🚀 go-pugleaf

  > I have a very similar problem.  From the net with the 2/U box I can see
  > machines on other AppleTalk nets (which happen to be on 2 boxes running
  > KIP), I can print to LaserWriters on those other nets.  I can even get
  > CAP Appleshare access to the unix machines on the ethernet.  But NCSA
  > Telnet cannot get a dynamic IP address from the 2/U. If I specify a
  > static one, I cannot telnet to the unix machines - I get an error
  > message "host or gateway not responding".
  > Kenton C. Phillips
  > kenton@space.mit.edu

I have experienced the same problem as Phillips.  MacIP cannot get an
IP address assignment from my upgraded KFPS-1 running K-STAR (version
5.03, PROM version 4.2), although AppleTalk protocol traffic goes
through the box fine (Chooser works to locate LaserWriters on the same
or other zones, AUFS volumes can be mounted, etc).  I did discover a
work-around, which I will mention after first explaining my network situation.

I have seven separate LocalTalk (or Phone-Net) networks connected to our
campus ethernet via Kinetics FastPaths.  I had one KFPS-1, three
KFPS-2s, and one KFPS-3, all running KIP (9/87 version); plus two
KFPS-4s (both with the latest PROM 4.1) running KSTAR (latest version
5.03).  All but one of the FastPaths connected to the same ethernet
cable; the seventh (a KFPS-2) connects to a cable in another building
accessible by a standard IP router.  I assigned the same zone "GEO" to
six of the FastPaths (the LocalTalk segments), ethertalk on both
ethernet cables, and IPtalk (appletalk-in-IP) on both ethernet cables.
One KFPS-4 is in a separate LocalTalk zone "SRB".  I run the atalkad
daemon (6/88 version) on my VAX to administer all seven boxes from one
/etc/atalkatab.  This all worked dandy - everthing could see everything
else, MacIP worked on all LocalTalk segments, etc.

When my venerable KFPS-1 crapped out and had to be shipped back for
repairs in April, I decided to go ahead and have it upgraded to a
KFPS-1U and run K-STAR on it.  I plugged it in, loaded K-STAR, and used
the same /etc/atalkatab entries as before.  As I said above, AppleTalk
traffic worked fine, but now MacIP would not work on the LocalTalk
segment served by that FastPath, claiming that it could not get an IP
address assignment.  Our Networking group here at Stanford put a
network "sniffer" on the ethernet cable and watched packets:  when
MacIP tried to get its IP assignment, the KFPS-1U would send out NBP
lookups for gateway service to all the other FastPaths and IPtalk nets
it knew about, it would get appropriate replies, but it would fail to
finally tell the Mac what to do.

Here was my workaround:  I put the KFPS-1U into a separate LocalTalk
zone, all by itself.  Now MacIP works fine.  This is a bit of an
inconvenience for our naive users on that LocalTalk segment, who now
have to select a different zone in Chooser to see the LaserWriters,
etc., and it would complicate my configurations if I wanted to spool
print jobs from my Vax to any LaserWriter served by the KFPS-1U (none
yet), so I would like to see Kinetics fix this problem and let my
KFPS-1U coexist in the same zone with my other boxes.  However, as
Phillips mentioned, Kinetics has not been very helpful (telephone
support says "Gee, we've never seen that" with the implication that
therefore, it must not exist).  Personally, I think there is a bug in
the PROM 4.2 that is used in the upgraded KFPS-1s, 2s, and 3s, because
this problem does not affect my KFPS-4s with PROM 4.1.