Statement of Support For Macintosh OS X

(Versions: 10.4 - 10.5)

Introduction

Computing Services will offer support for the following versions of the Mac OS X operating system:

Macintosh OS X 10.4
Macintosh OS X 10.5

Network services for Mac OS X should be configured using the instructions provided in the Connecting to the Campus Network [PDF] document.

Upgrade Information

If you plan to upgrade an older machine, first discuss it with your departmental administrator or DSP consultant. The following is required to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5:

Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor
512MB of memory
DVD drive for installation
9GB of available disk space

For specific machine requirements, see Apple's Mac OS X Leopard Technical Specifications.

Support Details

The following sections outline the details of Computing Services support for Mac OS X.

Terms Used in this Document
See Support Statement Terms for a definition of terms used to describe the level to which we do or do not support a service or technology

Platforms

Mac OS X is supported only on the Macintosh platform. The hardware must meet the minimum recommended configuration, as required by Apple. Please see the Mac Recommendations section of the Hardware and Software Recommendations document for additional requirements on campus.

Level of Support

Computing Services supports the installation of the Mac OS X operating systems and the configuration necessary for the systems to function on the Campus Network.

Computing Services does not support specific hardware, peripherals, or the configuration of such devices. In most cases, hardware devices should be "plug-n-play", and/or should have appropriate drivers and support provided by the vendor.

Application Support

Multi-user Login
Mac OS X supports multi-user local login access. In troubleshooting, Computing Services may require that users log on with an account that has full administrative access rights.

Printing

Due to the number of printers available, Computing Services limits support for printing from Mac OS X to Computing Services public printers only. For details on printing to public printers, see the Printing page. Important Note: Printing to public printers (Popup) from Leopard is currently not supported. Until a permanent solution is available from the vendor, use the workaround, Andrew Printing for Leopard Users, available from our documentation collection. The workaround does not password protect your job, permit the use of a guest card or another userID. Jobs MUST be released with the ID card of the user installing the print queue.

Network Protocols

TCP/IP
TCP/IP is the recommended and supported networking protocol for Mac OS X.

AppleTalk
Since AppleTalk is disabled on the campus networking routers, it is recommended that AppleTalk be enabled only if AppleTalk services are available from within the same area or building. It is generally recommended that all Mac OS X users take advantage of the TCP/IP based services that Mac OS X makes available including the AppleShare File Protocol and LPR printing.

Special Note for Leopard Users Sharing Folders

Users who have file sharing enabled on Leopard, may receive a false patch alert message. Leopard machines with file sharing enabled appear as a vulnerable Windows machine to ISO’s security scans. Users can request a one-year exemption from MS04-011 scanning by replying to the patch notification message. For more information, refer to the Patch Alert Notification for Leopard Users page.

Last Updated: 3/4/09