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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.admin
- Path: sparky!uunet!panther!mothost!white!sapphire.rtsg.mot.com!marble!derosa
- From: derosa@rtsg.mot.com (John DeRosa)
- Subject: Re: Advice re: netting Sparc w/ Macs
- Message-ID: <derosa.716238941@marble>
- Sender: news@rtsg.mot.com
- Nntp-Posting-Host: marble
- Reply-To: motcid!derosa@uunet.uu.net
- Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
- References: <188flvINN87p@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu>
- Distribution: comp
- Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 19:15:41 GMT
- Lines: 50
-
- theory@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu (Concurrent Computation Group) writes:
-
- >We currently have a twisted pair phone/AppleShare net of Macs
- >which access telnet by dialing another dec/ultrix machine (using
- >Eudora or Kermit). We are not wired to access the telnet directly. We're
- >getting a Sparc IP fileserver which needs to be added to the net for printer
- >access, as well as connected to machine with telnet access (UUCP for the
- >latter, yes?).
-
- Wow, this is a big subject. There are several ways to approach
- this problem.
-
- ASSUMPTION: I assume that your Macs are currently on a twisted pair
- LOCALTALK network, rather than a twisted pair 10baseT ethernet network.
- The way to tell is that LocalTalk plugs into the "printer" port of the
- Mac and comes as part of the Mac when it ships, all you need is an
- inexpensive transceiver. EtherNet connects to an internal board or
- device that is an add-on to the Mac and requires a relatively expensive
- ethernet transceiver or 10baseT backbone.
-
- What to do:
- ------------
- 1) Attach the localtalk Macintosh network to the ethernet Sparc IP
- fileserver network with a gateway from Cayman or Shiva. This is
- one device that you add and configure. The configuation is a bit
- complicated and the gateway is about $1200 or more. Then again`
- this solution is only one device rather than a change to all
- workstations on the network.
-
- 2) Convert the Macs to ethernet. If 10baseT exists, this is a
- fairly cheap solution at ~$150 a Mac interface board. Easy to
- set up. If thinnet exists, this is also a fairly cheap solution,
- you just have to mess with coax between all the macs. If
- thicknet exists, then the cost is the same but you need a bunch
- of AUI cables. Configuration in all Mac cases is a no-brainer.
-
- My vote is for 10baseT all around. Easy to install and maintain.
- Cheaper in the long run after you figure in all the intangibles.
- Side benefit: much improved Mac network speeds.
-
- Ultimately, when the Macs are connected to the Ethernet network,
- they can communicate directly to the Unix boxes via any number
- of commercial tools (without dialup/in). The cheapest is NCSA
- Telnet (free!).
-
- Good luck, John
- --
- = Enjoy! John DeRosa, Motorola, Inc, Digital Cellular Systems =
- = (thanks) derosa@ssd.comm.mot.com =
- = (a 10^6!) N1111@applelink.apple.com =
-