Question on aquiring IOS images

[IAmKarl]

I have a lab of cisco equipment (2 4000's, 2 2500's, 1924, and a 1201) and am currently looking into getting some atm equipment (a 4500 with atm, a 5000 with atm, and a lightstream). In any case, I am possibly going to need IOS for some of the equipment. My question is, without going into questionable means, what is the least expensive way to get the software, or do i have to go into "questionable" means to update without loosing more than the equipment is worth.

Thanks, Karl P

 

[hunterdw]

Do you not have a valid Cisco CCO account? If you do, you don't need anythign questionable at all...

just download whatever IOS revision you need...

--DW

 

[IAmKarl]

While I have a CCO account, I do not have a service contract associated with it. What i guess I am wondering, is if i get a service contract for one piece of my equipment, does that open up all the different IOS versions for my different hardware, or do i need to license each and every piece of hardware to get access to the IOS which will run on that machine.

Thanks for the help,

Karl P

 

[supergino]

you can Download Any IOS you want for free using a program called IOS hunter. Very easy to use. you just select the IOS you need and you you download it.

http://www.vitaltech-group.com/IOSHunterTrial.zip

 

[IAmKarl]

I have considered this, but does it work very well? I meen, how well can you find the images you want/need.

Thank you,

Karl P

 

[gwildfire]

The program doesn have every possible IOS avaialble but it has a very comprehensive selection, you can trial it for free but you cant download images newer thatn 2002. I think that it was well worth the $30 to be honest. For you 2500's it has every IOS you could possibly want, 1924 images on there to. I got a good 4500 image off there 12.2(13) JOS56I. I dont know about your 1201 I would image it does, the alternative is fork out for a CCO contract and your talking $$$$$ for that!

Visit

http://www.Cisco-Engineer.com

for free Cisco rack access.

 

[IAmKarl]

But what I have yet to figure out is if i fork over for a cco contract, does it open up all the ios images, or only the image for the piece of equipment in question? I could understand that if you bought a cco contract, it opened up the whole website, but only gave you support on the machine under support. I guess however, that what they do is only open the ios for the particular machine, or is that true?

Also, does anyone know if you become part of the cisco "consultant" program, if you get access to ios?

Thanks,

Karl P

 

[jneiberger]

If you have a CCO account with download privileges then you can download any IOS image you feel like downloading. However, Cisco monitors your downloads and will contact you eventually if you make a habit of downloading images for hardware that isn't under contract.

 

[IAmKarl]

So, do you know if the "consultant program" gets downloading privlidges and if/how they are monitored?

Thanks,

Karl P

 

[jneiberger]

As I recall, the consulting program participants do not get access to software unless, like everyone else, they have SmartNET contracts that grant them that access.

 

[IAmKarl]

I guess what is confusing me is that on this page, it says that members of there consultant program can "enjoy partner-level access". I thought that that access level entitled you to program upgrades, but I don't know.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partners/pr46/pr17/partners_pgm_summary.html

Any thoughts?

Karl P

 

[jneiberger]

There are multiple levels of access. Partners gain access to parts of the site that non-partners do not have access to. However, that does not automatically translate to "I get to download all IOS images for free because I signed up for the consultant program."

Besides, even if they did allow people in the consultant program to download images, you'd still be monitored and you'd still run the risk of getting into trouble for downloading images for devices not under contract.