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Workstation Setup, Migration, & Management

Below are the steps you should take to purchase, setup, and manage a new workstation.

 

Purchasing Computers & Hardware:

When purchasing any computer hardware with SJSU, SJSURF, or Lab-specific funds, we recommend contacting the IT Group by submitting an iTicket, so IT can help you find the best hardware to fit your specific needs.

Recommended Configurations

High Performance Configurations

    • If you or your lab has a need for a high performance machine for a specific purpose, please contact IT by submitting an iTicket. The IT Group will work with you to decide what hardware will best suit your needs, whether it is a High Performance Desktop Workstation, a Virtual Machine in the on-premise environment, or a Cloud Compute Instance.

Storage Devices

    • External Hard Drive
    • Network Attached Storage (NAS)

 

Operating System (OS) & Software Configuration:

IT highly recommends using either macOS (High Sierra) or Windows 10 operating systemssystems. Though Mojave is the most recent OS provided by Apple, IT recommends avoiding this upgrade if possible and instead keeping High Sierra.

Software Installation

     

    Security:

    All State-Owned computers will need to meet certain security requirements set by SJSU that IT will install (e.g., Spirion), but a password manager will also need to be setup by you and is required.

    Password Management

    Information Security

     

    Data Management:

    File Migration

    1. To efficiently and seamlessly migrate files to your new computer use the following techniques:

        1. Dropbox:

          1. Create folder(s) with all files that need to be migrated in your Dropbox on old computer
          2. Download Dropbox on new computer and sign in
          3. Copy all files and folders from old computer to new computer through Dropbox

        2. Folder Sharing:

          1. Create folder(s) with files you'd like to migrate to new computer
          2. Right-click the folder you'd like to migrate
          3. Select Properties, a small window should pop-up
          4. Click the tab labeled "Sharing"
          5. Follow the instructions on this link to learn more about how to folder share
    2. Helpful tips:
      1. Create folders on each computer to keep track of things you will and will not migrate
        1. Name folders: “MIGRATED”, “DO NOT MIGRATE”, etc.
        2. Place folders on Desktop for easy access

    Computer Backup

    There are two methods you may use to backup a computer:
    1) Backup User Files to Hard Drive
          • Purchase an external hard drive to backup your workstation (recommended 1-2 TB)
          • This hard drive should be dedicated for this purpose only
          • Setup the following backup programs available on your device to backup to your external hard drive:
            1. Time Machine - Apple Mac
            2. File History (or equivalent) - Windows PC
    2) Create a Disk Image
          • Imaging your computer's disk creates a replica of the contents on your computer
          • Using a differential setup creates one initial full image of your disk, then the proceeding images save only the content that has changed since the initial image

     

    Storage Management

      • To keep your workstation working properly it is important to properly manage the files and data on the computer.

      • Backups should be routinely scheduled - can automatically set this up in the backup computer settings (see Backup section above and follow link)
    NAS Storage
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