IOS selection and upgrades

Hi,

Can I order Routers and Switches with cisco with an older IOS installed, or
do Cisco always ship with the latest IOS and I have to reinstall the IOS as
per my requirement?

Also what is the best policy in the current major IOS packages being
shipped out? Is it better to keep the IOS few versions behind the current
release? How do i determine which is the most stable.

I need to work out a IOS management policy for my work. Any help will be
appreciated.

Kind Rgs

Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
Received on Sun Dec 30 2012 - 08:10:30 ART