Cheapest way to access IOS images from Cisco?

Deadmaster200

By cheapest, I definitely don't mean free and illegal.

I read somewhere that you can order some service package or something from Cisco fairly cheaply to get that access, but I can't remember the details.

Mike? Darby?

Thanks

mikej412

You'd be looking for a SmartNet Contract.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/ordering/

If you choose the Purchase Through an Online Partner and select your geographic area, you can then do searches for "smartnet" and your product model number to get an idea of the confusing array of options available. If you sort by price, lowest first, then you're probably closer to contracts that give you the software upgrade capabilities. For some of the contract prices at the high end I'd expect a CCIE living in a trailer outside my house 24/7 with a semi-trailer full of spare parts.

Once you figure out all the confusing options and find the software upgrade smartnet contracts, you can google to see if you can find other online partners that could offer you a better deal on the price.