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ISC supported products

By Don Montabana

The computer industry provides such a vast array of hardware and software products that no person or organization can be expert in all areas. In order to provide high-quality support, Information Systems and Computing (ISC) publishes a supported products list that defines the scope of its support to the University of Pennsylvania community. This list serves a number of purposes:

• It assures the University community that these products are of good quality and are available at an attractive price.
• It defines those products for which assistance from ISC is offered.
• It helps define a recommended standard computing environment for the University.
• It allows ISC to focus staff resources in areas that will bring the broadest benefit to the University community.

Periodically, Information Systems and Computing reviews this supported products list and determines both products for which support from ISC should be added as well as products for which support is no longer practical. The three lists below describe currently supported products, products which are still supported but no longer recommended, and products which are no longer supported by the ISC.

Getting help

For information about most supported products, students, faculty, and staff of the University of Pennsylvania may contact the Computing Resource Center at 898-9085 (press 1 at the main menu), by e-mail at crc@isc.upenn.edu, or by coming in to the walk-in facility on Locust Walk. Suggestions or comments for new product support are always welcome (ideas@ISC).

Macintosh networking software is supported both by the CRC and by Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS). For assistance with Windows networking software, please contact DCCS at 898-8171 or help@dccs.

Supported products

In addition to the desktop computers and software listed below, ISC supports PennNet communications services on campus (PennNet is the University's data communications network). In nearly all cases ISC supports the current version of supported software plus one major version release back, for example Excel 5.0 plus the earlier 4.0 release.

It should be remembered that the list shown below is a snapshot of the current supported list, and that the list is constantly evolving. As new software and hardware support is added, announcements will appear in various media, including the Penn Printout, PennInfo, and Penn's Web Page.

DOS/Windows hardware

• Dell desktop/laptop computer line; 80486 and above (limited support for other IBM-compatible manufacturers)
• Dell monitors
• CD-ROM drives (internal drives pre-installed by Dell)
• U.S. Robotics 14,400 Sportster Fax/Modem
• Hewlett-Packard printers (DeskJet and LaserJet lines)

• DOS operating system (5.0 and above)
• Windows operating system (3.1 and above)
• WordPerfect for Windows word processor software (5.2 and above)
• Microsoft Excel for Windows spreadsheet software (4.0 and above)
• Acrobat Reader portable document viewing software (2.0 and above)
• Vi-Spy anti-virus software (current version only)
• ProComm communications software (2.4.2 and 2.4.3)

• Novell's TCP/IP software (4.2)
• Novell's SLIP_PPP ODI driver software (4.x)
• WS_FTP FTP client (2.x)
• MS-Kermit file transfer client (3.x)
• Winsock Gopher client (1.x)
• Trumpet for Windows NetNews client (1.x)
• Mosaic for Windows World-Wide Web client (2.0a) is the currently supported product, however, support for Netscape is under development.
• TCP3270 terminal emulation client (2.5x)
• Host Presenter vt100 terminal emulation client (4.x)

• Macintosh desktop/laptop computers 68040 and above
• Apple monitors
• Apple CD-ROM drives (internal and external)
• Apple and Asante brand Ethernet cards
• U.S. Robotics 14,400 Sportster Fax/Modem
• Apple printers (LaserWriter line)
• Hewlett-Packard printers (DeskWriter and LaserJet lines)

• Macintosh operating system (6.0.8 and above)
• Microsoft Word word processor software (5.0 and above)
• Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software (4.0 and above)
• Disinfectant anti-virus software (current version only)
• MicroPhone communications software (Pro version 2.0, II version 5.0, LT)
• Claris FileMaker Pro database software (2.0 and above)
• Aldus Persuasion presentation graphics software (3.0 and above)
• AppleShare file server software (3.0 and above)
• Acrobat Reader portable document viewing software (2.0 and above)

• MacSLIP TCP/IP software (2.0.6)
• MacTCP TCP/IP software (2.0.6)
• PennInfo client (3.9 and 4.1)
• Fetch FTP client (2.1 and above)
• Mosaic World-Wide Web client (1.0.3 and above) is the currently supported product, however, support for Netscape is under development.
• NCSA Telnet communications client (2.6)
• NewsWatcher NetNews client (2.0)
• TurboGopher Gopher client (1.0)
• Comet tn3270 terminal emulation client (3.0x)

Supported but not recommended

In addition to the products supported by the ISC, some products - while still supported - are no longer recommended. The hardware products in this category include Macintosh and IBM-compatible machines that do not conform to new ISC desktop standards (see Penn Printout, February 1995, pages 3-4). The software in this category includes DOS-based products for which alternative Windows-based software is supported. Support for these products is on a best-effort basis.

• Alpha Four (4.0) database software for DOS-based machines
• Dell DOS/Windows hardware below a 80486 processor
• Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS spreadsheet software (version 2.4 only)
• Apple ImageWriter and StyleWriter printer lines
• Macintosh hardware below a 68040 processor
• WordPerfect for DOS word processor software (5.1 and above)

No longer supported (as of July 1)

The list of products for which support will be discontinued on July 1, 1995 is shown below, along with contact information for those continuing to use these products.

DOS/Windows hardware

• Currently marketed IBM computers and the installed base of discontinued IBM systems: 800/426-3333; 914/765-1900
• ProCom external disk drive: 800/800-8600
• Dot matrix printers
• Ungerman-Bass Ethernet card: 800/777-4LAN; 408/496-0111
• Western Digital Ethernet card: 800/832-4778; 714/932-6294

DOS/Windows software

• Microsoft Word for DOS: 800/426-9400; 206/882-8080
• Sigma Plot graphing software: 415/453-7196
• Word for Word file translation software: 800/624-6107; 602/948-4888

Macintosh hardware

• DaynaFile external disk drive: 800/531-0600; 801/269-7200
• Practical Peripherals modem: 805/497-4744; 800/442-4774; 800/537-2291

Macintosh software

• Cricket Graph graphing software: 516/342-4179
• Claris MacWrite word processing software: 800/3-CLARIS; 408/727-9054
• Claris MacDraw drawing software: 800/3-CLARIS; 408/727-9054
• Claris MacPaint painting software: 800/3-CLARIS; 408/727-9054

Note: ISC also supports Elm, a terminal-based e-mail application and Eudora, a POP-based, graphical e-mail client used on both Macs and Windows-based PCs. Support is, however, restricted to retail customers using the host pobox.upenn.edu and students in the "small schools" using the host dolphin.upenn.edu.