maul@asic.nsc.com (Robert Maul) (06/13/90)
Hello NeXT World, I would like to start a discussion on the problems associated with adding NeXT machines to an existing Mac network. I would like to focus on the following topics within this discussion: 1. Networking 2. Printer Sharing 3. File Sharing 4. Data Sharing (finer granularity than file sharing) 5. File Translation 6. Security Overview: In order to focus this disscussion I would like to create a scenario to be used as a frame of reference. Our fictitious network will be set inside a small fictitious company named "User Company". The User Company has 8 Mac SEs, 1 LaserWriter II, and 1 ImageWriter II all networked with Appletalk running Tops. They use their Macs for accounting, word processing, and desk-top publishing and are very happy. The User Company is growing very fast and it looks like they will be buying some very specialized and expensive applications software from "Software Company", which has named their product, "Product" which runs on the NeXT workstation. The Software Company chose the NeXT platform because they could use Sybase for storing and retrieving data and the NextStep programming environment for developing interfaces. Before the User Company buys the whole package they want a few questions answered. User Company Questions: Q1. Networking: What is the most cost effective way of networking the NeXT machines with our Macs? Q2. Printer Sharing: Can we use the NeXT Laser Printer to print Mac files as easily as with the LaserWriter II? Q3. File Sharing: Can we use the NeXT as a file-server for our Macs? Q4. Data Sharing: Can we run the Product software from our Macs and access the data that is stored on the NeXT? (i.e., how can the Software Company access the Sybase data on the NeXT machine from the Macs?) Q5. File Translation: Can we use the NeXT for word processing as well as running the Product software? (i.e., can we translate MS WORD to WriteNow? When will MS Word be available for the NeXT?) A5. DataViz does crude job in translating MS WORD <=> WriteNow but what about other vendor software? Q6. Security: Is it true that Unix is not secure? A6. The best way to secure you network is to physically isolate it. Initial Topic Discussion: 1. Networking: Is CAP (Columbia Appletalk Package) a good package? What hardware is needed? How much does the hardware cost? Are there other commercially available packages that might be better or easier to use? Is it better to have an ethernet card for every Mac SE and forget about appletalk? (cards are expensive at $500 per card) If ethernet is not affordable, what is available for an Appletalk network? 2. Printer Sharing Is there Appletalk software that runs on a NeXT serial port to make it look like the serial port of a LaserWriter? What software is used for printer sharing on an ethernet? 3. File Sharing Is there Appletalk software that runs on a NeXT serial port to make it look like the serial port of mac with a disk resource? How about an applications like Tops (too bad for our us that Sun bought them) that would network the macs over appletalk. Will Tops ever be running on a NeXT? 4. Data Sharing Instead of file access maybe a finer granularity is needed and how would an application be built to send packets of data to the Mac? 5. File Translation DataViz is handy for rough tranlations of MS WORD <=> WriteNow but is far from perfect and only seems to work with a serial port. What other translators are there? 6. Security General Discussion: I think that NeXT should focus on ways of weening users off of their Mac network. This can be done by making it very easy for non systems experts to hook things together. Example: It is a major pain getting all the pieces in place to use the NeXT laser printer as a Mac network print resource. I would like to see the NeXT's Registered Developers get more help with these kinds of issues from NeXT. It is the Developers who are going to have the customers asking these same questions. Of course the NeXT does not have many applications running on the NeXT yet but that will come with time. I think there are many Mac users out there who would love to use a NeXT but would be unwilling to trade in their Macs for a NeXT and would rather migrate slowly to the NeXT. A smooth migration path must be made available. Rob maul@asic.nsc.com
dgc@euphemia.math.ucla.edu (David G. Cantor) (06/14/90)
In article <148@asicasic.nsc.com> maul@asic.nsc.com (Robert Maul)
writes: Hello NeXT World,
I would like to start a discussion on the problems associated with
adding NeXT machines to an existing Mac network . . .
and suggests a number of ways of interconnecting the two.
