Cisco Systems CISCO7201 manual Using the CompactFlash Disk, Product Description

A P P E N D I X B

Using the CompactFlash Disk

This appendix describes installation prerequisites you should observe before you can use the

CompactFlash Disk in your system, and includes the following sections:

•Product Description, page B-1

•Hardware and Software Requirements, page B-2

•Tools and Parts Required, page B-2

•Compatibility Requirements, page B-2

•Boot Environment Variables, page B-3

•Sample Upgrade Process, page B-5

•Working with a CompactFlash Disk, page B-5

Product Description

CompactFlash Disks are designed with flash technology, a nonvolatile storage solution that does not require a battery to retain data indefinitely. CompactFlash Disks provide complete PCMCIA-ATA functionality and compatibility as defined by the CompactFlash Association in their CF+ and CompactFlash Specification, revision 1.4.

The CompactFlash Disk is more flexible than linear flash memory because the CompactFlash Disk has controller circuitry that allows it to emulate a hard disk and automatically maps out bad blocks and performs automatic block erasure. Further, the CompactFlash Disk provides the capability to allocate noncontiguous sectors, which eliminates the need for the squeeze command (previously required with linear flash memory cards).

The CompactFlash Disk provides increased flash-based memory space—256 MB—for storage of system configuration files, Cisco IOS software images, and other types of system-related files. Table B-1provides memory information for the CompactFlash Disk.

Table B-1	CompactFlash Disk Memory Options
Memory Size		Product Number
256 MB		MEM-7201-FLD256=

Cisco 7201 Installation and Configuration Guide

OL-11364-04 B-1