Why are Mac OS versions earlier than OS X discouraged?  Because the earlier versions rely on the AppleTalk networking protocol for communication between computers and printers.  OSX uses TCP/IP as its protocol for communication and only needs Appletalk to communicate with legacy systems.  It is our goal to use only TCP/IP on the campus network.  AppleTalk is a "chatty" protocol by design which puts unnecessary traffic on the LAN resulting in poorer performance for everyone.  Users of older Mac versions are welcome to continue using them, provided they are either removed from the network or the AppleTalk protocol is disabled. 

You are welcome to browse our list of active service requests.  If you need assistance, you can submit a service request online right now. 

Contact Computing and Statistical Services for more information.