Changing from CatOS to IOS on 6509 (SUP)?

Hey all.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't switch to IOS on the SUP2 on my
6509? I have no experience from CatOS so I'd much rather use IOS.

I am (ofcourse) already running IOS on the MSFC2.

# sh ver
WS-C6509 Software, Version NmpSW: 7.3(1)
Copyright (c) 1995-2002 by Cisco Systems
NMP S/W compiled on Jul 8 2002, 16:10:20

System Bootstrap Version: 7.1(1)

Hardware Version: 3.0 Model: WS-C6509

-------------------------------------------

# sh ver
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) MSFC2 Software (C6MSFC2-PSV-M), Version 12.1(13)E6, EARLY
DEPLOYMENT RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
TAC Support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (c) 1986-2003 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 17-Apr-03 19:46 by hqluong
Image text-base: 0x40008C00, data-base: 0x4187E000

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 12.1(11r)E1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
BOOTLDR: MSFC2 Software (C6MSFC2-PSV-M), Version 12.1(13)E6, EARLY
DEPLOYMENT RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)


Thomas.

 

There are a few features that are only supported in one OS or the
other, but in general, there is no reason (other than that) to stay
with CatOS. More than 50% of the new 6500 are now shipping with IOS,
although Cisco will support and continue to enhance CatOS for the
foreseeable suture.

You can load the MSFC config onto the IOS 6500 after you convert,
pretty much unchanged. The config of a native 6500 looks like an
MSFC config with an extra large number of interface statements. CCO
has a lot of doc on converting (either way), and also on the way the
conceptual view of the device changes when you convert.

/Chris, UCLA

 

:You can load the MSFC config onto the IOS 6500 after you convert,
retty much unchanged. The config of a native 6500 looks like an
:MSFC config with an extra large number of interface statements.

I would imagine that the handling of VLANs must change a fair bit?
I hope they found some method better than BVI interfaces; I
always found BVI ugly to use on the C2948G-L3.

 

;->

BVI time is finally over. The integrated IOS on 65xxs (as well as the
one on 45xx SupIVs) feels exactly like the one on 3550s and 3750s:
You have "vlan database", you have VTP, you have physical interfaces
that you can either "switchport" or not, and you have "vlan N" logical
L3 interfaces into the VLANs (EtherSVIs).

Configuring them is a pleasure compared to the 2948G-L3/4908G-L3 way
of doing things with bridge-groups, subinterfaces and BVIs. This is
of course just a different view of the same underlying concept, but
the "Switch IOS" (as I've decided to call it) makes things more
consistent over different plattforms. Be it 2950, 3550, 3750 or the
big irons, even the good old 35xxXLs - the way of configuring them is
essentially the same with small specialties (like the 2950 not having
any ISL support and thus lacking commands like "switchport trunk
encapsulation"). So for me, the basic reason to not even touch CatOS
and use integrated IOS on the 65xx is simply consistence - the other
(smaller) switches in the net are running Swicth IOS, too. Except for
the L3s... Cisco would have done us a favor supplying a Switch
IOS load for the abovementioned creatures (that are AFAIR essentially
standalone versions of 8500 series blades) - but AFAIK they didn't.

As this breaks things like VTP (never try VTP pruning when a VTP
transparent switch is in your way), this is really a bad thing. I
wouldn't even mind if they traded the old L3s in against the matching
3550s...

 

Read the instructions on www.cisco.com VERY carefully. There's a
twenty-something step procedure for the upgrade. There's also a config
convertor to turn your CatOS config into the corresponding IOS config
but it's, erm, not entirely comprehensive. You can't paste in a config
greater than 32K (ours were much larger, though that may be a browser
limit), it doesn't convert all commands and it gets some conversions
wrong - check it carefully.

Sam Wilson
Infrastructure Services Division
Computing Services, The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

 

The tool can be found here:

http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Support/CatCfgConversion/catcfg_xlat.pl

And for configs over 32K, it allows you to upload the entire file.

 

It says it does - two of us here have never managed to get any output
out of it using a range of OSs and browsers. We ended up cutting out
what we believed (hoped!) to be irrelevant from the full configs to get
them under 32K and then pasted them in.

Sam