ospwd@emory.UUCP (Peter Day {EUCC}) (04/30/87)
From gatech!unmvax!ariel.UNM.EDU!dd Thu Apr 30 00:46:19 1987 >What is an AppleTalk network (beisdes being a proprietary network >supporting Apple computers - That much I can figure out)? To understand AppleTalk you need to read "Inside AppleTalk" by Gursharan S. Sidhu et. al., available from Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, CA 95014. >If it can be supported over telephone line services, then it is trivial >to acquire modems to provide those services up to T1 speeds. If you >need vandor names, I will try. > >I sure hope this helps, but it seems too obvious... Your offer is appreciated. However, there is more to an AppleTalk bridge than perhaps meets the eye without reading the above mentioned document. If the Hayes Interbridge could drive a sync serial port at native AppleTalk speed of 230Kbps, then I think we could just use a point-to-point broadband modem to link the two "half" bridges. To create a backbone AppleTalk using the above scheme would still require a separate broadband subchannel plus two half-bridges for each AppleTalk network connected to the backbone, and the backbone would be real wire connecting the backbone half-bridges together, thus: -----ATk-----[Br]===============[Br] | -----ATk-----[Br]===============[Br] | -----ATk-----[Br]===============[Br] | Here ---Atk--- is an AppleTalk network, and ====== is a broadband subchannel connection. The | connection is a standard AppleTalk connection between the bridges ([Br]). What is wanted is -----Atk-----[Br] || -----Atk-----[Br] || -----Atk-----[Br] || where the bridges connect to the same broadband (sub)-channel. The combination of a Kinetics Fastpath AppleTalk to Ethernet bridge and an Ethernet to Broadband bridge (plus an ethernet box like a DELNI) provides that kind of connection, and we are doing that where Ethernets are already installed. However, the cost of an Ethernet to Broadband bridge makes this an awfully expensive way to bridge just an AppleTalk.