IOS Question

cisconyc

Hi Guys, I have a question for you. I have some equipment from ebay, Cisco routers and switches. I am building my own CCNA home lab. Is it legitimate to use different IOS images downloaded from the internet? It is used only for study and not distribution. Thank you

okplaya

It is illegal, just like downloading copyrighted music and movies.

For CCNA, the IOS version isn't very important. As long as you're running at least 12.x you should be perfectly fine with just about every command/feature you'll ever need.

Chris_

It's a moot point really - even the IOS that came with your device off ebay is illegal as, technically, the IOS is not transferable on sale; you bought the hardware but not the right to run software on it!!!!!!!

BTW it is also technically illegal to use IOS in GNS3 as the IOS is not licensed fro use outside the environment of a Cisco hardware chassis

I imagine this crosses the mind of eveyone keen to study at home and I'm not sure of this forums stance on the matter so I won't condone the use of non legit IOS images, but I will say that every home student I know is doing it!

alan2308

And the legalities of everything mentioned above puts you in quite a pickle since most of the older stuff that we're buying off of ebay is no longer maintained by Cisco. So you can't get a legal IOS from Cisco for it.

What happens in the lab stays in the lab.

esswok

I have down loaded some IOS for some model switchs at the main Cisco web site. Some of them are not avalible to download and some say that you must be CCIE to down load it.
!
Their are allot of words to agree to in their agreement but if the link is selectable it must be ok for us to have for our lab use; many are not selectable links.
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I do not claim to know the full extent of copyright Law specificaly to what is known as intelectual property.
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their must still be some hidden truth's, and legal loop holes.
Every 3 years they,(software co) still seem to pull off a software up grade. (why)
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I am not trying to start a big debate but

pharmaceutical company can claim 7 years then it is up for grabs. It used to be before the digital milenium act (1998??) that it was hard to lay claim to any mathmatic formula < which is binary, hex, ascii,... = ???,,,
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definitive and conclusive answers must still be very vauge on this topic.
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Bottom line and Most important if you are here you have a bright future ahead of you so DO NOT let a small stupid thing cause you to not be able to get DOD clearence. < for the rest of your life.

mikej412

Chris_ wrote: »

It's a moot point really - even the IOS that came with your device off ebay is illegal as, technically, the IOS is not transferable on sale; you bought the hardware but not the right to run software on it!!!!!!!

The software is unlicensed. Last I checked Cisco didn't pay any politicians enough to actually get a law passed that would make it illegal and have the police knocking on your door with a warrant for your arrest because you bought used hardware with an IOS image off of eBay. If you're going to deploy the hardware for business purposes, Cisco has the right to take you to court to get their percentage, so maybe look for a nastygram from a lawyer.

If you're buying used hardware and it sits in a closet or home lab, Cisco doesn't seem to actively hunt you down and force you license the IOS or unplug the hardware.

There are a few CCIEs who post their CCIE# on their eBay sales -- so Cisco could easily find out who they are, buy the used hardware with the IOS (or have a Law Firm/Private Investigator do it), and then sue the hell out of them to force them to erase an IOS images on the flash (and shut down the used Cisco market).

When you buy used hardware, the licensing is the responsibility of the buyer..... so make sure you are getting the biggest and baddest and most recent IOS image the hardware will support, especially for obsolete hardware that can't be SmartNet'ed.

And remember the Vegas Rule -- what happens in your lab stays in your lab. Seriously -- If you rely on questionable downloads from the internet you better firewall your lab from your home/work network.

Chris_

mikej412 wrote: »

The software is unlicensed. Last I checked Cisco didn't pay any politicians enough to actually get a law passed that would make it illegal and have the police knocking on your door with a warrant for your arrest because you bought used hardware with an IOS image off of eBay.

Okay, maybe illegal was to strong a word

mattau

i hate why cisco have to be so top secret about getting an ios copy. they pretty much make you do illegal things. I wouldve thought it would be in their best interest to atleast let people studying cisco to be able to get whatever ios they want. its just for a lab so who cares ?
seriously who is going to have a cisco account with them to get access to the ios's that is just starting to study? I know they need to police it somewhat but surely if you can prove who you are and just want it to lab with they should let you download it.

I purchased a lab and the ios that they came with said 12.4 . I didnt know anything about ios back then but when i got them i realised i couldnt do half the labs i wanted to seems it didnt have all the required features.

mikej412

mattau wrote: »

I wouldve thought it would be in their best interest to atleast let people studying cisco to be able to get whatever ios they want.

I'm sure if enough quality people volunteer to work for free at Cisco then they wouldn't need the revenue stream from the IOS licensing fees -- but that assumes that the shareholders and senior executives don't just want to pocket that cost savings as an increase in earnings per share (and executive bonuses).

alan2308

mattau wrote: »

I wouldve thought it would be in their best interest to atleast let people studying cisco to be able to get whatever ios they want. its just for a lab so who cares ?

When it comes to the world of software, which is what IOS ultimately is, there are a lot of intellectual property rights that complicate the issue. If there is a single line of code that wasn't written by Cisco, then the company that owns that code gets a say in how every IOS image that contains that code gets distributed. If any feature is covered by a patent that Cisco has licensed the right to use, then that company gets a say. Then there's all the different departments that have a stake in IOS having to all get on board and on the same page, which in a company the size of Cisco is no small feat.

Short story, changing the distribution of a piece of software is very complex. Look how long it took Sun to open source Solaris despite their strong desire to do so.