How Cisco stacking became a pain in the ass (although it should be easy)

gistfile1.txt

I got a bunch of Cisco 3110X switches for IBM Bladecenters.
What happened. I added a new switch to the stack and the firmware was
incompatible:

*Mar  1 00:24:53.960: %STACKMGR-4-SWITCH_ADDED_VM: Switch 3 has been ADDED to the stack (VERSION_MISMATCH)
*Mar  1 00:24:53.952: %STACKMGR-4-SWITCH_ADDED_VM: Switch 3 has been ADDED to the stack (VERSION_MISMATCH) (Switch 2)

However, the auto-copy process failed:

*Mar  1 00:28:53.975: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_COPY_SW_INITIATED: Auto-copy-software process initiated for switch number(s) 3
*Mar  1 00:28:55.300: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_COPY_SW: 
*Mar  1 00:28:55.300: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_COPY_SW: Searching for stack member to act
*Mar  1 00:28:55.300: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_COPY_SW: as software donor...
*Mar  1 00:28:55.300: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_COPY_SW: Software was not copied

Anyway, it adviced me to copy the software from the new switch 3 (which
has the "wrong" version - it's newer, but it's got less features) to
the other two switches in the stack (which already had the correct
version):

*Mar  1 00:29:00.778: %IMAGEMGR-6-AUTO_ADVISE_SW: archive copy-sw /force-reload /overwrite /dest 1 /dest 2 3

Bullshit. I tried it like I wanted it to happen:

Switch# archive copy-sw /force-reload /overwrite /dest 3 1

But somehow nothing worked. It didn't even try to transfer the 
software. So, everything manually (cbs31x0-universalk9-mz.122-50.SE.bin
is the correct image):

Switch#dir flash1:  
Directory of flash:/

    2  -rwx        3682   Mar 1 1993 00:03:14 +00:00  config.text.renamed
  854  -rwx          24   Mar 1 1993 00:11:04 +00:00  private-config.text
    3  -rwx         556   Mar 1 1993 00:13:04 +00:00  vlan.dat.renamed
    4  -rwx        1048   Mar 1 1993 00:11:04 +00:00  multiple-fs
    5  -rwx    13141037   Apr 3 1993 18:46:14 +00:00  cbs31x0-universalk9-mz.122-50.SE.bin
  423  -rwx        1828   Mar 1 1993 00:11:04 +00:00  config.text
  424  -rwx           5   Mar 1 1993 00:03:14 +00:00  private-config.text.renamed
  425  drwx         512   Mar 1 1993 01:15:34 +00:00  cbs31x0-universal-mz.122-52.SE

57931776 bytes total (28770304 bytes free)
Switch#dir flash3:
Directory of flash3:/

    2  -rwx           5   Mar 1 1993 00:03:16 +00:00  private-config.text.renamed
    3  -rwx        3614   Mar 1 1993 00:03:16 +00:00  config.text.backup
    4  -rwx         556   Mar 1 1993 00:13:04 +00:00  vlan.dat.renamed
    5  -rwx        3682   Mar 1 1993 00:03:16 +00:00  config.text.renamed
    6  -rwx           5   Mar 1 1993 00:03:16 +00:00  private-config.text.backup
    7  drwx         512   Mar 1 1993 00:13:23 +00:00  cbs31x0-universal-mz.122-52.SE
  436  -rwx        1048   Mar 1 1993 00:01:27 +00:00  multiple-fs

57931776 bytes total (42015744 bytes free)
Switch#copy flash1:/cbs31x0-universalk9-mz.122-50.SE.bin flash3:/
Destination filename [cbs31x0-universalk9-mz.122-50.SE.bin]? 
Copy in progress...CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC...(even more C)...CCC
13141037 bytes copied in 234.629 secs (56008 bytes/sec)

Since in a non-functional stack all that fancy "boot system 3"
doesn't work, I removed the switch from the stack again (by pulling
the stacking cable), let it reload and set the bootimage manually.

Switch# conf t
Switch(conf)# boot system flash:/cbs31x0-universalk9-mz.122-50.SE.bin
Switch(conf)# end
Switch# reload

Later:
Switch#sh version
Cisco IOS Software, CBS31X0 Software (CBS31X0-UNIVERSALK9-M), Version 12.2(50)SE, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

Win!

Now plug stacking cable back in, let switch 3 reload once
again, voila...