Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!rutgers!elbereth.rutgers.edu!joseph From: joseph@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm Subject: Comm Toolbox Tools - Where + Why + How? Message-ID: Date: 6 Dec 90 16:45:22 GMT Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 47 Greetings, I manage a large installation of networked Macs and am trying to figure out how the Apple Communications Toolbox fits into the macintosh communications picture. The following questions may be naive as I haven't quite gotten a grasp on how things are supposed to work together. Any pointers from informed individuals would be appreciated. I own MacTCP which I use with NCSA Telnet, HyperFTP and other applications. It works fine. I own Mac X which came with the CTB. I installed it and it works well. I use the MacTCP tool to connect to our suns to run X windows applications. I just received the 3.0 upgrade to MacTerminal. It also comes with the Communications Toolbox. I added its tools to the communications folder with the ones already installed from MacX. Serial connections work fine. My understanding was that the power of the Comm Toolbox was that it allowed you to use interchangable modules to define link level protocols, terminal emulation and file transfer, allowing greater flexibility and interoperability between communications applications. However when I try to use MacTerminal to open a TCP based session with the TCP tool from Mac X, it does not work. The questions: 1) The TCP tool that came with Mac X says "For use with Mac X only" when I try to use it with MacTerminal. Isn't this contrary to the entire philosiphy of the Comm Toolbox? Aren't tools supposed to be generic plug in modules that work in a well defined way for ANY application that uses them? 2) How should I approach this? Do I need a different terminal emulation tool? A connection tool? Shouldn't the TCP tool and the VT102 tool work together to allow such a connection? Or do I need a "Telnet" tool too.... 3) Where can I find a reference of tools available for the CTB? Thanks in advance. Seymour