At 12:31 PM -0500 7/16/03, Larson, Timothy E. wrote:
>Yes? >Use netatalk. It's in pkgsrc.
>No?  >Connecting LocalTalk devices to NetBSD machines is unsupported.
>Yes? >you could hook the LW up directly & have the mac export it. 
>THough serial
>      >might be a bit slow.
>
>You've lost me now. 
>Can I or can't I print to a LocalTalk-only printer from my NetBSD Mac?
>
>Maybe I'm just getting lost in all the terminology. 
>As I understand, AppleTalk is the protocol. 
>LocalTalk is just AppleTalk when transmitted over a RS422 serial line. 
>(EtherTalk is AppleTalk transmitted over ethernet, but we needn't 
>worry about that now.)  
>Right?
>
>Suggesting I use netatalk, and hooking up the LW directly, seems to 
>be saying that it will work. 
>But then there's that bald statement "LocalTalk with NetBSD is 
>unsupported" again.
>Which is it?

More the latter than the former.

LocalTalk is not supported.

That said, there are things you can do to work around it and we're 
skipping directly to them:
1) connect the printer via serial interface instead of LocalTalk. 
Then use the computer it's hooked up to (netbsd/netatalk) to export 
its availability to the network.
2) connect the printer via LocalTalk to a MacOS system and export its 
availability to the (Ethernet) network.  Then use netatalk to bridge 
from the Unix side.
3) use the Asante or other Ethernet/LocalTalk bridges that are 
available.  (I used to have an ancient Dayna that worked fine with 
MacOS, though I never got it work with netbsd.)

Doe this help?
-- 
The opinions expressed in this message are mine,
not those of Caltech, JPL, NASA, or the US Government.
Henry.B.Hotz@jpl.nasa.gov, or hbhotz@oxy.edu