Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!rutgers!mcnc!rti!sas!cole
From: cole@sas.UUCP (Tom Cole)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: File Server software
Summary: Summary of TOPS
Message-ID: <1041@sas.UUCP>
Date: 16 May 89 17:11:18 GMT
References: <1037@tasis.utas.oz>
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.,Cary NC,25712
Lines: 55

In article <1037@tasis.utas.oz>, luke@tasis.utas.oz (Luke Visser) writes:
> Apart from AppleShare what other file server software
> is available for the Macintosh.  I know of three other
> and would appreciate information on them also.  MacServe
> (which may now be defunct?), TOPS (which I know little
> about) and MacJanet (which I know nothing about).
> 
> Luke Visser

I am using TOPS myself, and really like it.  It has several advantages over
AppleShare::

o  It doesn't require a dedicated server.  Basically, TOPS lets you export
   any mounted volume on a TOPS server node to the network, which can be
   remotely mounted by any TOPS client.  In the current version, all nodes
   in the Mac world are both servers and clients, I believe.

o  Because you can mount any volume, you can even do things like mount a
   DC2000 tape remotely if you have something like SuperMac's ULDataStream
   driver (comes with Network DiskFit, and I suppose DiskFit as well).

o  It is cheap for small networks.  Macconnection sells it for around $150
   a node.  Note that if you are running 25 users on an Appleshare, the
   cost per user is lower for Appleshare.  I run three Macs in my TOPS
   network, so the cost was a plus.

o  TOPS lets you export a folder on a disk as if it was a volume, so you
   can limit what parts of your disk are available to network users.  You
   can also password protect folders/volumes that are remotely mounted.

o  The TOPS init file will automatically mount volumes for you at startup
   if you have volumes that are supposed to be generally available.

o  The next (soon to be released, I hope) version of TOPS is supposed to be
   fully AFP compliant, so you can run anything under tops that you can
   with Appleshare.  Or so the trade journals imply.

o  If you have IBM PC's, VAXEN, Suns, or (I suppose) other flavors of Unix
   you can run TOPS on them as well, and share files that way. I have no
   experience with this.

On an unrelated note, I just put Flashboxes on the three Macs and it makes
a great deal of difference.  This little gadget accelerates Localtalk-style
communications up to a theoretical throughput of about 770kb.  It makes
TOPS using LocalTalk/FlashTalk feel about as fast as the old Apple HD20's,
instead of like a floppy (LocalTalk being limited to about 230kb).  The
combination of TOPS and FlashBoxes is hard to beat for small networks.

Disclaimer:  I have no connection with Sun/TOPS except that I really love
             the products, and will by more in the future.

Declaimer:   Othello

Tom Cole
SAS Institute