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ResNet
home
Macalester's
residential network
Before
arriving at Mac
What
computer and accessories to bring
Once
you get here
Getting
connected to our network
After
you're connected
What
help ITS offers
Help
Desk
Humanities 314
651-696-6525
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2009-2010 Residential Computing Guidelines
Macalester College does not require
students to bring computers to campus. If you choose to
bring one, Information Technology Services (ITS) strongly recommends
that it meet the following standards.
Computer Baselines and Recommendations
- We recommend you bring a laptop for use at Macalester.
- Many laptops are as powerful as desktop computers and take up less space in your dorm room.
- Laptops
are more easily damaged,
and are more frequently stolen, and age more quickly than desktops.
Older laptops can be significantly less powerful and have less
useful
features. Ultimately, the choice
of laptop vs. desktop is yours.
- We
recommend Dell and Apple laptops, but other brands are fine too. Models
made within the last year are usually good choices.
- Netbooks are lightweight, low-cost, low-powered laptops. We do not recommend
a netbook as your only computer, but they can make an excellent second system if
you already have a desktop computer. Linux-based netbooks are not recommended.
- We recommend your computer run Mac OS X 10.4 or later, Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
Other operating systems may not be compatible with our network
requirements or provided software. The Help Desk may not be able to
assist you in fixing problems with those operating systems.
- Make sure your computer has 1 GB of RAM
at minimum. We strongly recommend 2 GB or more, especially if you run
Windows Vista. RAM is a cheap way to greatly improve computer
performance.
- Make sure your wireless card supports 802.11b or 802.11g wireless networking and WPA2 authentication
(most new laptops will support these features). If your computer does
not support these standards, you may not be able to connect to our
network via wireless. Do not assume your dorm room will have wireless
access. The Macalester campus has wireless in most areas, but not all.
- All dorm rooms have one wired network jack per occupant. A free Ethernet cable can be picked up from the ITS Help Desk, so you won't need to bring one with you.
- Macalester ITS provides several software packages to students. However, we do not provide Microsoft Office or another word processing suite. The Highlander Store sells copies of Microsoft Office, but we do not require that you use Microsoft's software.
- We require that your computer have an antivirus program installed. Macalester provides Symantec Antivirus
to students at no cost. Although we do not require that you use
Symantec as your antivirus program, we strongly encourage it.
Make sure your computer is in working condition before arrive. Turn your computer on and run all software updates. For more
information about preparing your computer for Macalester's network,
please visit Once You Arrive: Getting Connected
What to bring to campus In addition to your computer, we recommend that you bring the following: - Bring all the CDs and DVDs that came with your computer,
including restoration CDs, software installation CDs, printer drivers
and other hardware drivers. The Help Desk may need this software to
assist with computer repairs, and we cannot legally install software or
your operating system without them.
- If you are a laptop user, bring a laptop security cable
- A power strip with a surge protector.
- An external hard drive is strongly recommended for regular computer backups.
- A USB flash drive for easy data transfer.
- DO NOT bring wireless hubs, switches and
wireless printers to campus. These devices often cause problems
for others on our network. ITS reserves the right to bar problematic
devices from our network, and we do not support wireless devices
other than computers.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
staff will make reasonable efforts to support computers
that meet or exceed all of these baselines. If yours does not,
you may still try to use it—but our support mission is
explicitly limited to these baselines. If you have questions
about this information, please contact the Help Desk:
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