I have to wonder if people are just repeating the same half-truths over and over without really knowing what they are talking about. I downloaded these files to see exactly what is in them. The TAR files are not significantly larger than the MZ files. The TAR file in fact contains the MZ file of the exact same size, but includes two additional files: 21 -rw- 34633307 Nov 30 2019 03:41:22 +00:00 cat4500e-lanbasek9-mz.152-2.E8.bin cat4500e-lanbasek9-tar.152-2.E8.tar contains: 20  -rw-    34633307   Jan 1 2000 00:39:52 +00:00  cat4500e-lanbasek9-mz.152-2.E8.bin 21 -rw- 332 Jan 1 2000 00:39:54 +00:00 info 22 -rw- 199306 Jan 1 2000 00:39:54 +00:00 dc_default_profiles.txt   # more info version_suffix: 152-2.E8 version_directory: cat4500e-lanbasek9-mz.152-2.E8 image_system_type_id: cat4500e image_name: cat4500e-lanbasek9-mz.152-2.E8.bin ios_image_file_size: 0 total_image_file_size: 0 image_feature: Unknown image_family: cat4500e-lanbasek9-m stacking_number: 0x00001 board_ids: SUP6E fru_module_version: info_end:   # more bootflash:dc_default_profiles.txt # # ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Profile, Rules and check definition for the IOS rule engine # Copyright (c) 2010-2013 by Cisco Systems, Inc. # All rights reserved. # **** THIS FILE IS AUTO-GENERATED FROM XML FILE - DO NOT EDIT ***** # ------------------------------------------------------------------ # iusdfilshfsnfifdkfjkghngfnadfojfl0iusdfilshfsnfifdkfjkghngfnadfojfl 01-22-18:03:10:50 # Profile Version Number 1 iusdfilshfsnfifdkfjkghngfnadfojfl1iusdfilshfsnfifdkfjkghngfnadfojfl # Use string for exact match: HTC CORPORATION # Use string for exact match: VERILINK CORPORATION # Use string for exact match: XEROX CORPORATION # Number of OUI-vendor-strings Used = 110 # 0 HEWLETT PACKARD # 1 [.........] I will not post the whole thing. Google does not seem to explain what this file is, but I found a similar file that looks about the same, just a bunch of manufacturer names and seemingly random ID codes: https://www.scribd.com/doc/282837326/Dc-Default-Profiles How this file enables a "Web GUI" I have no idea, and probably is not what the TAR file is for at all.  ... View more

I assume the "without Crypto" images would be for countries that restrict or strongly regulate encryption, or if there is some US government export restriction. I am in the USA, so as far as I know, there is nothing to be gained from using a "without crypto" image. The weird thing is why Cisco would offer that option if it is entirely pointless or not applicable to me. "You can install this image which does not have SSH capability. It will shoot you in the foot and reduce functionality for no reason, but if you want to limit yourself using this, go ahead." ... View more

Yes I agree with you about possibly continuing past the hardware end of life.   Due to the fact that although it is all weird custom prioprietary Cisco stuff and I do not have any install media that was provided to us by the company that installed it for us (??) .... if the BE6000S is really running just plain old VMWare with Cisco's name slapped on it, then I should be able to make a direct physical copy of the VMWare boot drive, and stop the VMs and make a copy of the VMs, to stash away in a cupboard on a couple archival hard drives, or external RAID USB drive.   In the event of future hardware failure, I should be able to just reload these backed-up VMs, restore a CUCM / CUC backup (occurring automatically every day), and away we go. ... View more

