Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which command initializes the flash memory in a Cisco switch for password recovery?

1. flash_init

2. init_memory

3. clear_flash

4. reset_flash

The correct answer is: flash_init

The command to initialize flash memory in a Cisco switch for the purpose of password recovery is indeed "flash_init." This command is crucial during the password recovery procedure as it prepares the flash memory for data access, ensuring that the switch can recognize and read the contents of the flash memory where the operating system and configuration files are stored. During the password recovery process, after accessing the switch in ROMMON mode or similar, issuing the flash_init command allows the switch to initialize the file system on the flash memory. Without this step, you would be unable to proceed with tasks such as copying the necessary files into the switch's memory, which are essential for recovering or bypassing the password. Other commands listed do not serve the correct purpose in this context. For example, init_memory and clear_flash are not recognized commands in the Cisco IOS nor are they related to initializing flash for password recovery. Similarly, reset_flash does not correspond to any operation typically executed during password recovery scenarios.