Supported Systems Policy

The Office of Engineering Computing (OEC) primarily supports standard systems that can be integrated into our imaging, security, and management processes. While OEC can assist with consumer-grade and other nonstandard systems, these devices often require additional manual work, may not meet campus network/security standards, and are subject to higher setup costs or limited support.

To provide clarity, OEC defines four levels of support:

OEC Level 1 – Enterprise Systems (Standard Support)

• Fully supported through OEC’s standard imaging and deployment processes.

• Eligible for baseline OEC support at the standard service rate.

• Examples include:

  • Dell Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision Workstation, Dell Pro/Pro Max series

  • Dell XPS Enterprise-supported models

  • Other vendor models that provide enterprise driver packs and PXE support

OEC Level 2 – Consumer Systems (Limited Support, Extra Cost)

• Systems that cannot be integrated into OEC’s standard imaging but for which OEC has a workaround.

• Require additional time for driver extraction, manual setup, or custom scripting.

• Billed at a higher setup cost due to added overhead.

• Examples include:

  • Dell Inspiron, G Series, Alienware, Plus (non-Pro/Max) series

  • ARM-based laptops that lack PXE boot

  • Other consumer models with no enterprise driver support

OEC Level 3 – Specialized / Legacy Systems (Hourly Support)

• Devices that do not meet campus minimum network or software requirements.

• Typically require fully manual setup and may not comply with UCSD IT security mandates.

• Supported only on a best-effort basis, billed hourly.

• Examples include:

  • Lab computers tied to specialized hardware (e.g., building control systems)

  • Legacy systems no longer supported by vendors

OEC Level 4 – Unsupported Systems

• Any systems not previously evaluated or standardized by OEC.

• May not be eligible for OEC support depending on security, compliance, and technical limitations.

Key Limitations for Consumer/Non-Enterprise Devices

• No guaranteed compatibility with UCSD enterprise imaging or security tools.

• Extended setup time due to lack of PXE boot or enterprise driver packs.

• May require custom drivers that OEC cannot maintain long-term.

• May fail to meet campus minimum standards for network access, patch management, or software compliance.

• Additional labor costs may outweigh any upfront savings of purchasing consumer systems.

Recommendation: For best results and lowest cost, departments should purchase from OEC’s list of recommended enterprise systems. Consumer systems are strongly discouraged for research and instructional environments that rely on stability, compliance, and efficient support.