Self-managed Mac OS X

Access to local computing services

A Mac can access many School and University computing services once properly configured. Here are some possibilities.

• Connect your machine to the Informatics network (either in the Informatics Forum or in Appleton Tower) and the University's wireless networks.
• Use Kerberos on Mac OS X to authenticate to your DICE account.
• Use ssh from MacOS to login to a School machine from outside the School network.
• Most Informatics file space uses AFS. Set up AFS on MacOSX.
• With Cosign SPNEGO your web browser can automatically log you in to the School's restricted web sites.
• You can safely and securely access the Informatics network from outside the School using OpenVPN.
• Printing on MacOS X explains how to add the School's printers to your Mac.
• A network backup service is available.
• For staff and for research postgraduates, the Staffmail configurator explains how to connect a mail program (Mail, Thunderbird, etc.) to Staffmail. Undergraduates and taught MSc students can set up Apple Mail for Office 365 or use more general instructions on the IS Office 365 FAQ page.
• If your Mac sleeps in your office but you want to wake it up from home, try the remote wake up service.
• Teach your Mac to query LDAP for Informatics user information.

Software and hardware maintenance and purchasing

• The University provides and recommends Sophos anti-virus software for Macs.
• We subscribe to an Apple software maintenance programme. Under this, Macs purchased through the University can receive free updates to MacOSX. To join the programme contact Computing Support.
• You can install Matlab on a Mac.
• We can also offer a discount on Mac Office ...
• ... or you can download Libre Office, Neo Office or Open Office for free.
• The University has a number of software purchase agreements. The IS Software Services page has more details. Some software may be available free of charge through current site licences or for significantly less charge than purchasing it directly from an external provider.
• See opensourcemac.org for a range of good quality free Mac software.
• To buy a University-funded Mac see the Purchasing section.
• When buying personal hardware or software from Apple you can use the Higher Education section of the UK Apple Store. It can only be accessed from participating Institutions' networks, so you can't do this from home. Use the "Shop for yourself" option and click on the "Access to the store for Individuals" link. This takes you to a page which asks you to confirm your staff or student status. Once this has been confirmed, start shopping!
• IS offers a free laptop clinic.

Further Information

You can find information on how to access the various Informatics services from your Linux machine by selecting the MacOS topic from the Choose a topic option in the right sidebar. The self-managed topic might also be of interest.