jackson@ttidca.UUCP (11/11/87)
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I have been ordered to find ways to interconnect Macs with IBM PCs via
a LAN. I would appreciate information re. hardware and s/w available to
do this. The only thing I have heard of to-date is PC MacBridge, but I
don't know anything about it.
Thanks in advance,
Dick Jackson
Path: ..!{trwrb|philabs|csun|psivax}!ttidca!ttidcc!jacksongerman@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (11/13/87)
The two products I have looked are TOPS and Kinetics.
TOPS, a Sun Microsystems company (still had to look under Centram in the
advertisers index) offers an AppleTalk hardware card for the PC machines
and software for both the Mac and PC to use each others hard disks.
The network runs at AppleTalk speeds (230kbs) and runs $189/Mac (software)
and $389/PC (software and hardware). There are other options as well,
but I have not looked into these. TOPS can be reach at 800-222-TOPS
(or 800-445-TOPS if you are in CA).
Kinetics offers a couple of options. The one that we have been using the
longest is the Kinetics FastPath ethernet gateway. This is an AppleTalk
to ethernet gateway and we use it to provide TCP/IP's Telnet and FTP
from the Macs to the rest of campus including PCs. I don't have the
current price list from Kinetics but list price for this box is over $2000.
We are paying less with educational and volume discounts. This box can
handle quite a few Macs, but just how many depends on how much each station
is doing. This option still has the 230kbs AppleTalk link in the path between
your Mac and the rest of the world.
The other option Kinetics has is ethernet (10mbs) directly to the Mac. This
is really only available with the more recent Mac models as you need a
SCSI interface. I have not used this product yet, but this would provide you
with a 10mbs linke from your Mac to the rest of the world.
Kinetics can be reached at the following address:
Kinetics, Inc.
P.O. Box 3341
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
(415) 947-0998
Telex 6502877642 MCI
Disclaimer: I don't work for any of the above mentioned companies and many
of the names above are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
manufacturers.
Greg German (german@uxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU) (217-333-8293)
US Mail: Univ of Illinois, CSO, 1304 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
Office: 181 Digital Computer Lab.sysop@stech.UUCP (Jan Harrington) (11/20/87)
in article <1447@ttidca.TTI.COM>, jackson@ttidca.TTI.COM (Dick Jackson) says: > > ******************************************* > ******************************************* > I have been ordered to find ways to interconnect Macs with IBM PCs via > a LAN. I would appreciate information re. hardware and s/w available to > do this. The only thing I have heard of to-date is PC MacBridge, but I > don't know anything about it. > Thanks in advance, There are now a number of ways to connect Macs and PCs. One of the simplest and least expensive is TOPS, which doesn't require a dedicated file server. TOPS is similar in cost to PC-Mac Bridge, but personally I think it is easier to use. TOPS is best suited to small networks, since its use of a distributed server slows things down a bit. Appleshare is Apple's answer to the connectivity program. There is (or soon will be) an Appletalk PC card. Appleshare requires a dedicated file server. The more sophisticated systems include a system by Kinetics that links Ethernet to Appletalk. In fact, other than PC-Mac Bridge, TOPS, and Appleshare, which are completely Appletalk, you will find that what you're looking at is ways to connect Macs on Appletalk to another type of LAN through some sort of converted. Hope this gets you started in your search. Jan Harrington, sysop Scholastech Telecommunications ihnp4!husc6!amcad!stech!sysop or allegra!stech!sysop ******************************************************************************** Miscellaneous profundity: "No matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Banzai ********************************************************************************