5520 switch pending -aaa login

[Keith9]

I have two new 5520 switches I want to put in a stack.  First power on I had my serial connected to the top switch.  USB stick in with new firmware too since the CLI says that update required.  I did the firmware update, I ran enable stacking-support enable stacking and then rebooted so the switch would go load its new firmware.  Then I had an assoiate onsite move my serial cable and put the USB stick in the bottom switch.  I need to login to the bottom switch to answer the first few out of the box questions and do the software update and run the enable stacking-support and enable stacking, then reboot.  But the bottom switch for some reason says pending-AAA login.

Why does it say this and how do I get out of it?

[Keith9 · Accepted solution]

ok I had boots on the ground disconnect stacking cables.  ensure usb and serial were into switch 2.

I watched my RDP console to the machine where the serial cable is on and had them power cycle.  Hit spacebar at boot menu screen and went down to the entry for booting primary with default configuration.  Went through the switch initial config and upgraded xos image using usb stick.  Saved and rebooted.  Had them reconnect stacking, seemed to be ok.  Had them move me to switch 1 and I logged in and its ok.  All ports 1:1-2:60 all there.  Show stacking looks accurate.

Odd fix, but thanks, it worked.  Wouldn't have thought pending-aaa would have anything to do with a pretty barebones switch.  Radius authentication for logging in comes later in our config.  Much later.

[Keith9]

This is what I usually do and thats what| was planning to do

Firmware Update of both single switches
Enable stacking (easy-setup) on Top-Switch

Little did I know the boots on the ground had the QSFP28 cables connecting each switch
Had that cable not been connected this probably would not have happened. I've done a few of these two switch stacking 5520 setups in the last few months and this is the first time I'm seeing this.
til have to google the boot to bootrom. Like I said I've never had an issue with these. Can't say the
same thing for Cisco.

[Stefan_K_]

What you did:

• Firmware-Update Switch 1
• Stacking
• Firmware-Update Switch 2

What I would have done:

• stacking cabling
• enable Stacking (easy-setup) on Top-Switch
• Firmware-Update of the whole stack

or

• Firmware Update of both single switches
• stacking cabling
• Enable stacking (easy-setup) on Top-Switch

When the switch stays in pending aaa forever, You now have to boot to bootrom and factory-default the switch.