[c-nsp] Catalyst 6500 -> Cisco 7600 conversion technicalities

[Simon Leinen]

When Cisco started enforcing the IOS platform split with 12.2(33)SRB,
they also offered the option for customers to "convert" their Catalyst
6500 chassis to Cisco 7600 in order to allow them to run router IOS
(SRB).  This conversion is mostly an administrative process and
doesn't involve actual replacement of hardware.

We are considering this and have gotten pretty good information from
our account team on the commercial and administrative sides of this.
But I'd like to learn more about the technical side, so if anyone has
tried this, or is otherwise familiar with the system:

For Cat6500s-converted-to-7600, there exist separate router-IOS images
that are accessed through a special procedure (correct?).  For a given
(7600-)IOS release and image type, is there a single converted-Cat6500
image, or do you have to download a separate image for each converted
chassis?

Are these special images made available at the same time as the normal
7600 images when new releases come out? If not, what kind of lag can
be expected?

Thanks & regards,
-- 
Simon.