Well, we are currently at the BE6000S. We also had a UC560 previously, and the BE6000S was the only upgrade route recommended. Bought it and of course as usual with Cisco, about 1.5 years later in 2017 it started the 5 year EOL forced death cycle, coming up in 2022. I am currently looking into Digium SwitchVOX or maybe FreePBX based on Digium's free Asterisk. We are a tiny organization with a single VOIP controller. We are not coordinating internal extension calling between multiple buildings/office spread across a city. We just need a 75 phone / 5 POTS lines, one-controller VOIP PBX solution with about 30 minutes of voicemail per phone. Probably could do this with a Raspberry Pi. We don't need a PBX that is also at the same time also spec'd out to be a Hyper-Unified Psychokinetic Mindmeld Omnicommunicator with brain-link interfacing (additional product licensing fees will apply for capabilities beyond the base PBX messaging).     We are also a very naughty Cisco customer because we don't religiously buy SmartNet annually for every single device we own. Yep, the switches and phones and wifi... no SmartNet is active on any of it, because it just costs too much. (Supposedly Cisco has some sort of free limited lifetime hardware replacement warranty for its switches like Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Aruba, but I expect it's just smoke and mirrors if I ever actually need it.) Our BE6000S currently has a VMWare boot problem where it gets stuck waiting for a systems management driver to load, and takes over an hour to move past that point and actually finish booting... I have requested we get the SmartNet renewed for $2500 to fix that, but the decision has come down... "well, that's a lot of money for support. it IS only an hour it's taking to boot, we can just wait it out."     Also I continue to love how Cisco adamantly refuses to allow, accept, or acknowledge that there is any way for the BE6000S to ever perform an automatic safe shutdown in the event of a power failure and the thing is now running on battery backup. It is simply impossible to do an automated safe shutdown. You must buy a generator and keep it powered on at all times. The BE6000S can only ever be manually shutdown via the command line of an anointed admin's blessed hands. Nevermind the fact that the BE6000S is merely running VMWare and there is an APC Powerchute Network Shutdown image specifically for VMWare that can be installed alongside CUC01 / CUCM01 that will enable exactly this. And don't you dare just install this yourself on the BE6000S, and violate the Cisco stated manual shutdown only policy. It is a apparently better Cisco policy to let the BE6000S simply crash when the UPS battery runs out, than to install APC PowerChute and enable Guest Shutdown for CUC01 / CUCM01.  And it's not really Cisco's fault for not supporting automatic safe shutdown. No, shame on you for not spending $30,000+ for a dedicated onsite generator and fuel storage, to keep the BE6000S powered on at all times, regardless of any other financial concerns.   I'm afraid the spark has gone out of this marriage.   ... View more

Okay, so the existing Supervisor 6L-E, using the final Cisco OS release in February, right before the official EOL on Feb 29, 2020, is what it will have to be for the next several years. I am aware of the security concerns of running old switch software, but this is not a significant problem for us. These switches are not exposed to the Internet, they sit behind a firewall on a LAN, so them not running the absolutely newest Cisco OS is not really an issue. They can't be probed or hacked from the Interwebs. It would be a more serious concern if we were some big ISP using these for backbone traffic on the public Internet. But in that case we would have the money for the supervisor upgrade. ... View more

(I can reply to a thread via email? Weird.) OK, (laughter), the point here is not that the product version stays the same but that I’m not charged for my firstborn to simply maintain a simple little voip controller with voicemail for a tiny organization. I am at the point where I pretty much do not trust Cisco vendors as they use the customer’s lack of technical knowledge to oversell expensive technology they don’t need, with features far beyond anything they will ever be able to utilize, and with an extremely short life cycle. That is where I sit right now with this BE6000S that we have, which when I asked Cisco technical phone support for help with it they said, “um, why do you have that, It’s designed to support 20,000 phones and you have 60.” Well it’s what our local Cisco vendor recommended. I don’t know what all of the products are that Cisco sells. I am leaving it up to the vendor to tell me what’s appropriate but apparently they’re just in it to charge us as much as possible and get out of Dodge. I’m additionally annoyed by the fact that there is no way to have the BE6000S do a controlled shut down on a UPS, because it is such a high end enterprise gizmo that it is designed to basically never ever power off for any reason. But I can’t provide 24/7 power coverage for the thing, so if we have a power failure it just crashes and there’s nothing I can do about it. I do make backups anyway. And I’ve considered pulling the drives and doing a block level drive image of it with CloneZilla, in case it does crash and kill itself some evening. So yeah I’m just sick of Cisco’s overpriced, short lifespan crap and being scammed by their “partners”. If I could just do business directly with Cisco perhaps things might go better. So, in reply to your comment, if we were to get the free Asterisk and I have to do a free upgrade once a year or two .... um woo. -- Dale Mahalko -- Tech Support, Network Admin Lake Holcombe School District, Holcombe, WI (715) 595-4241 x 275 ... View more