Just to clarify something… they say it “resets the switch” but some people may not realize in Cisco parlance, that means factory reset, as in wipe it completely and start with a fresh config. It was WAAAY worse than just rebooting it.
When Express Setup is inadvertently invoked by the protective boot of the cable, these messages are seen in the syslog:
%SYS-7-NV_BLOCK_INIT: Initialized the geometry of nvram
%EXPRESS_SETUP-6-CONFIG_IS_RESET: The configuration is reset and the system will now reboot
%SYS-5-RELOAD: Reload requested by NGWC led process. Reload Reason: Reload command.
%STACKMGR-1-RELOAD_REQUEST: 1 stack-mgr: Received reload request for all switches, reason Reload command
%STACKMGR-1-RELOAD: 1 stack-mgr: Reloading due to reason Reload command.
After this occurs, the device resets. The startup configuration is erased once the device enters Express Setup.
I almost found this out the hard way. I think on the Cisco equipment, it’s something like: Hold for 2 seconds to cycle power. Hold for 5 seconds to wipe config.
Our IT guy nearly had a heart attack when, over the phone, I asked if I should press the little “Reset” on the back.