GatorBox
Encyclopedia
A GatorBox running GatorSystem software is capable of performing as a TCP/IP gateway (sometimes referred to as a MacIP
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...
gateway), an 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...
router and as a DECnet
DECnet
DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s...
router. This involves
Tunneling
Tunneling protocol
Computer networks use a tunneling protocol when one network protocol encapsulates a different payload protocol...
IP or DECnet inside Appletalk.
When the GatorBox is running GatorPrint software, computers on the 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....
network can send print jobs to printers on the LocalTalk
LocalTalk
LocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
network using the 'lpr' print spool command. The GatorPrint software includes GatorSystem functionality.
When the GatorBox is running GatorShare software, computers on the LocalTalk
LocalTalk
LocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
network can access Network File System (NFS) hosts on the 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....
network. The GatorShare software includes GatorSystem and GatorPrint functionality.
Specifications
- The original GatorBox (model: 10100) is a desktop model that has a 10 MHz MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
68000 Cpu, 1MB RAMRam-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, 128k EPROMEPROMAn EPROM , or erasable programmable read only memory, is a type of memory chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. In other words, it is non-volatile. It is an array of floating-gate transistors individually programmed by an electronic device that supplies higher voltages...
for boot program storage, 2k NVRAMNVRAMNon-volatile random-access memory is random-access memory that retains its information when power is turned off, which is described technically as being non-volatile...
for configuration storage, LocalTalk Mini-DIN-8 connector, Serial port Mini-DIN-8 connector, BNC connectorBNC connectorThe BNC connector ' is a common type of RF connector used for coaxial cable. It is used with radio, television, and other radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments, video signals, and was once a popular computer network connector. BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic...
, AUIAttachment Unit InterfaceAn Attachment Unit Interface is a 15 pin connection that provides a path between a node's Ethernet interface and the Medium Attachment Unit , sometimes known as a transceiver. It is the part of the IEEE Ethernet standard located between the Media Access Control , and the MAU...
connector, and is powered by an external power supply (16VACAlternating currentIn alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
1AAmpereThe ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
transformerTransformerA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
that is connected by a 2.5mm plug). This model requires a software download when it is powered on to be able to operate. - The GatorBox CS (model: 10101) is a desktop model that uses an internal power supply (120/240V, 1.0A, 50–60 Hz).
- The GatorMIM CS is a media interface module that fits in a Cabletron Multi-Media Access Center (MMAC).
- The GatorBox CS/Rack (model: 10104) is a rack19-inch rackA 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.-Overview and history:Equipment designed...
-mountable version of the GatorBox CS that uses an internal power supply (120/240V, 1.0A, 50–60 Hz). - The GatorStar GXM integrates the GatorMIM CS with a 24 port LocalTalk repeaterRepeaterA repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
. - The GatorStar GXR integrates the GatorBox CS/Rack with a 24 port LocalTalk repeater. This model does not have a BNC connectorBNC connectorThe BNC connector ' is a common type of RF connector used for coaxial cable. It is used with radio, television, and other radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments, video signals, and was once a popular computer network connector. BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic...
and the serial port is a female DE-9 connector.
All "CS" models have 2MB of memory and can boot from images of the software that have been downloaded into the EPROM using the GatorInstaller application.
Software
There are three disks in the GatorBox software package. Note that the content of the disks for an original GatorBox is different from that of the GatorBox CS models.- Configuration - contains GatorKeeper, MacTCP folder and either GatorInstaller (for CS models) or GatorBox TFTP and GatorBox UDP-TFTP (for original GatorBox model)
- Application - contains GatorSystem, GatorPrint or GatorShare, which is the software that runs in the GatorBox. The application software for the GatorBox CS product family has a "CS" at the end of the filename.
- Network Applications - NCSA Telnet, UnStuffit
Software Requirements
- The GatorKeeper 2.0 application requires MacintoshMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
System version 6.0.2 (or later) and FinderMacintosh FinderThe Finder is the default file manager used on Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems; it is responsible for the overall user-management of files, disks, network volumes and the launching of other applications...
version 6.1 (or later)
See also
- FastPathFastPathThe Kinetics FastPath was an MacIP to TCP/IP router created in 1985 to allow Apple Macintosh computers to communicate with other computers on Ethernet networks. The product had five significant revisions during its lifetime and was sold by Shiva Networks late in its existence...
- Line Printer Daemon protocolLine Printer Daemon protocolThe Line Printer Daemon protocol/Line Printer Remote protocol is a network protocol for submitting print jobs to a remote printer. The original implementation of LPD was in the Berkeley printing system in the BSD UNIX operating system; the LPRng project also supports that protocol...
– Print Spooling - 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....
– Other LocalTalk-to-Ethernet bridges/routers - 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...
– TCP/IP Gateway
External links
- GatorBox CS configuration information
- Internet Archive copy of a configuration guide produced by the University of Illinois
- http://juiced.gs/backissues/Juiced.GS magazine Volume 10, Issue 4 (Dec 2005) contains an article on how to setup a GatorBox for use with an Apple IIgsApple IIGSThe Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
] - Software for the GatorBox and GatorBox CS