These FAQs provide information on Lion at Towson University.
1. What is Lion?
Mac OS 10.7 Lion was released in July 2011 and is the current Apple operating system that ships with Apple computers. Towson University developed a standard Lion configuration to install on university-owned Mac computers, see details below. For more information about specific new Lion features see: http://www.apple.com/macosx/
Lion Requirements:
• Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
• 2GB of memory (4GB recommended)
• OS X v10.6.6 Snow Leopard or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
• 7GB of available hard drive space
2. What is the standard university Lion configuration?
Towson University develops standard configurations for Mac and Windows operating systems. These configurations are developed and tested to work with the university network, products, and services. The standard Lion configuration is recommended for all new university-owned Macs and includes common campus applications including: Microsoft Office and ClamXav antivirus. For configuration details see: About Your Towson University Mac
3. What if a standard university configuration is not used?
Departments that do not use standard university computer configurations will need to assume primary responsibility for supporting these Macs. OTS can provide limited assistance, on a case by case basis, for non-standard configurations. OTS staff are able to provide more effective service and assistance on university standard configurations because they are familiar with them.
When a situation exists that requires technology outside of university standards, OTS staff will work with departments to assist with selection and purchases; and to determine the level of support OTS can provide for the non-standard technology.
Contact Jack Stark (410-704-3905) if you have questions on non-standard technology.
4. Do I need to upgrade to Lion?
No. Generally, computers run the operating system (OS) that they were shipped throughout the life cycle of the computer unless there is a compelling academic, research or business reason to upgrade to a newer OS. For details on what is involved in an upgrade, see: Guidelines for Upgrading a Mac Operating System.
5. What resources are available for Lion?
In the university Apple Resources Web page, the Apple Help and Training section has links to common resources used by university Mac users.
6. Is Lion available for campus computer labs?
Yes, computer labs are encouraged to use the university Lion image. OTS has Mac configuration for image files that can be shared with local IT providers to adapt for their labs.
Contact Jack Stark (410-704-3905) if you are interested in obtaining the Mac image.
7. How do I purchase Apple computers for the university?
8. What about upgrading to Lion on personal Mac computers?
If you are considering an upgrade on a personally owned Mac, you will want to do research and check with hardware and software venders to verify that there are no compatibility issues between Lion and the hardware and software running on your Mac.
Searching the Web will yield some good documentation for upgrading to Lion.
The OTS Macintosh Support Team currently hosts these FAQs for Towson University. If you have suggestions, additions or corrections for the Mac FAQs, contact the Mac Support Team at:
8000 York Road | Towson, MD 21252 | 410-704-2000