FastPath
Encyclopedia
The Kinetics FastPath was an MacIP
to TCP/IP router created in 1985 to allow Apple Macintosh computers (which at the time only had AppleTalk
network connections) to communicate with other computers on Ethernet
networks. The product had five significant revisions (known as KFPS-1 through KFPS-5) during its lifetime and was sold by Shiva Networks late in its existence. The FastPath itself was modeled after an implementation of the Stanford Ethernet - AppleTalk Gateway (SEAGATE) created at Stanford University
Medical Center by Bill Croft in 1984 and 1985. SEAGATE was a combination of hardware and software that picked up IP packets from the Ethernet network and encapsulated them inside of DDP packets on the AppleTalk network and conversely picked up specially-encoded DDP packets on the AppleTalk network and placed them on the Ethernet network as IP packets.
Although a few sites used the actual SEAGATE multibus hardware, it served as a proof-of-concept and was eclipsed by the Kinetics FastPath and similar hardware gateways by other companies. However, many university and research Fastpath owners continued to run the Stanford gateway software (called KIP) inside the Kinetics box. This is because KIP was open source and local modifications and adaptations could be made.
By 1987, Apple had begun shipping Macintosh computers that were capable of having Ethernet connections directly, but the AppleTalk networking products prospered into the early 1990s, due to the popularity of Apple's plug-and-play networking.
MacIP
MacIP refers to encapsulating Internet Protocol packets within the AppleTalk DDP protocol.MacIP was part of the solution to the problem of how to provide computers that have native LocalTalk networking capabilities with access to TCP/IP based network services...
to TCP/IP router created in 1985 to allow Apple Macintosh computers (which at the time only had AppleTalk
AppleTalk
AppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
network connections) to communicate with other computers on Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
networks. The product had five significant revisions (known as KFPS-1 through KFPS-5) during its lifetime and was sold by Shiva Networks late in its existence. The FastPath itself was modeled after an implementation of the Stanford Ethernet - AppleTalk Gateway (SEAGATE) created at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Medical Center by Bill Croft in 1984 and 1985. SEAGATE was a combination of hardware and software that picked up IP packets from the Ethernet network and encapsulated them inside of DDP packets on the AppleTalk network and conversely picked up specially-encoded DDP packets on the AppleTalk network and placed them on the Ethernet network as IP packets.
Although a few sites used the actual SEAGATE multibus hardware, it served as a proof-of-concept and was eclipsed by the Kinetics FastPath and similar hardware gateways by other companies. However, many university and research Fastpath owners continued to run the Stanford gateway software (called KIP) inside the Kinetics box. This is because KIP was open source and local modifications and adaptations could be made.
By 1987, Apple had begun shipping Macintosh computers that were capable of having Ethernet connections directly, but the AppleTalk networking products prospered into the early 1990s, due to the popularity of Apple's plug-and-play networking.
See also
- Fast pathFast pathFast path is a term used in computer science to describe a path with shorterinstruction path length through a program compared to the 'normal' path. For a fast path to be effective it must handle the most commonly occurring tasks more efficiently than the 'normal' path, leaving the latter to handle...
- a shorter path through a program than the 'normal' path, using less (or faster) instructions - GatorBoxGatorBoxThe GatorBox is a LocalTalk-to-Ethernet Router and was one of a number of network gateway products produced by Cayman Systems. Other products in the same family include: GatorBox CS, GatorMIM CS, GatorBox CS/Rack, GatorStar GXM, GatorStar GXR....
- LocalTalk-to-Ethernet bridgeLocalTalk-to-Ethernet bridgeA LocalTalk-to-Ethernet Bridge is a network bridge that joins the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking used by previous generations of Apple Computer products to an Ethernet network....
- MacIPMacIPMacIP refers to encapsulating Internet Protocol packets within the AppleTalk DDP protocol.MacIP was part of the solution to the problem of how to provide computers that have native LocalTalk networking capabilities with access to TCP/IP based network services...