[comp.protocols.appletalk] Need help with MacTCP

makmur@athos.rutgers.edu (Hanz Makmur) (01/08/91)

I have lots of Mac behind Kbox with no HD and students is given a
disk to access AFP servers. To be able to use any TCP stuff,
I am to include mac TCP into each floppy. The problem is, every time
the students move from one zone or another, they have to configure
their MacTCP using the control panel by choosing the zone there are in
and reboot the Mac and then run their mactcp dependent programs. This
is not acceptable to me since the Mac already know what zone it is in.

I have read in the news that some one did it and I am trying to get
the same result but fail. I cant figure out how it is done since
macTCP is zone dependent. In other words, you move from one location to
another, you have to reconfigure your MacTCP to that zone.

All the Macs are behind ddp/ip gateway (Kbox)and their IPs are assigned
dynamically. The MacTCP is set to SERVER.

Any help you could provide will be appreciated.

Thanks
Hanz Makmur

hobson@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Kevin Hobson) (01/13/91)

In article <Jan.7.18.28.45.1991.9395@athos.rutgers.edu>, makmur@athos.rutgers.edu (Hanz Makmur) writes:
> I have lots of Mac behind Kbox with no HD and students is given a
> disk to access AFP servers. To be able to use any TCP stuff,
> I am to include mac TCP into each floppy. The problem is, every time
> the students move from one zone or another, they have to configure
> their MacTCP using the control panel by choosing the zone there are in
> and reboot the Mac and then run their mactcp dependent programs. This
> is not acceptable to me since the Mac already know what zone it is in.

You are assuming that it is zonename dependent. It is not. It is IP
subnet and host number dependent.

> I have read in the news that some one did it and I am trying to get
> the same result but fail. I cant figure out how it is done since
> macTCP is zone dependent. In other words, you move from one location to
> another, you have to reconfigure your MacTCP to that zone.
> 

	I would be very interested in this since you will have to use
the DYNAMIC function of MacTCP in order to get this to work. MacTCP is
not appletalk zonename dependent but IP subnetted dependent since it
is assigning an IP address based on the FastPath subnet address.
	You want MacTCP to take the dynamically assign IP address
given by the particualar FastPath. Remember everytime an MacIntosh is
power-up it is assign an appletalk address.  The FastPath uses this
address to assign an unused IP-address to that MacIntosh. At that
point, MacTCP should take that address an use it.  The applications
need to talk to MacTCP to find out what is it particular IP-address.
Applications should always be independent of zonenames and find out
the zone they are now in and find the services it wants through
appletalk by going to that particular zone.

> All the Macs are behind ddp/ip gateway (Kbox)and their IPs are assigned
> dynamically. The MacTCP is set to SERVER.
> 

	SERVER should not work since it assumes hard-coded IP address
(same subnetted IP network). DYNAMIC would be the correct option but
you are in a particular bad situation. Dynamic should take the dynamic
address assigned by the gateway.  Your major problem will be with the
gateway configuration in MacTCP since it assumes that the users are
behind the same gateway everytime.  If MacTCP could be set up to think
that it is on one big IP network (arp for a address not on this subnet
and let the cisco gateway "act" as the foreign host), then what you
are trying to do in the Rutgers network will work. The way Rutgers
network is set up, our cisco gateways proxy arp for addresses. How do
you assign a gateway address in the form of
128.6.subnet.dynamically_assign_IP_address_of_macintosh when MacTCP
has to know the IP address of the macintosh first? The FastPath
software still does not know how the use a default-gateway option of
the form 128.6.subnet.fastpath_host_address (arp on the particular
subnet for different subnet hosts)
	Apple has to resolve this problem. You cannot get this to
work. Sorry, Apple (and many other vendors) assume that TCP/IP
networks that you should direct all "not this subnet" toward one
gateway. What happens when this gateway goes away? These hosts do not
know how to talk to other redundant gateways on that subnet because
they are still configured for the old gateway.

