Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!bu.edu!xylogics!world!boris
From: boris@world.std.com (Boris Levitin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Tops advice needed
Keywords: Tops backups printing
Message-ID: <1990Jun15.002524.8985@world.std.com>
Date: 15 Jun 90 00:25:24 GMT
References: <1438@philtis.cft.philips.nl> <1990Jun14.212447.4903@oswego.Oswego.EDU>
Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die
Lines: 55

ostroff@Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff) writes:

>In article <1438@philtis.cft.philips.nl> grant@cft.philips.nl (Joe Grant) writes:

>>Hi Net,
>>
>>        I need some information on Tops. I have a Mac II with an ethernet

>We have two mac plusses and a mac II running TOPS over AppleTalk (LocalTalk)
>in our office.

>>        
>>        1. There are two other Macs that I know of in the building, so 
>>        maybe they'll also be able to use the Tops solution. Neither has an
>>        ethernet card, will this be a problem?

>As long as you're happy with the 230KBaud speed of AppleTalk, this should
>not be a problem.

>>
>>        2. If I can backup over Tops, what software would be required to run 
>>        the backup or is it bundled with Tops - wishful thinking? I realise 

>Tops just lets you mount remote volumes.  They behave exactly like they
>were a hard disk connected directly to your local mac.  You should be able
>to use any program just like the TOPS volume was local (with the exception
>that you can't copy the System file over TOPS for some reason).

>>        Any general info. people have on Tops would also be of great help.

>We're very happy with TOPS for the simple kind of things we do, but if you
>are backing up large amounts of data over AppleTalk, it will be pretty
>slow.  It's very easy to use; you have a desk accessory which starts it
>up and it's easily learned by novices.  Once you've mounted a volume it
>appears as an icon on the desktop just like any other disk.  Hope this
>helps....


>||| Boyd Ostroff - Tech Director - Dept of Theatre - SUNY Oswego 
>||| Sys Admin - "The CallBoard" - (315) 947-6414 - 1200/2400 baud 
>||| ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu - cboard!ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu 


My two cents:

A few programs don't recognize Tops remote volumes correctly, and the
popular Redux backup program by Microseeds, for one, doesn't (system crashes
when you attempt to select a Tops volume as the source).

I back up over Tops to a Microtech R45 removable 45MB drive, but since Redux
refuses to work, I do a normal Finder copy operation.  Over two bridges and
some bizarre wiring I still get 15MB per hour. Not at all bad given the
circumstances, but insufficient for some people.

Boris Levitin   WGBH-TV Boston  boris@world.std.com  wgbh@harvarda.harvard.edu