Macintosh System 7 and Cornell ----- Page 1 of 8 ----- Table of Contents ----------------- Don't be in a rush to upgrade.............................2 Networking Problems: You may have difficulties with MacTCP...................3 Compatibility Issues: You may need to upgrade certain software packages.......4 Hardware Requirements: Your Macintosh may not be equipped to run System 7......6 ----- Page 2 of 8 ----- To: The Cornell University Community From: Tom Young, Assistant Director, Workstation Systems Services On May 13th, Apple announced its long-awaited upgrade to the Macintosh operating system. The new system offers a wealth of enhancements and extensions to the Macintosh environment, and Apple has invested an unprecedented amount of effort in testing this software and preparing materials to assist users with the transition. All the same, CIT urges the Cornell community to be very cautious about upgrading to System 7. Don't be in a rush to upgrade No one needs to move to System 7 right away. As with any major new software release, there are bound to be a number of unforeseen problems. Upgrading is a non-trivial process, and it will take some time to acquaint yourself with the ----- Page 3 of 8 ----- new system. Even the individual user with up-to-date hardware should consider the potential expense of updating application software; a workgroup may have to budget for both hardware and software upgrades. Networking Problems: You may have difficulties with MacTCP CIT recently learned that a critical piece of Apple networking software, MacTCP has not been revised for System 7. MacTCP is used with communications packages, such as Comet, Brown TN3270 and NCSA Telnet, when connecting to host systems over the campus network. If a Macintosh on your AppleTalk network is running this software, which can be verified by looking for a MacTCP icon in the Control Panel, you may not want to upgrade that machine to System 7. ----- Page 4 of 8 ----- Apple warns that use of the current version of MacTCP under System 7 can lead to disruptions in network services, even though it may appear to be functioning normally. They explicitly state that the product is not supported under the new system and that you use it at your own risk. CIT has done some testing of MacTCP under System 7 and we have not yet encountered any obvious problems. Apple plans to release an update to MacTCP later this summer. Until the update is available, CIT strongly recommends that you not upgrade any Macintoshes running MacTCP. Compatibility Issues: You may need to upgrade certain software packages Over the past two years, Apple has worked closely with software developers to ensure that their products will run under the new system. The current versions of most, but not all, applications are compatible with System 7. If, however, you are not using the most current release of an application, it is more than likely that it will not work or that there will be limitations to using it. For ----- Page 5 of 8 ----- instance, many sites at Cornell have not yet upgraded to the most recent release of PageMaker, but older versions of this package should not be used with System 7. Apple has produced a very useful tool for helping you determine whether or not you should upgrade: the Compatibility Checker. This HyperCard stack analyzes all the software on your Macintosh and produces a report detailing the degree to which each package is or is not compatible with System 7. The report also includes information about the specific updates needed and how to contact the appropriate vendors. While the Compatibility Checker may not know the status of all the software you are using, it should prove a good indicator of whether you are ready to upgrade. ----- Page 6 of 8 ----- Moving to the new system can have a significant impact on your software budget, particularly for a workgroup where everyone needs to be running the same version of a software package. You may need to postpone upgrading the system software until everyone in your group can upgrade critical applications as well Hardware Requirements: Your Macintosh may not be equipped to run System 7 The new system software runs on all Macintoshes (except for the original 128K and 512K models) that are equipped with a hard disk and at least 2MB of memory. This 2MB requirement is a bare minimum, since System 7 requires between 500K and one megabyte more memory than System 6. A 2MB System 7 machine will have roughly the same capacity as a 1MB System 6 machine: It can be used for working with a single medium-sized application. ----- Page 7 of 8 ----- A machine that is currently running MultiFinder under System 6 will probably be able to work with one less application open at a time under the new system. If you are accustomed to working with multiple applications open and with large document files, your machine should have at least 4 or 5MB of memory. Many machines will need to have one or two megabytes of memory added to function comfortably under the new system. You do not have to upgrade all your machines to the new system: System 7 and System 6 can co-exist on a network. Apple's new print drivers make it possible to share printers among machines running either version of the system software. Macintoshes that are currently using earlier versions of the system (lower than 6) may need hardware upgrades so they can run System 6 and co-exist with your System 7 machines. If you are running Macintoshes with older system software, odds are good that your group is also using old versions of applications, and so you may need to invest in both hardware and software upgrades even for the machines that aren't moving to System 7. ----- Page 8 of 8 ----- CIT is in the process of evaluating both the new system software itself and the information that Apple has provided about System 7. We will be developing materials and programs to help you judge the appropriateness of moving to System 7 and to actively assist in the transition. We are producing a document called "About Upgrading to System 7" that gives more specific information about the new system, including our experiences to date with compatibility issues. We recommend that you study this material, in addition to the material from Apple, if you are contemplating moving ahead with System 7 at this time. "About Upgrading to System 7," available in the Software Lending Library in 124 CCC, will be updated on a regular basis as we learn more about the new system. .