Hi Willy,
> i want to know what a router do if the configuration register is set to 0x2102.
Warning: Some Config Register bit values can vary between device
MODELS, so it does help to correctly identify the Model for a valid
reply. The "default" setting for Cisco Routers is usually 0x2102, but
for Cisco Etherswitches it is usually 0x102. Mixing Router default
settings with Switch defaults can cause great confusion........

I
once found such a problem were a layer 2/3 Switch should have used
0x102 but was actually set to 0x2102 and a wrong version IOS was
always loaded from FLASH (it always loaded the SECOND IOS in flash
regardless of Config statements to the contrary.). There are detailed
docs on the Cisco Web site for ALL products, I recommend that you read
them for definitive statements.
Assuming you have a Router with a setting of 0x2102, this will cause a
Router to boot "normally".
From power on, "normally" usually includes -
1. BOOTROM will load and perform simple functional tests, and then
check if the BREAK key has been pressed to halt a "normal" boot. If
Break HAS been pressed it NOTES THIS, but does not stop at that point!
2. BOOTROM will then read the startup-config to see if BREAK has
been disabled. If it has not been disabled and BREAK WAS pressed,
BOOTROM then exits to ROMON mode, otherwise it continues.
3. BOOTROM will then read the startup-config to see if a specific
VERSION(s) of IOS are defined to be loaded from either TFTP, FTP or
FLASH.
4. If there is 1 or more specific version loads requested, then
BOOTROM will try them IN ORDER, before falling back on the default of
loading the FIRST valid IOS image it finds in FLASH. If it can't find
a VALID FLASH image to load, it halts in ROMON (BOOTROM) mode.
> " The factory-default setting for the configuration register is 0x2102,
> which indicates that the router should attempt to load a Cisco IOS image
> from flash memory."
That is a very simple overview of the process as config statements can
enforce other options (EG TFTP load) before it tries to boot from
whatever it finds in FLASH.
I hope this helps..............................pk.
--
Peter from Auckland.