🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <891120145915.2201df5d.MD_MALAM>, MD_MALAM@VAXB.STEVENS-TECH.EDU (Mehboob Alam - Macintosh Monster) writes:
> 
> We have a lab of 10 Macintosh IIcx's. Fully loaded with 5MB each. 
> We's like to interface with a SUN Sparcstation 1 to use it as a AFP 
> server and also to connect with MacTCP for Mathematica.
> 
> Now putting every Macintosh on LocalTalk and then a FastPath/GatorBox 
> seems like an awful bottleneck. We'd prefer to put them all on 
> EtherTalk.

You can. The FastPath has __THREE__ networks connected to it - not
just the two you can see. They are LocalTalk, EtherTalk and IPTalk
(aka DDP/IP aka KIP). In order to get from a Mac to the Sun (and back
again), _APPLETALK_ packets are encapsulated into IP packets.

The FastPath doesn't care whether the AppleTalk packets are LocalTalk
or EtherTalk!

The FastPath (or MultiGate or GatorBox) can just hang off the
Ethernet cable, taking in EtherTalk packets and sending them out again
as IPTalk to the Sun. You can then hang your LaserWriters,
ImageWriters, I-Servers, Shiva's, NetModems etc. off the LocalTalk.

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