hjp@bambam.UUCP (Howard J. Postley) (09/08/88)
Thanks to everyone who responded to my query. The general consensus
is that MacNFS does not exist. There are several ways to make a
Mac live on an NFS network, but none is wonderful. The best one
seems to be to run TOPS on a Sun or Pyramid as a gateway. This
works, although it is something of a kludge. TOPS/PC-NFS as a
combined product is due in 1Q89.
The Kinetics/Cayman stuff is fine, except that you are stuck at
LocalTalk speed. Kinetics now has ethernet boards for the Mac II
and Mac SE but the software is the pits. Oh well, I guess I'm stuck
'til Jan...
Here are the responses that I received:
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I haven't heard of a real NFS for the Mac, yet. Depending on your
needs, you might possibly be satisfied with CAP, which runs on most BSD
Unix boxes and provides an AppleShare-compatible file server called
"aufs". We use it here, a bit... I have a 15-meg library of Mac
public-domain and shareware software sitting on our Sun 3/280
fileserver. To the Mac, it looks just like an AppleShare volume with a
"Net devil" icon. I use a second "aufs" volume to transfer text files
back and forth between my Mac and my Sun 3/60 workstation. A bit of
tweaking is necessary to compensate between the Mac's end-of-line
convention (CR) and that of Unix (NL), but it's not onerous.
CAP is cheap... $0.00 if you can get it via FTP or from a friend. It
requires the use of the KIP gateway code in the K-box, or the new
KIP-equivalent from Kinetics.
----------
Cayman has a box dubbed GatorBox, which is an AppleTalk-TCP/IP gateway
which will also gateway AFP and NFS back and forth.
It will be released Real Soon Now, I'm afraid.
----------
Cayman Systems is now shipping their Gator Box, an Ethernet/Appletalk
gateway that acts as a Kinetics clone and also allows you to mount NFS
volumes as AppleShare volumes. Be warned that in version 1.0 the
NFS/AppleShare behavior is very buggy, with fixes promised in version
1.1 (due out in anywhere between two weeks and two months). The rest
of the box's functionality, the usual MacIP stuff, seems just fine.
Version 2.0, due out first quarter '89, promises to support cross
system email and printing.
Their support staff certainly seem to know the product, and sound like
part of the development team. They've been very good about returning
phone calls, and are very grateful for bug reports.
Write to them at
Cayman Systems
One Kendall Square, Building 600
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
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While I was in UniForum at the begining of the month, I saw a
product by Cayman Systems that allowed you to do what you need.
NFS volumes will look as AppleShare volumes on your desktop.
I am not recomending this, neither I am against it.
You can contact them at
(617) 494-1999
--
Howard Postley usenet: uunet!bambam!hjp
On Word phone: +1 213 399 7733
snail: 2434 Main St; Santa Monica, CA 90405salem@think.COM (Jim Salem) (09/19/88)
In article <19@bambam.UUCP> hjp@bambam.UUCP (Howard J. Postley) writes: > > >Thanks to everyone who responded to my query. The general consensus >is that MacNFS does not exist. During a reset visit to Apple, I saw a sign for an internal talk about MacTCP. NFS is probably not long behind. -- Jim Salem Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA 617-876-1111 salem@think.com mit-eddie!think!salem, ihnp4!think!salem, harvard!think!salem