JRAMON@ccuam1.uam.es ("J. R. Valverde") (02/23/91)
Hi,
I would like to know about your solutions to this problem.
I'm facing now the connection of micros to our flamant new Ethernet
network. While there is no problem in connecting PCs, Macs II or SEs, there
still remain old Macintosh Plus and some new Macintosh Classic to be linked.
I plan to support Mac X even on these computers so they can log in VMS and
Ultrix transparently, so the link to Ethernet should better be fast.
From the documentation about DEC's PCSA it's assumed that you can
easily connect a Plus to thin-wire Ethernet without problems :-). Now the
real problem. No one in Spain seems to know how to accomplish this, nor
it seems to be commercial ways.
I know of Ether+ boxes and had planned to purchase some of them, but
I'd like to know of other's expertise in this subject. How do you connect
Mac Plus to Ethernet and what's your experience on the results? Which is the
best way? Any reference to an European or American vendor who could provide
connection boxes?
Thanks a lot (or two)
J. R. Valverde
Biomedical Research Institute
Madrid - SPAINlear@turbo.bio.net (Eliot) (02/26/91)
Basically, you want something to do Localtalk to Ethertalk translation. There are several boxes available, each with different benefits. Most of these gateways also support CAP (Columbia Appletalk Package), a public domain package that enables UNIX machines to speak Appletalk. Cayman Systems, located in Cambridge, MA makes something called a GatorBox. In addition to Localtalk to Ethertalk support, Cayman also has something called GatorShare built in, which enables Macs to access Sun disks. I have no experience with these boxes. Shiva Corporation, also located in Cambridge, MA, markets the FastPath-4. Its functionality is similar to the GatorBox, but it doesn't have GatorShare, and does have NVRAM to assist with power failure recovery. We have one of these, and it works just fine, with the exception that it loses its mind every few weeks, and needs to be rebooted. -- Eliot Lear [lear@turbo.bio.net]
lear@turbo.bio.net (Eliot) (02/26/91)
After having posted my note on the subject this morning, I discovered in my mailbox this afternoon some marketing literature from Cayman. For more information on the Gatorbox, contact gary@cayman.com or call +1 617 494 1999. -- Eliot Lear [lear@turbo.bio.net]
jahayes@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (02/26/91)
I can comment on the utility of a GatorBox (Cayman), since this note is being composed on my mac and will be sent out through the Box to our Vax (I'm tired of the IBM...) and out to the waiting screens of the denizens of net.land. Seems to work fine. We have two, actually, since our department here has two zones for local networking; each zone has a GBox which connects to the campus backbone. Two products are now in use in the department; tn3270, which emulates eponymously, and MacIP, which is what I'm now using, and allows (umm...peeking up at the menu bar...) telnet, finger, ftp, and whois, whatever that is, sessions. All works dandy. No complaints, the equipment has performed up to spec, and when we bought them there was a price break of "buy four, get one free!!!" or some such, reducing the price from about two grand each to, uh, 1600. Good deal. I understand Cayman provides excellent tech support, but really can't comment on that as I'm just a happy and satisfied user, Josh Hayes, Zoology Dept, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056 jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu or jahayes@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (preferred)
cup@bones.biochem.ualberta.ca (02/26/91)
In article <Feb.25.10.49.24.1991.14161@turbo.bio.net> lear@turbo.bio.net (Eliot) writes: >Cayman Systems, located in Cambridge, MA makes something called a >GatorBox. In addition to Localtalk to Ethertalk support, Cayman also >has something called GatorShare built in, which enables Macs to access >Sun disks. I have no experience with these boxes. > I've just set up a Gatorbox. It does all the things it's supposed to. People are pleased with them here. Just to add GatorShare is an additional cost, cheapest I've seen is $1369 (US$) from MacZone. List price is $1999. It also allows printing from SUN to Laserwriter on the Appletalk. I'm just about to order it. Chris Upton