Revised October 13, 1998

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Access to Files
• Guest Users
• Registered Users
• Special Files
• What's Available
• Cisco IOS Software
• Internet Products
• Switching Products
• Enterprise Network Management Products
• Management Information Base (MIB) Files
• WAN Switching Products
• Other Software
• The Shape of Things to Come (New Products)
• Controlled Files
• Special Delivery! (Special Files)
• Software Downloading Process
• Directions For Browsing and Downloading via the Web
• Directions For Browsing and Downloading via FTP

Introduction

The Software Center is available to customers via the World Wide Web, as well as through CCO's asynchronous dial-up interface. Customers can also use conventional internet FTP (File Transfer Protocol) applications rather than their WWW browser to obtain software.

There are many differences between CCO's WWW system and traditional character-based system (available via telnet or asynchronous dial-up). Features available only through the character-based system are not described here. These include the ability to download via asynchronous file transfer protocols such as X, Y, or Z Modem, and via unencoded e-mail. If you require these features, please log in to the character-based CCO service for more information (telnet to "cco.cisco.com").

World Wide Web file transfers rely upon the traditional underlying internet File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Therefore part of this document concentrates on giving users a basic understanding of FTP and how it relates to downloading software from CCO. Some work-arounds using traditional FTP applications are also briefly described.

Access to Files

• Guest Users

Guest users of CCO are limited to seeing only publicly available files, such as Cisco's Management Information Base (MIB) files for SNMP-based management applications. Operating system software such as Cisco IOS releases are not generally available to guest users.

Guest users can be granted special file access to Cisco software files if they contact their Cisco support representative to obtain support and instructions.

• Registered Users

End-user customers with Cisco service contracts, such as SMARTnet or Comprehensive Maintenance, as well as Partners with service agreements, can become registered users on CCO. Registered users have a much broader range of content available to them through the Software Center.

Registered users have access to all files in the Guest system, plus access to operating system software, drivers and related files for Cisco's internetworking products. They can also be granted special file access by Cisco representatives.

• Special Files

Special file access codes can be granted to either guest or registered users with high-priority cases by authorized Cisco representatives. For instance, a Customer Engineer in Cisco's Technical Assistance Center may grant a guest user a special access code to obtain a software upgrade for a chassis covered under warranty service but not under a service contract.

Cisco reserves the right to grant special file access at its sole discretion. All access codes and software made available in this way are considered confidential information. Customers who obtain special access codes from Cisco are required not to distribute such access codes to other users without express permission from Cisco Systems, Inc.

If you believe a Cisco employee has made such a file available to you on CCO, and you cannot obtain it even after reading the sections below regarding software downloading processes and issues, please contact the Cisco employee who made the file available to you. Confirm the special access code with them; they should also be able to help you with any file download issues that arise and are not covered here.

What's Available

• Cisco IOS Software

The largest group of files in the Software Center are the various released versions of Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (IOS), organized by software revision level (example: 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, etc.). Within each revision are release-level images (10.0.5, 10.0.6, 10.0.7, etc.) for various hardware platforms (7000, 4000, 2500) and software feature subsets (Enterprise, Desktop, IP, etc.).
• Internet Products

Cisco's new Internet Business Unit products, such as Internet Junction can be found in this section.
• Switching Products

Cisco's Workgroup Business Unit produces software drivers for such products as Adapters, Hubs and Catalyst Workgroup Switches.
• Enterprise Network Management Products

Software management products range from planning tools, such as NETSYS Checker to security applications such as TACACS, to...
• Management Information Base (MIB) Files

Network management tools using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and SNMP II protocols use MIB files to define various features that can be monitored and controlled by network management stations. Similar to software, MIB files are organized by platform type (IOS, Workgroup, etc.), version (10.2, 10.3, etc.) and network protocol (IP, FDDI, etc.)
• WAN Switching Products

With Cisco's WAN Switching Solutions, service providers have the flexibility to deliver ATM, frame relay, IP, Internet commerce, video, voice and a wide range of private networking services.
• Other Cisco Platforms

Software for other Cisco products are available including the Cisco 1000 series from Cisco's Access Business Unit to the LS100 HyperSwitch from our ATM Business Unit.
• The Shape of Things to Come (New Products)

Sections for new products will be made available on CCO shortly after product introductions. There may be a time delay before making software updates available following the release of a product line.

If you are looking for software for a specific product, and do not see it available, feel free to contact the CCO team (cco-team@cisco.com) for inquiries regarding it's planned availability through the CCO service or Cisco's Technical Assistance Center (tac@cisco.com) to acquire a specific software file in the meanwhile.

• Controlled Files

The Software Center allows Cisco to provide customers with software supporting the latest in internetworking technologies, standards and features. At the same time, Cisco is committed to customer satisfaction, which includes ensuring providing customers with the information necessary to understand and successfully implement these technologies in their existing networks.

Therefore, certain parts of the Software Center will present the user with a Software Upgrade Planner. This is a series of articles associated with that software release. They run the gamut from hardware compatibility to new feature descriptions as well as the standard software release notes. Cisco recommends users review these articles before downloading software though customers can skip these files and directly obtain software on subsequent downloads.

• Special Delivery! (Special Files)

Sometimes customers require special files, such as code patches, customized router configurations, interim software releases and so on. For these cases, Cisco employees can make files available to both registered or guest customers on an as-needed basis. The "Special Files" section requires a specific access code, which must be given to you by a Cisco employee.

Software Downloading Process

As of November, 1995, Cisco Connection Online offers a new FTP system called "Cisco Connection Online Electronic Software Distribution" (CCOESD). This new FTP server allows us to have normal, heirarchical FTP directories and allows better user features and administrative control over the site.

