🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <11540069@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> dlw@hpsmtc1.HP.COM (David Williams)
writes:
>Well I've recently put in my order for the Ethertalk card for the ol Mac II.
>What kind of software comes with it(if any)? Aside from plugging the II into
>our ethernet LAN is there anything else exciting I should expect from this
>product and any software that accompanies it?

No application software comes with it, just the drivers and a new cdev
(Control Panel file) which controls whether the Appletalk protocols will use
the Appletalk/Localtalk/Applebus/Sidhutalk/whatever port, or the Ethernet
connection.  However, all existing Appletalk software will run transparently
over Ethernet - or at least all that we've tried.  That includes things like
the Laserwriter driver, TOPS, Intermail, and so forth, as well as new
products like (plug) TOPS Terminal.

>We also have our Labs Vectras (IBM compatibles) hooked up with 3com type lan
>cards on the same network, along with a Vectra server with an Hp Laserjet
>hanging off of it. Can I communicate with these? The server is running Hp's
>ThinLAN server software on it.

Theoretically, but you'll have to write your own network software that calls
the Ethernet driver, the Appletalk driver, TOPS TCP/IP, or whatever protocol
is required.  Not a small task.

>Do I gain any benefit in connectivity by now acquiring the Mac Ethertalk
>card?

Not strictly, as long as your Appletalk is now connected to your Ethernet by
a FastPath or other Appletalk-Ethernet gateway.  The gains are in speed, not
in connectivity.  There's no protocol translation software included, and
none that I know of is available.

-- 
Tim Maroney, {ihnp4,sun,well,ptsfa,lll-crg}!hoptoad!tim (uucp)
hoptoad!tim@lll-crg (arpa)