Re: Is any IIgs capable?

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Ruud Dingemans <rdingema@xs4all.nl> wrote:

> The machine is a ROM 00 IIGS, 3.5 and 5.25 drives, with a memory card having
> 256K on it, giving a total of 512 K.

Ouch.  In effect, it is a fast IIe with a bit of extra memory.  You
can't use most native IIgs software with ROM 0 or that little RAM.

Do you have a mouse?  If not, you won't be able to run most native IIgs
software anyway.

> A) Am I going to be able to network it?

It depends what you mean by "network".  The IIgs has built-in support
for AppleTalk (LocalTalk), so you can connect multiple IIgses and Macs
together, using a Mac as a file server.  They can also share an Apple
ImageWriter, ImageWriter LQ or LaserWriter on the AppleTalk network.
(You can also hook up an enhanced Apple IIe if it has an Apple II
Workstation Card.)

To do this on a ROM 0 IIgs, you would have to be running ProDOS-16
(preferably System 3.2, the last version), and you would need more RAM
installed (at least 768 KB, preferably 1 MB).

You get more options if you also upgrade to ROM version 01, since that
will let you run GS/OS (System 4.0 or later, the last version being
6.0.1.)  The AppleTalk support (and operating system as a whole) is much
nicer in System 5.0 and later.

A ROM 00 or 01 IIgs needs slot 7 set to AppleTalk to be able to access
the network.  You must first set either slot 1 or 2 to "Your Card", and
connect the network adaptor to the corresponding port.

(For ROM 3, set either of slot 1 or 2 to "AppleTalk".  You don't need to
set slot 7 to AppleTalk as well, unless you need to run software which
only supports AppleTalk via slot 7.  This will waste a slot.)


Other types of network (e.g. Ethernet) are difficult at best.  There is
no Ethernet card for the IIgs, but you can use an external LocalTalk to
Ethernet bridge (external box, or software running in a Mac) to gain
access to a later EtherTalk-based AppleTalk network.  In theory, you may
be able to run TCP/IP software on the IIgs through such an arrangement.

> ROM 00 seems to be a huge restriction, and I doubt there are sources where
> one can still buy a 01 or 03 (are there?).

ROM 01 is a single chip swap for your machine.  The catch will be
getting hold of the ROM.  Alltech Electronics (http://www.allelec.com)
is a possibility.

You can't "upgrade" to ROM version 3, short of swapping the motherboard.

> On the other hand, why would Apple have released a machine with built-in
> Appletalk support if you weren't able to use this (at first)? Maybe it
> was *possible* with older versions.

Yes, but only if you run the IIgs system software with the appropriate
support software installed, and you need more memory than is supplied
with the machine.

> Which leads to my next question:
> 
> B) Are things like IIGS System 3.2 and 5.0.4 (which may be able to boot
> on this 512K machine) online somewhere?

Not legally.  The only version which Apple has made available for
download is the latest: System 6.0.1.

> I wonder if there is any ol' version of the System/Finder software which would
> give me a GUI and maybe Appletalk on this machine.

You should be able to run anything up to System 3.2 in 512 KB of RAM,
though some applications would need more.  The proper Finder was
introduced with System 2.0.  Earlier system releases use the "Apple II
Desktop" software, also known as MouseDesk, which runs in monochrome
double hi-res graphics mode under ProDOS-8.

> C) I've read that it is possible to boot IIGSes from the network if you
> have AppleShare 2 or 3 (which I do, and several Macs to run it on). Can
> this be done, and if so, what would I need to do?

Do you actually have the proper AppleShare server software, version
2.0.x or 3.0.x?  You cannot do this with later versions of AppleShare,
nor with the Mac's file sharing facility.

You need the "Apple II Setup" disk to install the support files onto the
server machine.  It is distributed as an optional extra with the IIgs
system software.  I don't know whether you can use later versions of
this in conjunction with older machines and/or older IIgs system
versions.

You will need more RAM in the IIgs, as noted above.  You also need the
full IIgs system software, so you can install the system onto the file
server, after setting it up to support Apple II booting.

Before you can boot from the server, you need to be able to boot the
IIgs locally with a system disk set up to allow access to the server.
With the server mounted, it is necessary to do an appropriate system
install onto the server.  This is much easier with GS/OS, since the
installer has customization options for this.  You have to do it by hand
with ProDOS-16, which can be fiddly.

I don't remember the precise details of setting up the server side, but
it should be covered in the AppleShare administration documentation.  I
think the main requirement is enabling Apple II boot and installing the
setup disk.

Once you have an appropriately installed system, the IIgs can boot over
the network by setting the startup slot to 7 (Scan won't work).

(For ROM 3, set the startup slot to "AppleTalk".)

> E) I have a Z80 card in Slot 4 (labeled 'A..OE soft card'), but booting
> the 'softcard.zip' files from the Net (on 3.5 inch disks) doesn't seem
> to do anything. Any ideas?

If this is a Microsoft Softcard (or clone), I think it doesn't work in a
IIgs, or at the very least you will have to set the system speed to
"Normal".  These cards rely on the INHIBIT signal, and INHIBIT is not
supported unless the IIgs is running at 1 MHz.  You would also need slot
4 set to "Your Card", which would stop the mouse from working.

There are other Z80 cards which work better in the IIgs, but I don't
know which ones.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand