Is it possible to make a Cisco router (2821 and 2811 model today, possibly any member of the 28xx or 38xx family in the future) use a config file on the compact flash card or a generic USB thumb drive as the startup-config (ignoring whatever is in NVRAM)?
I'd like to use this as a mechanism to get configuration information onto a router straight out of the box, without having to serial into the console port at all.
The config will be pretty vanilla stuff, IP and speed assignment for F0/0, T1 controller configuration -- nothing I would expect to require the "secure eToken" product.
You still have to serial onto it to tell it to boot from CF - sorry.
There is functionally called autoinstall that may be a workaround to your problem. Take a look to : http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/fundamentals/configuration/guide/cf_autoinstall_ps6350_TSD_Products_Configuration_Guide_Chapter.html This feature allow a router (or a switch) to load it's configuration from the network when there is no configuration file on the nvram. It's not what you want but you could have a process like this:
1) plug an ethernet cable on the switch
2) boot the switch
3) the switch take a dummy it's config using dhcp/tftp
4) on the dhcp/tftp server you can be aware that a switch as been booted by tracking logs file with a script. Make this script to connect on the router (you will always send the same dummy config with the same ip/login/password) and run the needed command to boot from CF then reload the switch
This need to plug a cable, but it's still easier than using the serial port.