[I'm cc:ing this to the list in case there's anyone out there who can
benefit from being able to access NetBSD over LocalTalk. I'll supply the
address of the company that makes the terminal server software via email if
anyone wants it.]

On 07/07/1997 at 4:33 PM -0700, you wrote:

> We don't support LocalTalk yet, so the NetBSD box can't be on the
> LocalTalk net.

Amazingly, I'm logged in over LocalTalk right now... :)

Here's the setup: I have a Plus, an SE, and my Quadra 610 LocalTalked
together. (There's also a LocalTalk connector on the NetBSD box as well,
but it's not in use, of course, while the machine's in NetBSD mode.)

The Plus has a tiny little hard drive, and all it runs is the VersaTerm
terminal server software and MacTCP/MacPPP. It's connected to the NetBSD
box via PPP, and it serves telnet connections to the LocalTalk net via
ADSP. The advantage here is that potentially up to twenty machines on the
LocalTalk net can log onto the Unix box all at the same time. It's the next
best thing to having NetBSD support LocalTalk directly... That, and it's
error-free, since both ADSP and PPP will retransmit bad packets. The speed
is more than reasonable, too.

My next quest will be to have the machines on the LocalTalk net use MacPPP
and SLiRP to actually get real TCP connections to the NetBSD box. I imagine
running SLiRP over a PPP connection will slow things down a touch, but the
functionality would probably be worth it.

A way-off future goal of mine is to implement direct support for LocalTalk
in NetBSD, but that's probably way beyond my skills at the moment. It might
not be that way forever, though.

Later...

--
        Mason Loring Bliss    /\    mason@acheron.middleboro.ma.us
      PGPKeyID: 0x25B3D5B5   /()\   awake ? sleep() : dream();
<barbaric>YAWP!</barbaric>  /    \  http://genesis.tiac.net/~mason