Re: IIGS + PowerMac via AppleTalk

[erik@hypermall.com (Erik Kloeppel)]

In article <49gqse$ri4@opal.southwind.net>, texan@onyx.southwind.net
(Dustin James) wrote:

>I'm considering the purchase of a PowerMac (yikes!! $$$$$).  I have an Apple 
>IIGS (ROM 
>01, 4.25 MB RAM, 40 MB HD, System 6.01, etc.)  I would like to be able to 
>connect the IIGS to the PowerMac using Appletalk (or PhoneNet), then 
>print to an IW II attached to the PowerMac and/or GS.  Naturally, I want 
>to be able 
>to use the PowerMac as a work station, not just as a server.  I'm hoping 
>some of you GS gurus will have done this!!  I have a few questions:
>
>1.  Can it work?

certainly
>
>2.  Can I use PhoneNet for the connections ($15 for connectors vs $50 for 
>AppleTalk connectors)?

yup
>
>3.  Will I be able to use the PowerMac to do stuff, or will it just sit 
>there being a server?  Maybe have one partition on the PowerMac's HD 
>serve as the AppleShare volume, while the rest is used by the PowerMac 
>(ignorance of Mac's showing here)?

The powermac can do anything the powermac can do - "serving" a small
localtalk net like this takes very little machine resource.  You describe
my system pretty well there - except you don't need a partition on the PM
drive . If you want Apple II data on the 'Mac, just put it there in a
folder (make sure the GS has the HFS FST installed, of course)
>
>4.  I had originally thought I could leave my IW II hooked to the GS, 
>with a StyleWriter (or like printer) hooked to the PowerMac, then print 
>to either printer from the PowerMac.  But the AppleTalk/PhoneNet 
>connector apparantly hooks either to the printer port or to the modem 
>port, both of which are in use on the GS.  Anybody know of a way to have 
>the printers hooked up as I had originally thought?  Will I have to hook 
>both printers up to the PowerMac to be able to use them?

PhoneNet connectors are little boxes that plug into your modem/printer
port.  They each have two RJ11 (or is it RF14?) jacks.  So you could hang
the printers off the  LocalTalk net.  If you dont' want them on the "net",
yer  gonna hvae to get something like "Port Juggler" for the mac, since
the LocalTalk ports opn the mac are just like those on the GS - built into
the serial ports.
>
>5.  Can I print from my GS to the PowerMac using a printer attached to 
>the PowerMac without having a GS specific print driver for that printer?  
>In other words, I want to print to the StyleWriter 2400 on the PowerMac 
>from the GS, but I'm pretty sure that no print driver exists for the 2400 
>on a GS.

That's harder to answer, and somebody else will have to offer a definitive
answer... but my inclination is to say "no".  At least, not and use all
the features of the SW

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Erik@hypermall.com
                    As a matter of fact, I DO speak for the company!
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