[comp.sys.mac.comm] looking for alternative to TOPS, Summary

schaerer@ifi.unizh.ch (*) (05/21/91)

A few weeks ago I asked:

> 1. Will TOPS run under System 7? (I heard no.)
>
> 2. Is there an obvious alternative to TOPS for a network with Mac's,
>    Sun's and PC's (all on Ethernet)?
>
> 3. Specifically, is there a software that allows PC's to access AppleShare
>    servers over Ethernet? (We consider installing CAP on our Sun servers.)

I received two replies, caught a few postings on the subject, and did some
further investigation. There seem to be three solutions:

- stay with TOPS: An upgrade to TOPS seems to be in the works. Version 3.1
  should be compatible with System 7.0. Promised for August '91 by the local
  distributor.

- switch to AppleShare: Apple had a product called AppleShare PC, which
  enabled PC's to access AppleShare servers. They have sold it to Farallon,
  it is now called PhoneNET Talk. Suns can be made AppleShare servers e.g.
  using CAP, or EtherShare by Helios (a german company).

  (According to the local Farallon distributor, they are working on a
  Windows 3.x compatible version of PhoneNET Talk. In fact, I saw a posting
  by a Farallon tech person (Michael P. McEuin <farallon@farcomp.uucp>) on
  a different subject, which indicated that this version 2.0.2 is finished.)

- switch to NFS: There are several NFS client implementations for Macs and
  PC's; for Macs e.g. NFS/Share by Intercon.

Thanks to Michael Peirce <outpost!peirce@claris.com> and Jim Geddes
<jim@intercon.com> for their replies, as well as Ransom Murphy
<murphy@cs.unc.edu> for his followup.

Daniel Schaerer, University of Zurich/Switzerland
schaerer@ifi.unizh.ch

georgen@dgp.toronto.edu (George Ng) (05/24/91)

In article <1991May21.141343.571@ifi.unizh.ch> schaerer@ifi.unizh.ch writes:
>A few weeks ago I asked:
>
>> 1. Will TOPS run under System 7? (I heard no.)
>>
>> 2. Is there an obvious alternative to TOPS for a network with Mac's,
>>    Sun's and PC's (all on Ethernet)?
>>
>> 3. Specifically, is there a software that allows PC's to access AppleShare
>>    servers over Ethernet? (We consider installing CAP on our Sun servers.)
>
>I received two replies, caught a few postings on the subject, and did some
>further investigation. There seem to be three solutions:
>
>...(text deleted)
>
>Daniel Schaerer, University of Zurich/Switzerland
>schaerer@ifi.unizh.ch

I knew I should've kept up with my reading of the Mac newsgroups but
only after I posted an earlier msg. about our problem with the
"three t's" (ie., appleTalk, Telnet, and Tops) did I then notice that 
there were others who had similar problems...I've learned my lesson!  :-)

I've received a few replies this morning.  I'm sorry -- I promised to
'summarize' but I'm on a tight schedule, so I have tried to edit as much
of the original messages as possible so they don't take up that much
space, but while retaining much of their valuable content.

First, part of my original post:

----------------
From: George Ng <georgen@dgp.toronto.edu>
Subject: System 7 + NCSA Telnet 2.3 - need AppleTalk Phase 2?
Date: 24 May 91 03:52:17 GMT

I've been seeing conflicting reports on whether or not phase 2 is needed
for telnet on the Mac.  We're sort of in a predicament right now in trying
to decide whether or not to upgrade to System 7 because of our current
setup with the Suns that we connect to for filetransfers/Mac backups:

Mac IIs                                     Sun 3s
System 6.0.5     <---->  Gatorbox  <---->   SunOs 3
Telnet 2.3
AppleTalk Phase 1
                         TOPS 3.0

So here's the problem:  Assuming we upgrade the Macs to run System 7 and
assuming it requires Phase 2, what can we use to replace our current TOPS
with?  Definitely not the new TOPS because we'll need to upgrade the Sun
end...perhaps some other file transfer program, but what?

---------------------
Date: 	Fri, 24 May 1991 03:49:14 -0400
From: Michael Daether <bf5%dhdurz1.bitnet@utcs.utoronto.ca>

To answer your question: We have NCSA Telnet Version 2.3.4 MacTCP in the
BYU Version (including FTP client). If I remember correctly it is available
from dcsprod.byu.edu (128.187.7.3). Also we are using tn3270 Version
2.3d19 MacTCP, available from brownvm.brown.edu (128.148.128.40). Both
programs work without complaints (until now!). Oh, by the way our MacTCP
is Version 1.01; and AppleTalk Phase 1 is from EtherTalk Installation
v D-2.01 labeled Version 1.2. I put MacTCP in the Control Panels folder,
EtherTalk Phase 1 in the Extensions folder and MacTCP prep is put into
the System folder itself.
I hope these informations do help you. I don`t know if it matters, but
I also copied the router to system 7.0 and it is working fine.

------------------
Date: Fri, 24 May 91 09:40:38 -0400
From: cohill@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Andrew M. Cohill)

I am using Telnet 2.3 (byu hack) to send you this note, while I am
running System 7.  It works fine;  the main thing  is to update your
Ethernet card drivers. If you don't, you may have trouble with the
Chooser, but Telnet does not use that anyway, so even that's not a
problem if Telnet is your main concern.

--------------------
Date: Fri, 24 May 91 08:16:14 MDT
From: sverre@lars.Seri.GOV (Sverre Froyen)

We had a similar problem --  Tops running on a Sun3 plus a number
of Macintoshes.  I decided to take a look at CAP and was _very_
pleasantly surprised.  I installed CAP (configured for Native Ethertalk)
on a Sparcstation and was able to mount Sun directories on a Mac
running System 7 using its builtin appleshare (?) software.  In fact
the mounting procedure is much easier than with TOPS.

Our Suns are running 4.0.3 but my understanding is that CAP also works
with 3.2 and above.  Also, we use a Fastpath 4 rather than a Gator box,
but again they should both work.

Finally, although MacTCP for System 7 is not yet available, I was
happy to see that telnet_ntsc (the version that does not use MacTCP)
works fine with System 7.

--------------------------------------
Thanks to all who replied.
george