There is one significant possibility that he omits. Both machines are
equipped with scsi interfaces. With the aid of a tiny amount of
hardware, it should be possible to interconnect the two machines
with the scsi bus.
This could be very inexpensive, indeed.
dgc
David G. Cantor
Department of Mathematics
University of California at Los Angeles
Internet: dgc@math.ucla.edudorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (06/14/90)
In article <148@asicasic.nsc.com> maul@asic.nsc.com (Robert Maul) writes: >I would like to start a discussion on the problems associated with >adding NeXT machines to an existing Mac network. As I have had a NeXT and an mac cheek-by-jowl on my terminal table for a year and a half, I have some opinions on this. >Q1. Networking: What is the most cost effective way of networking >the NeXT machines with our Macs? Cost effective is whatever the cheapest gateway you can afford that does KIP (FastPath, Gatorbox, Multigate?, ...?), + CAP. Marginally easier to setup and more flexible, but a bit pricier, is a Gatorbox with Gatorshare, + the printer bits of CAP. Once Gatorprint comes out (probably the millenium, the way things are going), you'll be able to get the whole deal from Cayman (file sharing, TCP/IP, network printing). I'd expect to pay $4-5K for this. [Everytime somebody buys out Kinetics (which happens every other week or so), they raise FastPath prices, and Cayman follows suit on the Gatorbox.] >Q2. Printer Sharing: Can we use the NeXT Laser Printer to print Mac >files as easily as with the LaserWriter II? Yes, once you do a small amount of work with CAP. >Q3. File Sharing: Can we use the NeXT as a file-server for our Macs? Yes, with CAP and aufs or with a Gatorbox & Gatorshare. >Q4. Data Sharing: Can we run the Product software from our Macs >and access the data that is stored on the NeXT? (i.e., how can the >Software Company access the Sybase data on the NeXT machine from the >Macs?) You could certainly write software that did that, using MacTCP. > >Q5. File Translation: Can we use the NeXT for word processing as well >as running the Product software? (i.e., can we translate MS WORD to >WriteNow? When will MS Word be available for the NeXT?) MS Word is absolutely horrid; it's a shame so many people use it. WriteNow documents are ALMOST binary compatible between Mac and NeXT. You have to stay away from certain special characters, and the machines don't grok each other's graphics formats, but it's fine for text. (They don't *damage* graphics; they just won't display except on their proper machine.) Bill Gates views NeXTStep and UNIX as competition for his bloated and slow- selling mutant child, OS/2. He's said that Microsoft won't write software for NeXT. NeXT users should thank him for this. >Q6. Security: Is it true that Unix is not secure? It's a heck of a lot more secure than a Macintosh. The biggest security hole is undoubtedly going to be users, who usually choose passwords a 4 year-old child with a learning disability could guess. Users then compound the problem by writing their passwords in big bold letters on everything in sight. The security flaws in UNIX are unlikely to be an issue. >Is CAP (Columbia Appletalk Package) a good package? It's marvellous, and you can't beat the price. It will cost you a FastPath or Gatorbox, though (~$2K, I think). >Is it better to have an ethernet card for every Mac SE and forget >about appletalk? (cards are expensive at $500 per card) You still need something that know how to do KIP (FastPath, Gatorbox, etc.); unless NeXT adds EtherTalk support, you won't like what you get without such a box. >What software is used for printer sharing on an ethernet? The lwsrv and papif portions of CAP. You can print Appletalk->NeXT or NeXT->Appletalk. >How about an applications like Tops (too bad for our us that Sun >bought them) that would network the macs over appletalk. aufs, part of CAP. Gatorshare, can be bought for a Gatorbox. >Will Tops ever be running on a NeXT? Let's hope not. It doesn't really run on Suns, either. >Instead of file access maybe a finer granularity is needed and >how would an application be built to send packets of data to the >Mac? MacTCP. >Example: It is a major pain getting all the pieces in place to >use the NeXT laser printer as a Mac network print resource. IMHO, it's only a minor pain :-). -- Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu UUCP: {convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!dorner