Overview
This bulletin announces the end-of-sale and end-of-life of Catalyst OS Release 6.x for supervisor engines on Catalyst 5000/5500 and 6000/6500 series switches. Last orders were accepted December 31, 2005, with support continuing until December 31, 2010. Catalyst 4000/4500 series are excluded. Customers should migrate to newer releases for stability, security, and updated features.
Table 1. End-of-Life Milestones and Dates
| Milestone | Definition | Date |
|---|---|---|
| End-of-Life Announcement Date | The date the document that announces the end of sale and end of life of a product is distributed to the general public. | June 15, 2005 |
| End-of-Sale Date | The last date to order the product through point-of-sale mechanisms. The product is no longer for sale after this date. | Dec. 31, 2005 |
| Last Shipment Date | The last-possible ship date that can be requested from the vendor and/or contract manufacturers. Actual ship date depends on lead time. | March 31, 2006 |
| End of Software Maintenance Releases Date | The last date that engineering may release final software maintenance releases or bug fixes. After this date, engineering will no longer develop, repair, maintain, or test the product software. | Dec. 31, 2006 |
| Last Date of Support | The last date to receive service and support for the product. After this date, all support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete. | Dec. 31, 2010 |
Table 2. Product Part Numbers Affected
| End-of-Sale Product Part Number | Product Description |
|---|---|
| cat5000-sup3.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor Engine 3 Flash code |
| cat5000-supg.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor Engine G Flash code |
| cat5000-sup3k9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor Engine 3 Flash with SSH support |
| cat5000-supgk9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor G Flash with SSH support |
| cat5000-sup3cv.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor Engine 3 Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code |
| cat5000-sup3cvk9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor 3 Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code with SSH support |
| cat6000-sup.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor Flash code |
| cat6000-sup2.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor 2 Flash code |
| cat6000-supcv.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code |
| cat6000-sup2cv.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor 2 Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code |
| cat6000-supk9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor with SSH support |
| cat6000-sup2k9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor 2 Flash with SSH support |
| cat6000-supcvk9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code with SSH support |
| cat6000-sup2cvk9.6-X-X.bin | Catalyst 6000 Series Supervisor 2 Flash and CiscoView ADP Flash code with SSH support |
Migration Recommendations
Customers were encouraged to migrate to newer software releases for enhanced stability and additional features:
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Catalyst OS Release 7.6 or later: Offers 802.3ad, 802.1s, 802.1x enhancements, IGMPv3, and support for Layer 4–7 service blades.
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Catalyst OS Release 8.4 or later (6500 Series only): Provides Identity Based Networking Services (IBNS) enhancements, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection, IP source guard, VRRP, GLBP, GVRP, and more.
Migration from Catalyst 5000/5500 series to 6500 or 4500 series switches was recommended for continued support and feature expansion.
For product purchase or further details, please visit ITMall.