Baseline Workstation Specifications
This document provides descriptions of recommended student, faculty, and staff personal computer systems to be used at the California State University Los Angeles (CSULA). Our primary goal is to recommend the best possible systems that meet the end-user requirements for students, faculty, and staff and, at the same time, keep the total cost of ownership of these systems low. Together with these recommended systems, we build a standard set of productivity and communication client software tools called the Desktop Service Software (DSS). By implementing Baseline hardware and software standards, CSULA will enable its students, faculty, and staff to communicate and collaborate easily and will also reduce its support and training costs.
The following pages provide Cal State L.A. computing users with specifications and vendor information for microcomputers recommended for use with the campus computing network. Faculty or staff ordering workstations for the University are advised to familiarize themselves with the Administrative Procedure for Information Technology Procurement Approval (No. 609) and the spending deadlines set by the Procurement Office. Below you will find specifications for the basic level of machines - Baseline for both Intel/Microsoft and Apple Macintosh desktop and notebook computer configurations. You will find "Baseline recommended" configurations below. Included in this configuration information are names, email addresses and phone numbers of the vendors, and purchase price.
Computer prices are VERY dynamic, this price information is provided for planning purposes, but you should contact the vendors for current prices since the price can change DAILY. It is recommended that you select either a HP or an Apple baseline configuration, contact the sales representative who will get the most current purchase price. Users should then prepare a requisition and attach the faxed purchased quote from the vendor.
In order to meet end-user requirements, CSULA messaging infrastructure will support multimedia mail, directories, and other related applications using several international standard messaging protocols. We list them in the table below.
| Protocol | Name | Service |
|---|---|---|
| MIME | Multimedia Internet Mail Extensions | Multimedia mail support for a variety of media types |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transport Protocol. | Outgoing mail |
| Exchange/Outlook | Microsoft Communication Protocol | For complete messaging and enterprise collaboration. |
| POP3 | Post Office Protocol. | Incoming mail; mail stored on the client; difficult to use with more than one client. |
| IMAP 4 | Internet Message Access Protocol. | Incoming mail; mail can be stored on the network; easy to use with many clients. |
| LDAP 3 | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. | Integrated people (and other) directory database. |
| HTTP | HyperText Transport Protocol. | Primary World Wide Web protocol. |
| NNTP | Network News Transport Protocol. | Group discussions. |
ITS will install the DSS to Staff, Faculty and Student campus baseline desktop computers. ITS can guarantee network connectivity if you have a baseline recommended computer and baseline recommended software (DSS).
Minimum Specifications for Baseline Level Machine
This machine is the recommended general purpose configuration for Faculty and Students. This machine will offer excellent performance with multiple simultaneous applications (such as the Microsoft Office family). This machine is equipped for multimedia playback and has upgrade or growth potential. This configuration was developed by the baseline committee and is the minimum configuration for university purchases.
Desktop-Faculty | Notebook-Faculty | Desktop-Student | Notebook-Student | Desktop-Staff | Notebook-Staff | Macintosh
All product information on this site, including prices, features and availability, is based solely on information made available by the vendors and CSULA disclaims any responsibility for this information or the products listed. Product information may be inaccurate and is subject to change without notice. You should contact the vendor with any questions about the products or the information presented.