Re: Appletalk and Linux

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

Steven N. Hirsch <shirsch@adelphia.net> wrote:

> In article <1dmh601.1uc0yx81iepqtcN@dempson.actrix.gen.nz>, David Empson
> wrote:
> >This means that unless someone reverse engineers it, the only option for
> >booting an Apple II over an AppleTalk network is to run an appropriate
> >version of the real AppleShare software on a Mac (AppleShare 2.x or
> >3.x).
> 
> On of these days I'm going to find time to watch the boot process with
> a packet sniffer.  Leland Wallace at Apple told me at one time that he
> would try to ferret out the specs for the boot protocol, so perhaps
> I'll also put a bug in his ear.

The main problem is that it involves downloading boot code to the Apple
II, and downloading the missing parts of the AppleTalk protocol stack.
Unless that was pinched out of AppleShare, you would have to reimplement
it.

I expect the protocol is very simple, since the ROM 1 IIgs is missing
most of the interesting parts of the AppleTalk stack.

There is some documentation in the "AppleShare Programmers Guide to the
Apple II Family", which at least summarises the steps involved.

The IIgs looks for the boot server by doing a NBP lookup for anything of
name class "Apple //gs".  Beyond that, it gets vague.  I suspect it does
an ATP request which receives the first boot stage, then that does a
more complex exchange to get the rest of the AppleTalk stack and second
boot stage.

The IIe workstation card and ROM 3 are likely to do things differently.

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