Cisco Tip: Mismatch - password unchanged

For those of you working with 6500 switches, the message Mismatch - password unchanged may not be unfamiliar to you. Indeed, when you employ the set password and set enablepass commands to change the login and privileged level passwords, respectively, you are prompted to enter the old password and then the new password twice. The passwords you enter, however, are not displayed back to the screen; hence, the reason for entering the new password twice (for verification).

The message Mismatch - password unchanged is an indication that there is a mismatch somewhere.

When changing your password - especially your enable password - make sure you type very slowly so that the old password you enter matches what is configured on your switch. Also, make sure you type in both new passwords exactly the same way.

A little patience here can save a lot of headaches later - believe me!