Dell OS10 Factory Reset via Linux Kernel: Step-by-Step Guide

2026年8月31日 LOG admin

Dell OS10 (SmartFabric OS10) does not offer a single restore factory-defaults command like OS9 — resetting a PowerSwitch back to factory default has to be done manually from the underlying Linux kernel. This step-by-step guide, based on Dell's official KB article 000212446, walks through the complete procedure on an S4148F-ON: save your configuration first, drop into the OS10 bash shell, delete the startup configuration and Redis database files, then reboot and verify that the switch comes back as a clean, default OS10 device.

Before You Start: Critical Warnings

After the reset you cannot log in remotely via SSH or Telnet because all configurations — including management addresses — are removed. The entire operation must be performed from the local console port. Make sure you have physical console access before beginning.

Step 1: Check and Save the Original Configuration

Take a backup of the running configuration, plus the settings you will need to recreate:

Core01# show running-configuration | no-more
Core01# show running-configuration vlt
Core01# show vlan
Core01# show version
Core01# show boot

Note the VLT domain settings, VLANs and the active/standby image versions — you will need them if you plan to restore the switch to its previous role.

Step 2: Enter the OS10 Linux Kernel

Core01# system bash
admin@OS10:/home/admin$ sudo -i
[sudo] password for admin: <admin password>
root@Core01:~#

Step 3: Locate the Configuration Files

root@Core01:~# ls -ls /config/etc/opt/dell/os10/db_init/
72 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 71053 Apr 17 03:59 startup.xml
root@Core01:~# ls -ls /config/var/lib/redis/
1328 -rw-rw---- 1 redis redis 1356346 Apr 17 03:59 dump.rdb

startup.xml is the startup configuration file; dump.rdb is the Redis database that holds the running state.

Step 4: Delete the Configuration Files

root@Core01:~# rm -rf /config/etc/opt/dell/os10/db_init/startup.xml
root@Core01:~# rm -vf /config/var/lib/redis/dump.rdb
removed '/config/var/lib/redis/dump.rdb'

WARNING: this permanently deletes the startup configuration and all running state of the switch.

Step 5: Synchronize and Reboot

root@Core01:~# sync
root@Core01:~# reboot -f

Step 6: Verify the Result

After reboot the hostname returns to the default OS10, all VLT and VLAN settings are gone, and the switch behaves like a brand-new unit. If you saved the backup from Step 1, you can now reconfigure the switch for its new role.