[WinPartners] Update on the status of Microsoft Vista at MIT

[alexander kozlov]

This email from Information Services and Technology (IS&T) provides an
update on the status of the Microsoft Vista release project at MIT.


As of September 2007, IS&T offers full support for business-class versions
of Windows Vista on new systems purchased with the Vista operating system,
which includes:

- Business Edition (32-bit only)
- Enterprise Edition (32-bit only), available for free download at MIT
through Microsoft Campus Agreement (MSCA) at
<web.mit.edu/ist/topics/software/msca.html>
- Ultimate Edition (32- bit only), support excludes the Media Center
components

-----------------------
Important Facts to Know
-----------------------

- IS&T will continue to support Windows XP and does not recommend that you
upgrade your existing system to Windows Vista at this time. Migrating to
Vista is a very involved process that requires a lot of preparation and
preplanning. Detailed migration guidelines for DLCs and individual users
will be provided by the Vista Release Team <vista-release at mit.edu> later
this fall.
- Early adopters who upgraded to Vista Enterprise should be aware that at
this time support is on a best-effort basis until upgrade/migration testing
has been completed and guidelines are available.
- IS&T will provide support for core functionality of Windows Vista Home
Basic and Home Premium editions. However, these editions are not recommended
and will be supported on a best-effort basis only.
- 64-bit versions of Windows Vista are not supported at this time because
some critical applications, such as Cisco VPN, do not work on them.

-----------------------------------------------
Full Compatibility with Enterprise Applications
-----------------------------------------------

Over the summer IS&T completed testing and released the final suite of
enterprise applications fully compatible with Vista. This suite includes:

- Kerberos (KFW) 3.2 client
- SAPgui 7.10
- TSM 5.4
- Secure CRT 5.1
- Secure FX 3.5
- VirusScan Enterprise 8.5
- Cisco VPN 4.8

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Ready to buy a new computer? Factors to consider before buying one with
Vista.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before you decide to purchase a new computer with the Vista operating
system, IS&T recommends that you:

- Find out if your DLC is ready to support Vista.
- Make sure your applications are compatible with Vista (this would include
special local applications that your DLC uses).
- Consider training options (The Vista user experience and graphical user
interface is very different from that of Windows XP, and users can expect to
face a significant learning curve.)

If you decide to buy a Vista machine, IS&T recommends that you select a
system bundled with Vista Business edition. This version will provide you
with more functionality and options:

- Allowing you the ability to easily upgrade later to the next level of
Vista, the Enterprise edition, which is freely available to MIT community
members via the Microsoft Campus License Agreement (see
<http://web.mit.edu/software/win.html>).
- Vista Home edition is not upgradeable to Enterprise and would require a
more complex installation (clean install)
- Allowing you to join the active directory domains at MIT (Home edition
users cannot join active directory domains)

For a Vista editions comparison chart, visit the Microsoft site at
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
>.
 
See also important footnotes at
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/footnotes.mspx>.
 
----------------------------
Support and more information
----------------------------

Details on Windows Vista can be found on the web at
<http://itinfo.mit.edu/product.php?vid=735>. For assistance, contact the
Computing Help Desk at (617) 253-1101 or computing-help at mit.edu or submit a
request via the web at <http://web.mit.edu/ist/helpdesk/>. 

For more details on the Windows Vista release project, visit the Vista
Release Project Notebook at <http://web.mit.edu/swrt/releases/vista/>.

To familiarize yourself with the Vista user interface, attend a Vista Quick
Start class (see <http://web.mit.edu/ist/topics/training/index.html> for
dates and times) or visit the Microsoft Windows Vista web page at
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista> and see "Start
using Windows Vista".



Alexander Kozlov
Windows Platform Coordinator
Software Release Team
Information Services & Technology
MIT
N42-250C, Cambridge, MA 02139

Tel (617) 253-5103
Fax (617) 258-8736