Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!giza.cis.ohio-state.edu!francis
From: francis@giza.cis.ohio-state.edu (RD Francis)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: How much system file homogeneity is necessary?
Message-ID: <83369@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 30 Aug 90 13:40:18 GMT
References: <3009@uakari.primate.wisc.edu>
Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: Ohio State Computer Science
Lines: 37

In article <3009@uakari.primate.wisc.edu> bin@primate.wisc.edu (Brain in Neutral) writes:
>(1) To what degree is it still true that Macintoshes on a LocalTalk network
>must be running the same version of the System file, LaserPrep, etc.?
>I presume that, e.g., System 6 is incompatible with System 5 and the usual
>woes will occur.  What about various releases of System 6, e.g., 6.0.1 vs.
>6.0.2?
>
>(2) What about cases where more than one LT network is involved, e.g., two
>nets connected over a bridge, or two nets that reach each other through
>an intervening ethernet via tunneling?  What degree of system homogeneity
>is necessary then?

To address your first two queries, I think you are slightly
misinformed.  To the best of my knowledge, you can run any combination
of system software available that will run the machines in use on your
LocalTalk network, or your combined network.  If one person is running
System 6.0.5, another is running alpha 7.0, and a third is running off
the system that cam ewith the Mac Plus when it first came out, Your
network will still function normally.

There *is* ONE potential problem; the LaserWriter driver (LaserWriter
and LaserPrep files).  If two people on your network are using
different versions of this, then each time someone goes to print who
is using a different LW driver from the last guy, the Mac will have to
re-initialize the printer.  You'll waste a sheet of paper, and some
time.  This is what is commonly known as LaserWriter Wars.  I do
recommend that everyone use the same version of the LW drivers.

However, this recommendation could change in a few years.  The 7.0 LW
driver is modularized in an effort to allow different people to print
to the same printer with different drivers without forcing the
LaserWriter to be reinitialized each time.  So if everyone is using
System 7.0 (or at least 7.0 LW software) or higher, it will truly not
make any difference at all which specific versions of the system each
person uses.
--
R David Francis   francis@cis.ohio-state.edu