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109 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
109 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
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GSport AppleTalk
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Peter Neubauer
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AppleTalk Emulation and Bridging for GSport
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GSport now emulates the AppleTalk networking hardware found in the real Apple IIgs and bridges the networking packets to EtherTalk v2. GSport supports file
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sharing, printer sharing, and network booting features using Apple's original AppleTalk software, such as that shipped with GS/OS 6.0.1. Note that the
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original AppleTalk software is not directly compatible with modern software, and you will need a compatible file server, such as netatalk or A2SERVER.
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* Introduction
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The Apple IIgs shipped with a fantastic but often overlooked feature -- AppleTalk networking. AppleTalk is a low-cost, easy-to-maintain network technology that
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enables network booting, file sharing, and printer sharing between your Apple IIgs, Workstation Card equipped Apple IIe, and classic Macintosh machines. As of
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March 2014, GSport is the first modern emulator with support for AppleTalk. Now, you can just "drag and drop" files between your machines without thinking about
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disk images, FTP, or serial cables. You can develop new software with an emulator and quickly test on real hardware. You don't need to think much about version
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control. Rather, you can update the file once on your file server, and all of your emulated and real machines have the new file. You can download the latest
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Apple II software and immediately run it.
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Beware that Apple changed the meaning of the word "AppleTalk." Originally, AppleTalk implied a physical layer using 3-pin MiniDIN shielded cables connected in a
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bus topology. As other physical layers such as Ethernet and TokenTalk became more affordable, Apple defined new terms. The term AppleTalk no longer implied
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MiniDIN cabling. Rather, AppleTalk became the overall term for Apple's approach to networking. LocalTalk refers to AppleTalk using the original MiniDIN physical
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and link layers. EtherTalk refers to AppleTalk using the Ethernet link and physical layers. TokenTalk refers to AppleTalk using the TokenRing link and physical
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layers. As the Internet became popular, Apple revised their approach to networking to use TCP/IP for the network and transport layers. The "Internet modernized"
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AppleTalk (AppleTalk IP) replaces many key services of the older AppleTalk and is incompatible with the previous incarnation of AppleTalk. The IIgs only supports
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AppleTalk using LocalTalk. The GSport emulation converts LocalTalk to EtherTalk but does <<not>> support AppleTalk over IP.
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* Using It
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First, you need an AppleShare-compatible server. A classic Mac or "netatalk" server could provide this function. For simplicity, I recommend Ivan Drucker's
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A2SERVER ({{{http://appleii.ivanx.com/a2server/}http://appleii.ivanx.com/a2server/}}), which is a pre-configured and easy-to-use package with "netatalk" and other useful tools. You may run A2SERVER in
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a VirtualBox virtual machine, on an existing Linux server, or on a Raspberry Pi. File and print sharing functions built-in to modern computers are not directly
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compatible.
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Second, you need GSport 0.3 or later with ROM03 running on a Windows or Linux (x86 or Raspberry Pi) machine. Start GSport and press F4 to access the configuration
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menu. If necessary, select a ROM03 image. Select the "Ethernet Card Configuration" menu option. Change "AppleTalk Bridging" to "On". Change "Use Interface
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Number" to select the network where you have attached your AppleShare server or A2SERVER. Exit the GSport configuration menu.
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You may run GSport and netatalk (or A2SERVER) on the same machine:
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On Windows:
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[[]] Configure A2SERVER in a VirtualBox virtual machine. The A2SERVER project provides a pre-configured virtual machine as well as manual installation directions.
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[[]] Install the "Microsoft Loopback Adapter" following directions from Microsoft.
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See {{{http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukvsts/archive/2009/02/27/adding-the-ms-loopback-adapter-on-windows-7.aspx}http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukvsts/archive/2009/02/27/adding-the-ms-loopback-adapter-on-windows-7.aspx}} and
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{{{http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708322%28v=ws.10%29.aspx}http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708322%28v=ws.10%29.aspx}}.
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[[]] In the VirtualBox Manager, open "Settings" for the A2SERVER virtual machine. Select the "Network" section. Change the "Attached to" option to "Bridged Adapter"
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and "Name" to "Microsoft Loopback Adapter". Under the "Advanced" sub-section, make sure "Promiscuous Mode" is "Allow All".
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[[]] Restart A2SERVER.
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[[]] Restart GSport. Under the "Ethernet Card Configuration" menu, change "Use Interface Number" to select the "MS LoopBack Driver".
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On Linux:
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(Directions are forthcoming.)
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Finally, party like it is 1989. Your GS is now connected to the AppleTalk network. Refer to Apple's documentation included with GS/OS System 5 and 6 for further
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directions.
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* Internal Overview
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GSport with AppleTalk networking is functionally equivalent to a real Apple IIgs with a LocalTalk/EtherTalk bridge. Originally, AppleTalk employed the "LocalTalk"
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physical layer, which requires special hardware not found on modern computers. GSport converts LocalTalk to EtherTalk, a somewhat more modern physical layer using
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familiar Ethernet cabling. Internally, GSport emulates the Zilog SCC chip in the IIgs, communicates with unmodified Apple-provided networking software built-in to
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the IIgs and GS/OS, and converts the network traffic to EtherTalk.
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* Limitations
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* The IIgs hardware and GSport only support AppleTalk using LocalTalk. Neither are compatible with file or print sharing functions in modern computers. Instead,
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run a compatible network server, such as A2SERVER, Netatalk 2.x, or AppleShare.
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* A wireless network may not work because many wireless adapters drop EtherTalk packets. Instead, use a wired Ethernet connection.
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* AppleTalk bridging has been tested with System 6.0.1 and System 5.0.2 on ROM03. Booting from a local disk or from the network works. Other ROM revisions and
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system software may not work.
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* The SCC baud rate is incorrect because the GSport does not emulate line coding. Still, emulated network speed should be close to the 230.4kbps speed of a real
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LocalTalk network.
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* The bridge supports Windows using Visual Studio, Cygwin, and Linux (x86 and Raspberry Pi). Other platforms should be straightforward, but I do not have a suitable
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build environment.
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* The bridge requires an AppleTalk router on the network. The bridge should work in both a routerless and router-filled network, and future revisions will remove
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this limitation.
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* The bridge works with simple networks consisting of a single network on a single segment with a single zone. The bridge should function with all valid network
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configurations and hardware routers, and future revisions will remove this limitation. Other configurations might not work, and I welcome reports.
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* The bridge implements the non-extended method for acquiring the network number. Interoperability would likely be better using the extended method, but this method
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is much more complex.
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* Credits
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Thanks to Gursharan Sidhu, Richard Andrews, and Alan Oppenheimer for creating and documenting AppleTalk.
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Thanks to Kent Dickey and the GSport contributors for GSport and the original SCC emulation.
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Thanks to David Schmenk for testing, encouragement, and Raspberry Pi support.
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Thanks to Ivan Drucker for A2SERVER.
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Thanks to the Gus emulator engineers for showing that AppleTalk emulation is possible.
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Thanks to James Littlejohn for discussions about extending the capabilities of the Apple IIgs. |