Apple Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" licensing and upgrades
Summary
Apple's Mac OS X 10.4, also known as "Tiger," will be available for sale on April 29, 2005. It is covered under RIT's Apple Technology Assurance Program (TAP) agreement to the end of June 2005. It will also be available under our upcoming Apple Maintenance Program (AMP), beginning in July 2005.
The least expensive way to obtain Tiger for your department is to make sure you are on the TAP agreement before the end of June, and transition to the AMP agreement with the rest of campus in July.
Frequently asked questions
When is Tiger available?
Apple will begin retails sales of Tiger at 6 p.m. this Friday, April 29, according to their Web site.
When will it be in the bookstore?
Retail boxed sets should be on sale as of Saturday, April 30. Campus Connections is not open at 6 p.m. on Fridays.
Is Tiger covered under RIT's current TAP agreement?
Yes, it is. The RIT Technology Assurance Program (TAP) agreement provides license coverage until the end of June 2005 for any people or computers covered by TAP.
When will Tiger media kits for TAP be available?
Bob Laros from Campus Connections indicated that media kits for RIT's Apple TAP agreement may not be available immediately. We are purchasing a larger number of media kits to get a reduced per-unit price (expect under $15, the normal price), and Bob hopes to have that in stock shortly. He hopes to have them within two weeks of the Tiger release.
Should I purchase a retail boxed copy for my department, if I'm covered under TAP, so I can get Tiger more quickly?
While you could, we do not recommend it. The cost difference is significant. The retail boxed copies include media plus another license (the right to install and use the software), so you will be double-paying.
Should I purchase a retail boxed copy for home use under TAP?
You do not need to purchase a boxed copy for TAP home use; you can purchase the same media kit that is used for on-campus installation. Again, the price difference is significant, so it pays to wait.
Campus Connections will receive an updated list of departments participating in the TAP agreement by Friday, April 29, 2005, so that they can verify you have home use rights.
What kind of disc does Tiger ship on?
The retail boxed copies and the TAP media kits will be a single DVD disc. CD copies will also be available, but they may be a special order item at this time. Stay tuned.
Will ITS Desktop Support duplicate media for me, under the TAP agreement?
Tiger ships on DVD. ITS Desktop Support does not currently have the resources to duplicate DVDs for the campus. Media duplication is not allowed on our pending Apple Maintenance Program (AMP) contract, so as of July 1, we will no longer be able to duplicate media kits within RIT, anyway.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you purchase the low-cost media kit (expected to be under $15 each) for Tiger from Campus Connections, once it is in stock.
Should I wait for the AMP agreement?
If you currently have a computer running Mac OS X 10.3.x or earlier, no. Your least expensive path to Tiger is to buy into the TAP agreement now, before the end of June. Then, you can "stay current" by transitioning to the AMP contract on July 1.
The AMP contract does not allow you to "get current" first. It only allows you to "stay current." You must already be running the current version of Mac OS X. From the date that Apple announced a ship date for Tiger — not the date they actually ship it — that current version became 10.4.
Signing on to the RIT TAP agreement is less expensive than any other means to upgrade to Tiger. It's $25 per person or computer. It will cost more than that for the retail boxed copies or volume license copies or other methods your department could use.
What is the least expensive way to get Tiger for an RIT-owned computer?
Sign your department on to the current TAP agreement if you haven't already. You pay $25 per person or computer, which gives you the upgrade rights until the end of June. Sign on to the AMP agreement which we plan to start July 1 (the price per year has not been set yet), and you'll be able to retain the rights to have Tiger (and future releases) installed over the course of that three-year agreement.
You will also need to pay for each media kit you need for your department; how many you purchase is up to you. (We suggest at least one copy for the department, and additional copies that any laptop users can carry with them in case off-campus troubleshooting is needed.)
What is the least expensive way to get Tiger for my home computer?
If your department is on TAP, you have home use rights for any Mac OS version on an unlimited number of home computers. You may purchase the low-cost media kits in the bookstore, when they are available.
Note that home use is not a part of the AMP agreement, so you do not have this right after the end of July. At that point, or for those not on TAP today, you can purchase the educationally-priced retail boxed copies at the bookstore. A department could also purchase AMP coverage for its employees, if it so chooses. At this time, AMP coverage will not be available for individual employees or students to purchase for home use.
Should I upgrade to Tiger right away on my office computer?
Assuming your department is on TAP today, we recommend that you wait to upgrade to Tiger until the low-cost media kits are available in Campus Connections. We also recommend you consult with your local system administrator(s), or the ITS HelpDesk, before upgrading.
