• About Shastalink
|
• Products and Services
|
• Technical Assistance Center

• Technical Assistance Center
• Network Operations Center
  • Network Status
  • Scheduled Maintenance
  • Customer Advisories
• Webmail Support
• Spam Support
• Dial-up Support
• Knowledge Base
• Case Management
• Policies

TAC Policies on Hardware and Software Obsolescence

The primary goal of the Technical Assistance Center is to provide the highest quality of support for its products and services. To enable us to meet and exceed this support goal we publish specifications which outline minimum computing hardware and software specifications that will be maintained and supported by the Technical Assistance Center.

Software packages and hardware platforms for which technical support has been retired have recorded a low to zero demand for support. In the majority of the cases, a replacement or substitute product with similar or evolutionary features has been introduced. In cases where it may be desirable for a customer to continue to use an obsolete product, a third-party support vendor can be recommended.

A six-month notice regarding expiration of support for a given software package or hardware platform will be posted on this web site. This period is intended to allow sufficient time for existing customers to move from a given discontinued product or to make arrangements for third-party support. Please bear in mind that only those products that have reached the end of their life cycle will have expired support. Expired support is defined as the discontinuation of any support provided directly by the Technical Assistance Center.

This hardware and software obsolescence policy correlates to vendors' support commitments. Most vendors support software applications through normal support channels for up to five years after the date of general availability. Online "self-help" support is generally available past the five year mainstream support expiration date.

Hardware

As equipment ages and goes out of warranty, or is unable to provide the performance necessary to run the productivity applications that the organization requires, continued support of the hardware becomes a burden in both time and cost.

The standard life cycle for PC hardware is three to five years. Although many systems are able to perform beyond five years when used for light work loads, older systems become labor intensive to maintain and the cost of this maintenance outweighs the value of the equipment. Maintaining equipment past its useful life also means that these older systems no longer meet our current configuration specifications, making it impossible to standardize our support offerings. The Technical Assistance Center makes the following hardware recommendations:

The only supported computer vendor in our environment is Dell. The only supported printer vendor in our environment is Hewlett-Packard. Please check the New PC Purchasing Policy for equipment purchasing information. Equipment that does not meet the minimum specifications will not be upgraded and may not be repaired in the event of failure. Failed equipment will be surplused and replaced as appropriate. The Technical Assistance Center recommends the following as minimum specifications for computer equipment:

Software

The Technical Assistance Center maintains a list of approved software packages and their respective supported status. Please consult the following table for information regarding the support lifecycle of currently supported software packages: