Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!bu-cs!purdue!decwrl!hplabs!sdcrdcf!csun!polyslo!dorourke
From: dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: How can you extend and add on to AppleTalk networks?
Keywords: AppleTalk
Message-ID: <2781@polyslo.UUCP>
Date: 21 May 88 09:29:01 GMT
References: <1677@hubcap.UUCP>
Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David O'Rourke)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 42

In article <1677@hubcap.UUCP> mmccann@hubcap.UUCP (Mike McCann) writes:
>How can I extend an AppleTalk network so that it is longer than 1000
>feet?

    I have not used it.  But I've heard good things about the Tops repeater
from Tops.  It boosts the signal so that it can travel farther.  {Anybody who 
has a better description is welcome to clean up my description}.  I don't
know cost, or distribution, but I do remember some net mail about it 6 months
ago.  Seems everyone liked it pretty well.
    The other option is switching to phone net connector and standard telephone
wire.  They claim 3000 feet before needing a repeater.

>I also want to put more than 32 devices on the network, can this
>be done?

    Yes and No.  It is possible to put more than 32 nodes on an Appletalk
network, but due to the limited bandwidth and the way Appletalk works the
performance starts degrading significantly after that point {I've found this
to be true after only 20}.  But Apple Does have a solution.  Appletalk supports
Zones, this allows you to break up your network into "sections" of smaller
sub networks, they can still commuicate with each other, but each zone's local
traffic doesn't interfere with other zones local traffic.  Shiva and Hayes
both make an AppleTalk bridge which is what's required to do this.  I also
seem to remember Tops offering a bridge also, but I'm not as sure as I am
about Shiva and Hayes.
     Breaking Large AppleTalk networks into zones makes good administrative
sence, support easier, and increases the local performance of both networks.
I would look into setting up Zones, rather than triing to make one large
network.  It also makes it easier to add nodes in the future because each 
zone has the full number of nodes possible, and you can have Lots of different
zones if you're willing to shell out the bucks for the bridges.  AppleTalk
allows 2^16 zones, I doubt anyone would really want to test that limit, but
you get the idea, 4 or 5 zones wouldn't be that hard to come up with, and
Appletalk can definatly handle it.
     Hope this helps, any questions can be sent to me directly, or via net
news.


-- 
David M. O'Rourke

Disclaimer: I don't represent the school.  All opinions are mine!