We recommend checking the compatibility of your applications first, before upgrading.
Should I upgrade my home computer to Tiger?
That is up to you. We suggest that you check the compatibility of your home applications first.
Will ITS support Tiger, and help with Tiger upgrades?
We expect that we'll need to get fully up to speed with the shipping version of the new OS, just like everyone else, and we recommend patience. However, we plan to support Tiger in the same manner we've supported Panther (Mac OS X 10.3).
While much is similar between the two releases, there are many "under the hood" changes in Tiger and it may take some time to understand all of them.
You should also contact your local system administrator(s) about their policies.
Are there any incompatibilities with RIT applications on Tiger?
We know that the RIT Cisco VPN client will need to be upgraded for Tiger support. If you rely on this for your work, please do not upgrade to Tiger yet.
Other than that, many utilities and applications will require at least small tweaks for the best compatibility. We recommend that you check sites like MacInTouch and MacFixIt, as these are good clearinghouses of information.
Or, you may contact your local system administrator(s) and/or the ITS HelpDesk for assistance.
We strongly recommend checking vendors' Web sites for compatibility in your non-Apple applications before upgrading.
If I want to get Tiger, but won't actually upgrade my office computer to it until after July 1, do I need to buy into TAP first?
The AMP contract we intend to purchase for July 1 — to follow the TAP agreement and extend our license coverage — does not allow you to "get current." If you don't have a TAP license that you transition into our upcoming AMP contract, you won't be current.
You will still need to upgrade to Tiger (the current operating system) before you cover the computer with AMP maintenance. This will increase your upfront costs to enter the AMP contract if you are not already on Tiger. AMP will only let you "stay current" for future releases, after Tiger. You must legally upgrade to Tiger first.
If you are already on TAP and transition to AMP with the rest of campus, your department will both "get current" (via TAP) and then "stay current" (via TAP and then AMP), and will do that as smoothly as possible. This keeps your costs as low as possible.
If you aren't on TAP, or don't already have a legal Tiger license, you can't buy into the upcoming AMP contract. You must "get current" on each computer first. That will cost more than the $25 per person or computer that TAP costs. It will not be as smooth, and will probably be more confusing.
Does this mean I should get all of my department's computers on TAP now, on this RIT budget year?
If you want the least expensive upgrade path for Tiger available at RIT, yes. TAP will no longer be available after the end of June, and thus your costs will increase if you wait.
If I buy into the TAP agreement now and transition to AMP, do I need to actually upgrde to Tiger immediately?
No, you may upgrade your computer(s) at any time. Buying into the TAP agreement and transitioning to AMP merely gives you the flexibility to do the upgrade at your discretion.
If TAP is our current contract, and AMP will be in place for July 1, what budget year will each be charged to?
TAP should be charged to this RIT budget year (ending in June). AMP should be charged back to your department for next budget year (beginning July 1). Caveat: This is the plan at this time.
Where is more information about signing up for TAP?
It is on the ITS Software Licensing and Volume Purchasing page.
Where is more information about the TAP to AMP transition, which is happening this summer?
How do I know how many TAP licenses my department currently has?
You should have a system administrator in your department who has taken responsibility for TAP licenses, and that person should know. If you are that person and need to confirm your counts, please contact the ITS HelpDesk so we can connect you with the correct team in ITS to give you that information.
While you are at it, please collect the number of computers (not people) that you intend to transition to the AMP contract this summer. Send that information to ITS, as described in the ITS Apple system software licensing transition 2005 page. That will help us solidify our numbers and get the best pricing possible for the AMP contract. We need this information immediately.If I buy the $15-or-less Tiger media kit from Campus Connections, is that all I need?
No, the media kits only give you the software, not the legal right to install it. To get that right — the software license — you must buy the licenses separately. That's what the TAP agreement (and, eventually, the AMP contract) provides.
Campus Connections will receive an updated list of departments subscribed to TAP as of this week, and will use that to determine who can and cannot buy the media kits. Only those on TAP can purchase the media kits for their departmental or home use.
This information was originally posted to the MacTech list. If I know someone should be getting MacTech mail but they aren't currently subscribed, how can they get on the mailing list?
Anyone can sign up for the MacTech mailing list from this link.
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How can I find out more information about Mac OS X at RIT?
We have detailed information about Mac OS X at our ITS Macintosh desktop support site. You may find our comprehensive set of frequently asked questions useful.
Subscribers to the list can also send mail to it.