at 3am to dial in to some sticky switch or router!)