Mac Forum / General / Networking / March 2007

Lets start over here and define some terms.

AppleTalk is a Protocol that will run on most Hardware Network Ýypes.
LocalTalk is a Hardware Network Type that uses a Single Pair of Wires
     and was the Basic Network that Apple use prior to Ethernet.
EtherTalk is the AppleTalk Protcol running on the Ethernet Hardware
     Network Ýype.
Ethernet is a Hardware Network Type that uses two Pair of Wires
     and is the Basic Network now in use by all Lans.
TCPIP is a Protocol used by the Internet and can be carried by most
     Hardware Network Ýypes, including LocalTalk via MacIP.
Serial is NOT LocalTalk.  It does however use the SAME Port or
     Connection as LocalTalk.

Ok you have a 7200, that has Ethernet LocalTalk and Serial.  The
7200/6200/CI in its standard configuration can have AppleTalk Active on
only one External Port at a time. This is the same for ALL MacOS's
(Prior to OSX) in their Standard Configuration.  This means you can have
AppleTalk/EtherTalk running on LocalTalk or Ethernet, but NOT both at
the same time.  You have choosen to have them run LocalTalk on one of
the Serial Ports on your 7200/6200/CI, and connect them via LocalTalk
and also connect this LocalTalk Network to your HP LaserJet 4M for
printing.  Ok so far so good.  

Now you wnat to bring on to your LocalTalk Network a B&W G3, which has
no Serial Ports, and therefor no LocalTalk Connections. There was an
outfit that built a Card that went into the B&W G3's that added a
LocalTalk compatable Serial Port, that would solve your problem.  I
don't recall the Name of the Company but I remember that there is
such a Hardware Device.  I seem to recall it was called a "Stealth
Serial Port".

You could also bring you network into the 21st Century and add Ethernet
Network Interface Cards to you 6200, and CI and move your LAN up to
Ethernet from LocalTalk, and buy a small 8 Port Ethernet Hub or Switch,
and connect all your CPU's via Ethernet. Your Printer would either have
to have a Connection Upgrade to Ethernet, OR you could then get yourself
a copy of LaserWriter Bridge and run that one one of the MacOS Systems.

LaserWriter Bridge is a SMALL HalfRouter Package Apple came up with to
bring Legacy LocalTalk Printers onto Ethernet LANs. What it does is
alllows the MacOS to have BOTH EtherTalk, and LocalTalk Active on
the CPU, at the same time, and Bridge the Printing Packets from one
Network Segment to the other.  It is NOT a full BiDirectional Bridge,
and was ONLY designed for LocalTalk Printer Traffic.  There was also
a LocalTalk Bridge beta at one time, that was proported to  be a full
BiDirectional Bridge, but it never was really debugged and was soon
unsupported, and faded into obscurity.

The next possibility would be in get yourself a copy of the Univercity
of Melbourne's, Software Appletalk Router that IS a full Bidiretional
LocalTalk/EtherTalk Bridge System.  This would run on your 7200, which
has both Ethernet, and LocalTalk Ports, and would bring the B&W G3
on to you LocalTalk Network via an Ethernet connection between the
7200 and the B&W G3.

OR, you could get yourself a Hardware EtherTalk/LocalTalk Router,
like the Shiva FastPath 5 or 4, or the Farallon StarRouter and
accomplish the same BiDirectional Bridging of the two Segments.

These are your options.  You MUST understand that you are dealling
with LEGACY Hardware and Software, for all of this, and your not going
to find a lot of support for any of this stuff, as it is way out of
date and most Network Guru's can't even remember back that far, and
those that can, are getting into the Alzheimers Generation.

Me        one of the few that still CAN, and still use this stuff....