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From: sanders.parc@xerox.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: LaserWriter on Ethertalk??
Message-ID: <15115@arisia.Xerox.COM>
Date: 19 Dec 90 19:13:49 GMT
References: <15773.276e8b84@levels.sait.edu.au>
Sender: news@arisia.Xerox.COM
Organization: Xerox PARC
Lines: 61

In article <15773.276e8b84@levels.sait.edu.au> xtnewcastle@levels.sait.edu.au
(David Morrison) writes:
>I have a problem.  I am about to set up a lab of Macs (50 LCs probably) all
>with Ethernet cards.  I want a laser printer to be shared by all these Macs.
> 
>As far as I am aware, there is no LaserWriter with an Ethernet interface
>available from Apple, and I have not seen anything from anyone else either.
> 
>How can I make it work?

In no particular order, these are the solutions (I hate that word) I know:

1. Buy one of the ~US$2500 LocalTalk/Ethernet gateways like Shiva FastPath or
   Cayman GatorBox.  (We are using FastPaths now).  You would use a short
   LocalTalk network between the gateway and the laser printer.  Gateway
   is overkill unless you need other features (like GatorBox AppleShare<->NFS
   translation).  Can be a pain to keep running.

2. Buy one of the ~US$600 Mac-based routers like Farallon Liason.  Again, a
short
   LocalTalk network goes between the routing Mac and the laser printer.
   Expect performance hit on the routing Mac, unknown if these routers work on
LCs.

3. Buy a Dayna EtherPrint ~US$500.  Direct connection between Ethernet and one
   LaserWriter.  Simple - 3 dip switches, no software, all cables included,
   small box.  I have one in hand, about to test.

4. Use LocalTalk for printing, Ethernet for TCP/IP access.  Not sure if you can
   print over LocalTalk and use AppleShare/TOPS/etc over Ethernet.  This works,
   but might not meet your other needs.

5. Wait for Apple's rumored Ethernet LaserWriters.  See latest MacWeek.
   You might wait a long time, who knows?

6. Buy or co-opt a Unix host, attach the LW directly to the host with RS-232,
and
   run CAP (free) or TOPS spool ($????) or something.  Not recommended unless
you
   are desparate, hard to set up and keep running.  You can get printer
accounting
   this way, might be important to you.

7. Like number 6, but instead of RS-232, get a LocalTalk board for Sun S-Bus.
   Don't know if CAP/TOPS/etc will work with this.

8. Use a (gag, choke, sputter) PC clone with Ethernet and LocalTalk boards
   somehow.  Too gross to discuss further :-)

9. There IS a PostScript laser printer with Ethernet (DEC LPS-40?), but it
   doesn't speak AppleTalk.  Very expensive (~US$25k), and you need a DEC
   VAX/VMS host and software and ...  Use only if most of these pieces are
   lying around anyway.  Basically, the Macs see the VMS host as a LW spooler,
   the VMS host speaks DECnet (or something) to the LPS-40.

If #3 works well, I'm leaning strongly to the KISS solution.  Would be even
simpler if Apple came out with Ethernet upgrades to existing LW II NT/NTX
printers.  With Apple's well known low-price upgrades :-), #3 will probably
still be cheaper.

-- Rex