Windows Vista at CityU – An Update

by Joe Lee

In accordance with our initial deployment plan (Ref.: Network Computing Issue 51 - March 2007), we have added the Windows Vista to more than 1,000 desktop computers which are located in the CSC Teaching Studios, Library’s Information Space, Lecture Theatres and Classrooms before Semester A commences. That is, both Windows XP and Windows Vista environment are made available on these computers. Instructors or students can stay with Windows XP by selecting the XP environment when the PC is first booted up.

In the Windows Vista environment, there are popular applications such as Microsoft Office 2007, Internet Explorer 7.0 and some updated Microsoft software/applications that are granted for our use under the Microsoft Campus Agreement. There are also some other applications that can be temporarily ported from the Windows XP environment for your testing.  For a detailed list of this kind of software, please visit

http://cciis.cityu.edu.hk/Intranet/StudLAN/WinXP/StudAppVista.asp

However, as these applications are transferred to Windows Vista (not re-installed), unexpected run-time behavior, errors and problems may occur.  Instructors who want to teach in the Vista environment should thus test them beforehand on any of the PCs located at the above-mentioned areas. Academic departments are recommended to provide Vista-compatible software applications for re-installation in the new operating environment to avoid any unexpected problem.

Providing Windows Vista for teaching and learning is the first step towards a large scale deployment.  We shall collect feedback and gain some experience to properly configure the production environment for staff PCs.  Recently, Microsoft has announced the Beta version of Windows Vista SP1 at

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=090deaf6-2eaa-4aaa-8b3b-2e199db4a97d&DisplayLang=en

Although we do not have an accurate estimate of the time frame for campus-wide deployment at the moment, it will probably happen after the formal release of the Service Pack 1 (SP1) in the first quarter of 2008.  In the mean time, various service providers should install Windows Vista SP1 Beta for testing the compatibility of purchased as well as in-house developed applications.  Hopefully, all e-Learning and administrative systems will be fully compatible with Vista by mid-2008.  If everything goes well, the campus-wide deployment will initiate in summer 2008. Users will then be able to work in a secure and reliable Vista environment.