Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!jade!ucbvax!hoptoad!tim From: tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Ethertalk: what do you get with it? Message-ID: <3550@hoptoad.uucp> Date: 9 Dec 87 04:17:24 GMT References: <11540069@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> Reply-To: tim@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Maroney) Organization: Sun Microsystems, TOPS Division, Berkeley Lines: 35 In article <11540069@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> dlw@hpsmtc1.HP.COM (David Williams) writes: >Well I've recently put in my order for the Ethertalk card for the ol Mac II. >What kind of software comes with it(if any)? Aside from plugging the II into >our ethernet LAN is there anything else exciting I should expect from this >product and any software that accompanies it? No application software comes with it, just the drivers and a new cdev (Control Panel file) which controls whether the Appletalk protocols will use the Appletalk/Localtalk/Applebus/Sidhutalk/whatever port, or the Ethernet connection. However, all existing Appletalk software will run transparently over Ethernet - or at least all that we've tried. That includes things like the Laserwriter driver, TOPS, Intermail, and so forth, as well as new products like (plug) TOPS Terminal. >We also have our Labs Vectras (IBM compatibles) hooked up with 3com type lan >cards on the same network, along with a Vectra server with an Hp Laserjet >hanging off of it. Can I communicate with these? The server is running Hp's >ThinLAN server software on it. Theoretically, but you'll have to write your own network software that calls the Ethernet driver, the Appletalk driver, TOPS TCP/IP, or whatever protocol is required. Not a small task. >Do I gain any benefit in connectivity by now acquiring the Mac Ethertalk >card? Not strictly, as long as your Appletalk is now connected to your Ethernet by a FastPath or other Appletalk-Ethernet gateway. The gains are in speed, not in connectivity. There's no protocol translation software included, and none that I know of is available. -- Tim Maroney, {ihnp4,sun,well,ptsfa,lll-crg}!hoptoad!tim (uucp) hoptoad!tim@lll-crg (arpa)