The new process for downloading files follows a general proceedure, though some files, such as controlled software releases and special access files, might require additional steps before you can perform the download.

IMPORTANT: You can now browse CCO's Software Center either through the Web (which is preferred, because we can take advantage of hyperlinks for information) or by direct FTP access.

Directions For Browsing and Downloading via the Web

1. Enter CCO either as a registered user or anonymous guest

Please go to Cisco's home page ("http://www.cisco.com") to enter Cisco Connection Online as a guest or registered user.
• Guest users will be granted limited access to Cisco's Software Image Library. Check with your Cisco service representative to obtain Special File privileges beforehand.
• Registered users with software service contracts will be granted full access privileges to the Software Center. If you do not have access to the Software Image Library, please check the terms of your service contract before contacting Cisco (or your sponsoring Cisco partner for PICA customers).
2. Browse CCO's Software Center via the Web to locate the topic which contains the file(s) you need.

CCO allows users to navigate to the software image they wish to download naturally via standard HyperText Markup Language (HTML) pages and forms.
3. For Special Files Only: Enter the special access code in the field as instructed.

There are some areas of the Software Center which you can only gain access to by entering a special access code. Special access codes are provided either through a postal letter (through electronic or regular mail) informing you of an upgrades' availability on CCO or via a conversation with authorized Cisco personnel.
4. For Controlled Files Only: 1) Review all articles in the Software Update Planner before proceeding then 2) fill out the Software Release Checklist and select "Execute".

After reviewing the Software Upgrade Planner, customers are next presented with the Software Release Checklist, which verifies information about the customer's hardware platform, to ensure it meets minimal hardware and software compatibility requirements.
5. Click on the "radio button" of the file you wish to download from the list of available software images then select "Execute".

The listing of available files includes the following information:

 

• Filename - same as listed in CCO's FTP directory.
• Files that end in a ".bin" are binaries.
• Those with a ".Z" in the filename are compressed images. ".Z" files can be uncompressed using the Unix "uncompress" command or similar utilities on other platforms.
• Others ending in ".tar" are UNIX system archive images. These can be unarchived by using the "untar" command or similar utilities on other platforms.
• Files labeled ".EXE" are DOS/Windows executable programs.
• Description - usually includes the hardware platform, feature set and version for software images.
• Release - the software release or version number.
• Size - the size of the file in bytes.
• File Checksum - the file checksum value listed is a 5-digit BSD Unix checksum.
• Router Checksum - this value should reflect what you see after loading the software into the router and performing a "show flash detail" command.
• MD5 - this is an electronic "fingerprint" for the file. "MD5" is the latest implementation of the internet "Message Digest" standard more fully described in RFC 1321: "MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm" and is useful for data security as well as integrity.
6. Review the information on the "Confirm FTP Get" page, including the information about work-arounds if the download does not work through your web browser.
7. Select the option in your browser to save the next link to your disk drive.

For most files and browsers this will happen automatically. However, some require manual intervention.

Examples:

• Netscape: Hold down mouse button on hyperlink and select "Save This Link As..."
• NCSA Mosaic: under the "Options" menu, "Load to Local Disk".
8. Click on the hyperlink that reads, "Please confirm the transfer of this file, {filename} by clicking here".

Directions For Browsing and Downloading via FTP

1. Enter CCO as a registered user or anonymous guest

Please go to Cisco's FTP site by connecting to cco.cisco.com.
• To enter as a registered user: Enter your CCO userid and password at the appropriate prompts. With a Web browser, type in the URL "ftp://[userid][:password]@cco.cisco.com".

Tech Tip: To be more secure, so passers-by will not see your password in the URL box of your Web browser, Netscape Navigator supports a feature so you can leave off the ":password" and you will be prompted for your password separately.

• To enter with a special access code: Enter the special access code as a userid, and type your email address in the form of "user@host.domain" as a password. With a Web browser, type in the URL "ftp://[access_code][:userid]@cco.cisco.com/coded" where ":userid" is the user name part of your email address, before the "@host.domain" part of your email address. This will put you in the coded directory where your files will be waiting for you.

Example: Bob Smith has an email address of bsmith@bigcompany.com, and wants to retrieve a file "smith_file.txt" which has been put on CCO with a special access code of "bigcofiles". Bob would put the URL of "ftp://bigcofiles:bsmith@cco.cisco.com" into his Web browser.

• To enter as an anonymous guest: Enter "anonymous" as your userid and type your email address in the form of "user@host.domain" as a password. With a Web browser, type in the URL "ftp://cco.cisco.com"; no userid or password is needed.
2. Read the login and directory messages you see on the screen.

In many cases there will be banners as you FTP login to CCO or change directories within the FTP structure. Please read these messages carefully as they might contain important notes regarding explanations, changes or updates to our CCO FTP services and content.
3. Use the "ls" or "dir" command to see files and directories in the FTP service.

This command will list all files (including their file size and posting date) and subdirectories in the current directory you're in. If you are using a Web browser or graphical FTP client, your client will automatically do a "dir" command when it enters the directory and shows you the contents.
4. Read the "README" document in each subdirectory to get additional information about the posted files.

The "README" file (which is also aliased as "README.txt") will list the files by filename, description, version, file size, checksums and MD5 as listed above.
5. Do a "get" or "mget" command to download files to your computer.

The "get [filename]" command will copy a single file from CCO to your computer. The "mget [filename(s)]" command can be used with wildcards ("*.bin", for example) to fetch multiple files at one time and download them to your computer.

Tech Tip: Be careful if you have a slow-speed network connection when invoking the "mget" command in case it ties up your computer doing a very long download. For graphical browsers selecting the file with a keyboard command or mouseclick should enable the download.