Re: Ethernet card- alternatives?

[tbc@netcom.com (Mike Garvey)]

In a prior missive, Soenke Behrens <behrenss@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE> 
eloquently scribed this stuff:

>[...]
>
>>A company called Asante makes a very nice little SCSI-EtherTalk interface
>>box which is used on all the unslotted Macs around here. Assuming that
>>the device can be hooked up to an Apple II SCSI interface, be it Apple Hi
>>Speed, RAMFast, CMS, or whatever, do you expect this software to work
>>with it, or something similar to it? It seems the only way to go now
>
>Not only Asante makes them. Get the manufacturer to give you a complete
>set of the vendor-specific SCSI commands they use and I'm sure Derek
>would be willing to incorporate support.
>
>Much luck with the vendor, though :)

I've had experience with Ethernet/LocalTalk converters from Asante
(AsantePrint), Dayna (EtherPrint), and Compatible Systems (Ether*Write).
Asante OEMs their product from Compatible Systems BTW.  Anyway, these
devices DO work but they don't speed up the inherently slow LocalTalk side
of the connection, in fact they can slow it down a little due to
packet-forwarding overhead.

Compatible Systems makes a more expensive box (c. $900) called the
Ether*Write Plus (or NPR, I forget which) which supports TCP (main use to
get all those PS printers to respond to lpr <g>).  I think this is what
you're looking for.

Regarding price; with the demise of the EtherTalk card, you have very few
options: Ethernet/LocalTalk converter, bridge or router.  Even with the
software solutions for the latter (i.e. Novell Router, CAP, etc.) you still
wind up paying less for the converter.  Besides you need another computer
for the software (Netware Server, Mac (AppleTalk Internet Router), or NFS
server).

The Compatible Systems boxes also support SIX devices on the LocalTalk side
(so just hook up a nice little passive-star) versus two for the others.  I
think this is the way to go.

Oh yea, I've tried this out with my GS and it works fine, albeit only with
AppleTalk packets.

Be seeing you...
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