LocalTalk/AppleShare between IIgs and Mac LC 575 - how?

["Rodney Hester" <rod3@mindspring.com>]

Forgive me, for am I not only somewhat Apple illiterate, I am *totally*
ignorant where Apple networking is concerned.  :/

What I would like to accomplish is fairly simple - I'd like to be able to
share files between my Mac LC 575 and Apple IIgs via some sort of cheap
networking solution.  Best I can tell, LocalTalk and AppleShare fit the bill
nicely.

What I don't know is how to go about this - I've never even seen a LocalTalk
network in my life.  Having done all the reading I think I can usefully do
on the Web, I've come to the following (probably wrong) conclusions and
questions:

- I think I need some sort of "Y" cable on the IIgs side, since my printer
(ImageWriter II) is currently plugged into the printer port, where the
LocalTalk "splitter" presumably goes.  (The picture I saw indicated the
printer plugs into one side of the Y, and the LocalTalk connection into the
other.)  However, another site suggested that having LocalTalk enabled on
the printer port will not allow me to continue printing to the ImageWriter -
is that really the case?  (If so, I suppose I can live with it, but will
simply switching the slot assignment on the GS from LocalTalk back to
Printer suffice, or do I actually have to physically unplug LocalTalk?)

- Since I don't have (and don't plan to have) a printer on the Mac, I'm
assuming I can plug the other end of the above-mentioned LocalTalk cable
directly into its port.  I could be wrong, however - is some sort of "Y"
needed here as well?

- If my half-baked guesses are right, I only need two cables - the "Y" for
the IIgs and the LocalTalk cable itself.  Anyone know what the *real* names
(and part numbers, if practical) of these items are so I don't look foolish
when I go to buy them?

- Once the hardware end of things is settled down, on to software...from
what I understand, it's not possible to mount the IIgs drives on the Mac,
only the reverse.  Do my shared Mac folders/drives appear on the IIgs
desktop as "hard drives" or somesuch?

- What software setup is required on both machines?  I am running System
7.5.5 on the Mac and GS/OS 6.0.1 on the IIgs.  If I understood correctly,
the Mac has to act as an AppleShare server, and I have to have some sort of
network client on the IIgs.  Can anyone provide more specifics?

- I understand that the connection will be slooooooow...I've read several
places that likened it to the speed of a floppy drive.  Since that's exactly
the process I'm trying to eliminate, that suits my purposes just fine.  =)
I'm also aware of the limitations of ProDOS naming conventions and other
filesystem limitations (such as no 8-bit applications run across the
network), which is fine, as all I plan to do is limited filesharing.  It's
also my understanding that both HFS and ProDOS drives/folders on the Mac can
be shared...I'm assuming more than one at once.  (If it is more than one, is
there a fixed or practical limit?)

- Is it strictly necessary to run a "network" as such (i.e. can I dispense
with the whole login/authentication/rights thing and just be the AppleShare
equivalent of "root" on both sides of the house)?  If so, what's the _least_
configuration I can get away with?  (I'm not looking to do ANYTHING fancy at
all here...I'm simply looking for AppleShare to replace SneakerNet(TM).  :)

I realize I may well have opened Pandora's Box here, but there's no easier
way I can find to go about this other than just dive in.  I'm sure some
people will shy away from responding because the answer is likely more
complex than I currently realize, but if some folks with good knowledge
about this stuff (even better those who have done what I seek to do) could
step in, I (and hopefully others) would benefit a great deal.

Looking forward to any education I can get,

Rodney