> Any help you could provide will be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks
> Hanz Makmur

Send me mail to set up and appointment and I will explain in person if
you need further explaination.
-- 
Kevin Hobson				Internet: hobson@rutgers.edu
Rutgers - The State University		UUCP: {backbone}!rutgers!hobson
P.O. Box 879, RUCS, Hill Center, Busch  BITNET: hobson@{cancer,pisces}.BITNET
Piscataway, N.J. 08855-0879		PHONE: (908) 932-4780

cmclark@terminator.cc.umich.edu (Charles Clark) (01/14/91)

In article <Jan.12.22.13.48.1991.21207@elbereth.rutgers.edu> hobson@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Kevin Hobson) writes:
>In article <Jan.7.18.28.45.1991.9395@athos.rutgers.edu>, makmur@athos.rutgers.edu (Hanz Makmur) writes:
>> I have lots of Mac behind Kbox with no HD and students is given a
>> disk to access AFP servers. To be able to use any TCP stuff,
>> I am to include mac TCP into each floppy. 
>
>You are assuming that it is zonename dependent. It is not. It is IP
>subnet and host number dependent.
>

Actually, MacTCP is somewhat zonename dependent.

>
>	I would be very interested in this since you will have to use
>the DYNAMIC function of MacTCP in order to get this to work. 

No, he will not.

>> All the Macs are behind ddp/ip gateway (Kbox)and their IPs are assigned
>> dynamically. The MacTCP is set to SERVER.
>> 
>
>	SERVER should not work since it assumes hard-coded IP address
>(same subnetted IP network). DYNAMIC would be the correct option but
>you are in a particular bad situation. Dynamic should take the dynamic
>address assigned by the gateway.  

No.  You do not understand what SERVER and DYNAMIC mean to MacTCP.
Server means that it checks over AppleTalk for an IP address server and
gateway (FastPath, Gator, Webster, whatever).  Dynamic means that you
configure MacTCP with a range of IP addresses to choose from, and it
does so and tries to see if it is in use, and then uses it.

>Your major problem will be with the
>gateway configuration in MacTCP since it assumes that the users are
>behind the same gateway everytime.

No again.  In SERVER configuration, the Gateway Address field is
ignored (it is not even setable!).  All you do is set it to be SERVER,
set the class of the IP network (A, B, or C) and the subnet bits.  And
that is it, all you need to do, all MacTCP needs to know to get an
address from the FastPath (or whatever).

>> Any help you could provide will be appreciated.
>> 
>> Thanks
>> Hanz Makmur

>
>Send me mail to set up and appointment and I will explain in person if
>you need further explaination.

Not to be personally insulting, but it sort of sounds like you didn't
understand the question correctly and/or haven't read the MacTCP manual
(or messed with MacTCP enough) to understand how it gets an address.

I personally don't know why MacTCP has to be reconfigured for the
proper zone when using LocalTalk.  My guess is that a ddp/ip gateway
could possibly serve addresses to Macs in different zones (but having
their gateways on the same ethernet).  Therefore you want to ask an
IPaddress server in the non-default zone for your number.  It would be
nice of MacTCP to allow as a config option "whatever zone you boot up
in" as well.

But wait!  I have found a work-around.  I took a floppy, put a min
macplus system on it, NCSA2.3Telnet (macTCP version), and MacTCP
version 1.0.1 (from the distribution floppy, ie never before
configured copy).  I went in and clicked server, Class B, 8 bits
of subnet, entered the IP address of a nameserver and clicked OK
after having booted up on a MacPlus with it's LocalTalk connection
physically pulled.  IE, there was no zone name for it to save when I
did the configuration.  I then booted this floppy on a MacPlus in two
different zones and was able to run and use Telnet.  Previously when
I'd done the same thing except I had used the pop-up list under
the LocalTalk icon when configuring MacTCP to choose the current zone,
it did NOT work when I went to the other zone (as Hanz complained about).

