2) How do you go about selecting the best IOS version to be on after you determine you need to update?
3) If you want to upgrade to a particular version, how do you check whether it's OK to move up to the version you have in mind?
4) Finally - is there a systematic approach to this process, or is it different for each type of hardware / version of IOS you're coming from? There are numerous Cisco doc's on this, all of them lead down different paths, and none of them have helped me answer these questions plainly. (Or get many any closer to feeling confident about upgrading)