Re: Apple IIe to LocalTalk

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

In article <31F7905B.B15@worf.uwsp.edu>, Jack Friess
<jfriess@worf.uwsp.edu> wrote:

>I'm working on a school networking project that will require us to 
>connect our classroom Apple IIe's to allow the kids (and staff) to 
>exchange email.  I'm looking for hardware and software solutions.  Is 
>there available a card/board/connector (other than the Apple II 
>WorkStation Card)?

I've never heard of one.

To interface to AppleTalk, you need a card or external hardware which
provides the appropriate physical level interface.  For LocalTalk, this
means a Zilog Z8530 SCC or equivalent, with RS-422 line drivers and
receivers, and the ability to turn off the transmitter via an output flow
control signal.

I am not aware of any such card for the Apple II, except for Apple's
workstation card (which requires a 128K enhanced IIe, and is rather hard
to get hold of).

There are two possible alternatives:

1. Some kind of external box that performs protocol conversion between
   the Apple II and an AppleTalk network.  I have never heard of any such
   device.

2. Use an EtherTalk interface card.  Apple made one, but never released it,
   and no third party one has been forthcoming, though there have been rumours
   that someone might have been working on one.  (Even if you had one, this
   would mean putting the Apple IIe's on Ethernet rather than LocalTalk.)

In any of these cases, you also need the software implementation of the
required AppleTalk protocols (at least the minimal set of low-level
protocols, and the specific high-level protocols that you need for your
application).  These are in the ROM on the IIe workstation card.

The IIgs and Mac have built-in serial hardware that supports LocalTalk,
and the protocols are available through the system software.

> Does there exist simple email software compatible with LocalTalk

PowerTalk on the Mac provides E-Mail services, but I don't know what
underlying AppleTalk protocols it uses, or whether those protocols are
available in any Apple II implementation of AppleTalk.

An E-Mail system using LocalTalk could be built in several ways, but most
of them would need to have a computer dedicated as a server.  An 8-bit
Apple II would have difficulty receiving E-Mail unless it was running
appropriate software.

It should be possible to receive E-Mail in the background on a IIgs,
provided the system was running GS/OS at the time.

In any case, I expect you would need a dedicated server anyway - you don't
want to require the receiver to be ready and waiting when someone wants to
send E-Mail.

It seems to me that the easiest way to implement E-Mail services for an
Apple II would be to base it on an AppleShare server (or a Mac running
System 7's File Sharing).  Each workstation (whether it be a IIe or IIgs)
logs into the server as a registered user, and they have a folder on the
server which holds their personal E-Mail, with each message stored in a
separate file for simplicity.  You just need software which copies files
back and forth as required, displaying it as a simple text file on the
screen.

The workstation should poll the server to see if new mail is available -
by running a "check for mail" program, for example.

> or perhaps a "printer" driver to use with AppleWorks or Bank Street Writer
> than can "print" to an AppleShare server?

Not possible without the aforementioned hardware and firmware support.

Given a IIgs or workstation card, then the Apple II is able to print to
any networked printer that can be chosen in the appropriate chooser
utility.  This is basically limited to the ImageWriter II, ImageWriter LQ
and LaserWriter, and most 8-bit Apple II software is only able to print to
a LaserWriter via an ImageWriter emulator.

The AppleShare server software has a print server option, which allows the
server to "capture" network printers.  Workstations then print files to
what they think is the printer, but they are actually sending them to the
server.  The server then spools the data, and sends it to the printer when
it is available.

What you want is a modified version of this, in which the server doesn't
actually print the data, but treats it as E-Mail.

To do this would require writing some software on the Mac which emulates
an ImageWriter printer, and advertises itself as a printer on the
network.  It would have to be able to strip out or interpret ImageWriter
control sequences to be much use.

Once the printed data is deciphered, it could be sent as E-Mail.


None of this is particularly easy!

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