This may stop working as soon as someone uses the control panel to bring
up MacTCP AND uses the zonelist pop-up AND does not click cancel on the
changes dialog when dismissing MacTCP.  While AdminTCP lets you protect
the second screen of config parameters, it does not protect the zone name.
Perhaps if MacTCP was changed from type CDEV to INIT it would still work
and no one could accidentally change this; I've already spent enough time
experimenting on this to satisfy my curiosity.

Hope this work-around helps!

cmc

makmur@paul.rutgers.edu (Hanz Makmur) (01/15/91)

In article <1991Jan14.064043.3618@terminator.cc.umich.edu> cmclark@terminator.cc.umich.edu (Charles Clark) writes:
> ....
> 
> But wait!  I have found a work-around.  I took a floppy, put a min
> macplus system on it, NCSA2.3Telnet (macTCP version), and MacTCP
> version 1.0.1 (from the distribution floppy, ie never before
> configured copy).  I went in and clicked server, Class B, 8 bits
> of subnet, entered the IP address of a nameserver and clicked OK
> after having booted up on a MacPlus with it's LocalTalk connection
> physically pulled.  IE, there was no zone name for it to save when I
> did the configuration.  I then booted this floppy on a MacPlus in
>two different zones and was able to run and use Telnet.  Previously
when
> I'd done the same thing except I had used the pop-up list under
> the LocalTalk icon when configuring MacTCP to choose the current
>zone,
> it did NOT work when I went to the other zone (as Hanz complained
>about).
> 

You are a genius..I got two responds and my question is answered.
I would have never guessed of this unless I have seen the code of
MacTCP.  YOU ARE RIGHT !!!. IT WORKS. Now my MacTCP is
zone dependent. I guess Apple hides this feature.

FYI: You dont really need an unused copy of MacTCP v1.01. Simply use
resedit and open a resource 'ipln' offset 30 and type 00. This will
set 'whatever' zone to nozone. 

> This may stop working as soon as someone uses the control panel to
>bring up MacTCP AND uses the zonelist pop-up AND does not click
cancel on
>the changes dialog when dismissing MacTCP.  While AdminTCP lets you
>protect the second screen of config parameters, it does not protect
the zone
>name. Perhaps if MacTCP was changed from type CDEV to INIT it would
still
>work and no one could accidentally change this; I've already spent
enough
>time experimenting on this to satisfy my curiosity.
> 

Yap, this is the way to do it. simply change the type from CDEV to
INIT and your worry is over.

> Hope this work-around helps!
> 
> cmc

This is definitely the solution. I am glad to have so many experts
or beginners on the net who are willing to help each other. 

Thank you.

Hanz Makmur
Rutgers University

tom@wcc.oz.au (Tom Evans) (01/15/91)

In article <Jan.7.18.28.45.1991.9395@athos.rutgers.edu>, makmur@athos.rutgers.edu (Hanz Makmur) writes:
> The problem is, every time
> the students move from one zone or another, they have to configure
> their MacTCP using the control panel by choosing the zone there are in
> and reboot the Mac and then run their mactcp dependent programs. This
> is not acceptable to me since the Mac already know what zone it is in.

But MacTCP has to be told what zone the SERVER is in, that's the whole
point. In your case there is a server in each zone - each kbox is
acting as a server.

There are multiple "solutions". Firstly, put all the student LocalTalk
networks in the same zone.

Secondly, disable IP in all your kboxes but one, and set that one
up to have "Option 7" (check the manual) on. It will then be the
one gateway for ALL MacTCP traffic, and will be in one zone.

========================
Tom Evans  tom@wcc.oz.au 
Webster Computer Corp P/L, 1270 Ferntree Gully Rd Scoresby, Melbourne 3179
Victoria, Australia 61-3-764-1100  FAX ...764-1179