mpatnode@polyslo.calpoly.edu (Mike Patnode) (12/15/88)
chan@ee.ucla.edu (Kevin T. Chan) writes: > Is there a way that we can connect a Sun to an Appletalk line so that a > Macintosh and Sun can share the same Laserwriter? > [[ There is a piece of hardware that we call a "Kinetics box"....--wnl ]] What you really want is CAP (Columbia Appletalk Software) which not only allows for printer sharing over a Kinetics FastPath gateway, but also allows the UNIX machine to act as a Appletalk File server You can get more information by sending mail to rtc@cunixc.cc.columbia.edu or just FTP the README file and see for yourself. FTP : cunixc.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.40.130] Directory: cap Files: INFO README MODIFICATIONS cap50.tar.Z shar/cap50.1shar shar/cap50.2shar cpr.* - problem reports or FTP: sumex.stanford.edu Directory: ps:<info-mac> Files: at-cap5.modifications at-cap5.readme at-cap5.tarz Good Luck. -- Mike "Dodger" Patnode | (n) ..csustan!polyslo!mpatnode Yitbos Innovations Inc. | (s) ..sdsu!polyslo!mpatnode 244 California Blvd | mpatnode@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU San Luis Obispo, Ca 92630 | (805) 541-2048 / 543-9818 / 756-2516
chuck@wooglin.scc.com (Charles Williams) (12/15/88)
Our beloved editor is correct. The box is called Fastpath/4 and is put out by Kinetics. Then you would need some software, like TOPS (a subsidiary of SUN). TOPS also lets your Mac share your SUN's disk space!! Chuck Williams Contel Federal Systems
schultz@mmm.serc.3m.com (John C Schultz) (12/15/88)
We have a Kinetic FastPath box on our Ethernet converting Ethernet to
AppleTalk on which the laser printers (unfortunately) sit. We purchased,
for about $500, the Kinetics KSPOOL product to run on the SUNS to allow
printing via the FastPath box. We also have VAXen running ALISAtalk (I
think) which also spool to the laserwriters. Numerous MACs also attempt
to send to the laserwriters or to the VAXen spoolers.
Things worked OK for a couple weeks but presently the Appletalk network is
being removed because it is too unreliable. The Appletalk connectors come
apart (slightly - say a couple milliimeters) if you look at them
cross-eyed and the network then hangs. The SUN and the KSPOOL software
seem especially sensitive and I would estimate that we have a 10-20% duty
cycle when we can print from the SUN to the laserwriters.
Last week one of our system managers spent the day replugging all the
Appletalk connections. The SUN worked for a day. I assume one of the
connectors has fallen apart again.
Things have even gotten so bad that most of the MACs can no longer access
all the laser printers (3).
While I am afraid I do not have any recomendations on what to get, I can
definitely recommend NOT getting Appletalk cabling. Use direct Ethernet
connections if possible, thinwire if you can find suitable convertors.
[[ Some is actually recommending Ethernet traceiver cables?!? Given the
recent discussion about how bad those connectors are, the Appletalk ones
must be really really bad! :-) --wnl ]]
john c. schultz schultz@mmm.3m.UUCP (612) 733-4047
3M Center, Bldg 518-1-1, St. Paul, MN 55144-1000
The opinions expressed herein are, as always, my own and not 3M's.gfr%wolfgang@gateway.mitre.org (Glenn Roberts) (12/15/88)
The TOPS software product does this. TOPS is owned by Sun but is still an independent operation - phone 800-445-TOPS. You will need a Kinetics bridge box to bridge the Appletalk and Ethernet networks. The TOPS people can tell you more about this. - Glenn Roberts, MITRE Corp. McLean VA gfr%wolfgang@gateway.mitre.org
ted@braggvax.arpa (12/16/88)
Kevin (chan@ee.ucla.edu): >Is there a way that we can connect a Sun to an Appletalk line so that a >Macintosh and Sun can share the same Laserwriter?... There are a couple of ways. Sun's TOPS will add appletalk protocols to your kernel and let's you print to a laserwriter on the Appletalk side of a Kinetics Fastpath Gateway. (It also provides the moral equivalent of NFS between the Sun and Macs). I've tried this, and it works. Require$: Tops SW, and Kinetics HW CAP (Columbia Appletalk Package) and KIP (Kinetics Internet Protocol?) are free software packages that require no kernel mods. The idea here is that all Appletalk packets going over the ethernet to or from the Sun are encapsulated in UDP packets. A Kinetics Fastpath (or perhaps a Cayman Gatorbox) is required to do the en/de capsulation for the Macs. I haven't gotten far into this yet, but I believe that SW is provided to let the Sun pretend to be an Appletalk laserwriter, so that Macs can spool to it (and its laserwriter) , or to let the Sun print to a laserwriter on the Appletalk side of the gateway. SW is also provided to make the Sun into an Appleshare fileserver (this I have tried successfully). CAP should run on any box supporting BSD networking, including Suns, 4.[23] Vaxen, and A/UX. If memory serves, CAP5.0 can be FTPed from cunixc.columbia.edu (128.59.40.130). Require$: Kinetics or Cayman HW. Older Fastpaths have to have KIP loaded into them, newer ones come with something called KSTAR that includes KIP already. Beware, I found out that (probably due to a configuration mistake on my part) our Fastpath had started responding to ARP requests for our Imagen. Needless to say this caused problems printing to the Imagen. I think Kinetics also sells Unix host SW called KSPOOL which does some of the same stuff as CAP as far as spooling goes. Ted Nolan ted@braggvax.arpa PS: Both TOPS and CAP will work if the Mac has it's own ethernet board instead of a localtalk port, but for CAP you still need the gateway, for TOPS you don't.
verber@cis.ohio-state.edu (Mark A. Verber) (12/20/88)
There are two ways that you can share a printer between a Macs and Suns. The normal way is to wire up an LocalTalk and install a LocalTalk to Ethernet gateway. The LaserWriter can sit on the LocalTalk, or on a serial line connected to your Sun. The two suggested gateways are Kinetics Fastpath-4 or the Cayman GaterBox (Kinetics has been in the biz longer, Cayman does some really interesting things for file service). To drive the LaserWriter you can use the CAP libraries (free from unixc.cc.columbia.edu) or the Kinetics libraries and printing applications from Kinetics (cost ~$2000?). The second way you can share printers is by dedicating a Mac to act as a printer gateway. This machine would run the PrintGate software and have an LocalTalk connector (for the LW) and have a serial to your Sun. Mark A. Verber 614-292-7344 Computer Science Department Ohio State University verber@cis.ohio-state.edu 2036 Neil Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43210 ..!att!osu-cis!verber