Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!lll-winken!aunro!alberta!arcsun.arc.ab.ca!arcsun!kenw
From: kenw@skyler.arc.ab.ca (Ken Wallewein)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: Need help with PhoneNet on existing LocalTalk net
Message-ID: <KENW.91Jun2095456@skyler.arc.ab.ca>
Date: 2 Jun 91 15:54:56 GMT
References: <1991Jun2.014016.447@ac.dal.ca>
	<1991Jun2.220012.998@darwin.ntu.edu.au>
Sender: nobody@arc.ab.ca (Absolutely Nobody)
Organization: Alberta Research Council, Calgary Alberta, Canada
Lines: 23
In-Reply-To: carson@darwin.ntu.edu.au's message of 2 Jun 91 12:30:12 GMT


  First, I presume you're using one of Farallon's PhoneNet/LocalTalk
adapters.  The specs say not to use more that two of them on a network;
better to use none at all.  But as far as I recall, that's the only
restriction.
  You don't say, but judging by the nature of the problem you're having, I
would guess that your LocalTalk network is already pushing the limits.
I've been there.  It's ugly.  And if it weren't at that point, what you're
attempting to do would probably work.
 You're going to have to do something to improve the electrical state of
the network before proceeding.  A Tops Repeater (they're cheap) or the like
will help as a stop-gap measure, but you really need to look at two things:
	1. switching to all-PhoneNet
	2. installing a bridge of some sort -- there are a lot of choices.
  As an implementation measure, you could switch a few Macs at a time from
PhoneNet to LocalTalk, starting from one end of the net, and moving the
PN/LTK adapter along as you go.  Every little bit will help.
--
/kenw

Ken Wallewein                                                     A L B E R T A
kenw@noah.arc.ab.ca                                             R E S E A R C H
(403)297-2660                                                     C O U N C I L