2811 IOS availability

[carlo.wise]

I recently purchased a Cisco 2811 ISR along with (3) 1841 ISR routers for my home lab I am building for certification. I was able to download the most recent IOS for the 1841 routers but I cannot download the most recent image for the 2811 router...tells me I need a "service contract". I don't have a service contract nor am I sure how to get one but I can't imagine it would be money I would want to spend since all I have is hardware for a lab so I can pursue my certs. Is there any other way to get an updated IOS for the 2800 series routers? The one that my router came with is version 12.4 which seems rather old. I was a bit surprised to see that the IOS for the 2800 series router was not available like it is for the 1800 series router.

Thanks in advance.

[Karsten Iwen]

For most of the Cisco devices you need a valid service contract to download software. And if you can download software without a valid contract, that doesn't mean automatically that you are allowed to use the software.

I assume that some decision-maker sees this as a way to protect the revenue of the company. And we have to play by that rules. But that's also one reason why Cisco has built VIRL to make it easy to study for certifications and simulate networks. Perhaps you had better invested $200 in VIRL instead in outdated routers: http://virl.cisco.com

[carlo.wise]

Karsten,

Thanks for the advice. I took a look at VIRL and watched some videos about it. I think it definitely makes sense for me in my ongoing certifications.