ISC's testing procedure for notebooks attempts to serve many University constituencies. The goal is to achieve relevant, repeatable, and timely testing of notebooks from Penn's preferred providers.
Preparation for Testing
Notebooks are connected to AirPennNet, and then authenticated using Microsoft Entra ID.
Notebooks are then updated to the most recent University-supported version of macOS or Windows, and all security and compatibility patches are installed. In the case of Windows systems from Dell and Lenovo, OEM updating tools (Dell Command Update and Lenovo Vantage) are also run, and all updates are installed, including BIOS and firmware updates.
Software and Middleware
Application software tested includes:
- Microsoft Office (Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word)
- Box Drive
- Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Webex
- Zoom
- Apple Safari (macOS only)
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge (Windows only)
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft 365 Copilot
- OpenAI ChatGPT
Systems management and security software tested includes:
- BigFix
- CrashPlan
- CrowdStrike Falcon
- GlobalProtect
- JAMF (macOS only)
Performance Testing
ISC tests for system performance and battery life, but only after a representative suite of software and middleware has been installed. Testing for battery life is conducted under multiple real-world usage conditions and includes a battery rundown test using a LinkedIn Learning course running in full screen on Google Chrome .current.