Campus network compatibility

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
i just spent 2500$ on new powerbook.. and it turns out it might not work at my school.



im goin to marist college in the fall www.marist.edu



ijust got a newsletter and it says that the network only supports Windows XP and 2000, i emailed them



can it really be true that OSX wotn work on the network? i dont see how thats possible



I have panther, so it should be compatible im pretty sure



no way im returning this powerbook

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    djmbdjmb Posts: 120member
    forgot to add



    my school has a linux lab



    http://www.marist.edu/it/training/labs.html?labid=26



    and im sure these computers are connected to the same network



    how can linux work and OSX not?
  • Reply 2 of 12
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    It's rather hard to tell without knowing more about the network, so your best bet is to ask (or keep asking ) the network managers. Post back if they get back to you and the AI braintrust should be able to tell if your Mac will be OK on their network.
  • Reply 3 of 12
    djmbdjmb Posts: 120member
    what specifically should i ask them about the network?
  • Reply 4 of 12
    djmbdjmb Posts: 120member
    ResNet will not provide support for Windows XP Home, MacOS/OSX, and Linux. This means that computers running these operating systems may or may not be able to successfully connect to theMarist network. If you cannot connect to the network, ResNet may not be able to provide support to help you connect. If you are running one of these operating systems and are having difficulties, it is recommended you upgrade your operating system to one that ResNet supports.





    http://www.marist.edu/it/resnet/fallsupport.html
  • Reply 5 of 12
    chychchych Posts: 860member
    I think they say that for tech support issues... Their network should be using standard protocols, should work fine. Unless they're using some weird windows only stuff, which I doubt.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    toweltowel Posts: 1,479member
    You'll be fine. Networks are platform-agnostic. They don't care what OS you run, so long as it uses the proper protocols. What the school is saying is that they don't want to be bothered with technical support for a variety fo OS'es ("Which control panel do I open to see my IP address?" sort of stuff). I'd say 99% chance you'll just plug the ethernet cable into your PB and be off and running.



    I find two things really funny about this, though. One is that Windows older than 2000 is "NOT ALLOWED" on the network. Not unsupported - not allowed at all. Funny, but understandable from a security standpoint. I can only assume that security, not laziness, is the reason they won't support the OS that probably 90% of their students will be using - XP Home. I guess they want to encourage people to upgrade to XP Pro, but I'm really doubt that would be a cost-effective solution to Windows security problems (certainly not for the students who would have to pay $200 a pop). If XP Home is unsupported, it's that much less likely most student's systems will ever be patched or updated. But the IT staff sure did figured out a way to reduce their workload by 90-99%.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    My IT people are work are always chanting the "not supported" mantra. They only support XP, Office and the Novell crap they install.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    It would be ironic if Marist's network would not be Mac-compatible. Marist's browser-based course management system is Educator, which is made by Ucompass, a totally Mac-based company.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    Your powerbook is 100% compatible with their network, period.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    jhazeljhazel Posts: 28member
    Yes, your PB is compatible with their network. They probably just won't provide any kind of support to you if you don't have one of their "approved" machines. You may want to pick up a copy of Virtual PC so that if you have any assignments that require you to use some of their software (for instance, MS Access), you can load it up on your PB.



    Josh
  • Reply 11 of 12
    I wouldn't go to the expense of getting Virtual PC yet. You probably won't ever need Windows or Windows applications. If you do, then go to a lab with Windows machines or use a friend's computer. If you find that you're having to do this quite a lot, which is very unlikely, then get Virtual PC.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    jhazeljhazel Posts: 28member
    Yes, good point.
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