I often see this question in various forms: "How can I connect my
[insert name of one Mac here] and my [insert name of
another Mac here]?"
There are essentially three options. The first two are the ones I
least prefer (although there are certain situations in which you
don't really have much choice).
Slow: Null Modem
You can connect two Macs with a null modem cable and transfer data
through a terminal emulation program. I don't know much about this
method, but I know that (1) it's slow and cumbersome and (2) it's not
too useful unless all you want to do is transfer a few files.
Less Slow: LocalTalk
Your second, and probably easiest option, is some form of
LocalTalk networking. If you only have two Macs to connect (assuming
that neither is one of Apple's newer, serial port-less Macs), you can
simply plug an ordinary printer cable into each Mac's printer (or
modem) port and set AppleTalk to the appropriate port. Turn on file
sharing on the faster machine (or the one with more RAM if they're
otherwise equal) and then simply go to the Chooser of the other
machine and select AppleShare. The Mac with sharing enabled will
appear in the box on the right. Double-click it and type in the user
name and password you set as the owner on that Mac. You now have full
access to the remote hard disk(s) -- and, optionally, other
media.
A slight variation on this theme will work much better for
connecting multiple Macs (up to about 30 or so, and if you have more
than that, you're sicker than I am), since you can't have AppleTalk
active on both serial ports at the same time (and thus can't
daisy-chain Macs through the serial ports). Here's where the money
(probably) starts to come in. Buy some PhoneNet connectors (although
if you're really rich or have a good source, buy Apple's strange and
proprietary LocalTalk connectors and a lot of LocalTalk cables and do
the same thing) and some phone patch cables (or make your own cables
if you're so inclined). Plug a PhoneNet connector into a serial port
(they don't all have to be the same port, but it simplifies things
somewhat if they are) on each Mac you want to connect. Use the
telephone patch cables to daisy-chain the PhoneNet connectors. On
each end of the network, use a terminating resistor in place of the
telephone cable. Turn on File Sharing on the machines you want to use
as servers and follow the procedures outlined above to transfer
files. One of the advantages of this method (which also works with
Ethernet, and is much faster that way) is that you can use it in a
situation where the LocalTalk-based machines need Internet access
(which, as far as I know, you can't do with a null modem cable and
terminal emulation software, or at least not nearly as easily).
Simply set up your fastest LocalTalk machine as an Internet
router/gateway (this will require commercial software and an Internet
connection for the router machine as well as TCP/IP reconfiguration
on all the other machines) and properly configure the software and
all the computers on your LocalTalk network will have Internet
access. Another big advantage is all Macs have networking support
built right in. You don't need any cards to use LocalTalk for your
Macs (although printers are generally a different story).
Fast: Ethernet
LocalTalk's biggest disadvantage is speed, which brings me to the
third and final option: Ethernet. There are, for all practical
purposes, essentially two types of Ethernet: 10Base-2 (or thin net)
and xBase-T, where x is generally (in home networks) 10 or 100.
(Gigabit, or 1000Base-TZ, Ethernet exists, but I'm not going to cover
it here since Gigabit cards generally cost over US$1000 per computer
and won't work in anything less than a Power Mac. In short, they're
not a concern.) The 10, in both types of Ethernet, stands for 10
Mbps, or 10 megabits per second, the speed of the network. (By
contrast, LocalTalk runs at a measly 240 kbps, or 0.240 Mbps.) The
major differences between 10Base-2 and 10Base-T are the cabling and
network layout. 10Base-2 uses thin coaxial cables (thus the name
"thin net") and is a daisy-chain, terminated architecture. 10Base-T,
by contrast, uses phone-like cables, called Category 5 (10Base-T also
uses Cat 5) and is a star architecture, which requires the use of
hubs.
If you already have some older Macs with Ethernet, the likelihood
that you have some 10Base-2 devices is pretty high. Many older
Ethernet cards had two connectors: an AUI (DB-15F, which looks like a
monitor port -- but don't plug a monitor into it) connector
and a 10Base-2 connector. You can set up a 10Base-2 network
relatively easily -- you just have to buy cables and T-connectors
(and terminators, if you don't have them). Simply plug a T-connector
into the 10Base-2 port on the card and connect a cable from that to
the next Mac's T-connector. Terminate both ends of the network. (This
is really very similar to the LocalTalk method described above.)
If you don't currently have any Ethernet-based devices and you'd
like to put together an Ethernet network, I'd recommend, simply
because of ease of use, that you put together a 10Base-T network.
While it might be slightly more expensive, it's very easy to find
10Base-T accessories now, while finding 10Base-2 accessories, is, in
my experience, much more difficult. And if you have several Macs with
10Base-2 connectors but no 10Base-T, and you still want to use
10Base-T, don't despair - you can usually find AUI transceivers to
attach to the AUI port on that Ethernet card that will give you a
10Base-T port. To set up a 10Base-T network, just get a hub (8 ports
is the minimum I would recommend for future expansion purposes, and
if you have a lot of Macs, investigate getting a 16-port hub) and
some Cat 5 ethernet cables. (If you own Macs without built-in
ethernet, you may need to purchase an ethernet card for each Mac you
want to connect as well.) Run a cable from the hub to each Mac you
want to connect. Plug in the hub's power supply and connect it to the
hub. Make sure you switch the AppleTalk connections on each Mac to
ethernet (and if you have to get cards, make sure you install the
drivers first). Once you do that, you should be up and running.
One last point, somewhat related to both ethernet and LocalTalk:
if you have a computer with both types of interfaces (any Mac with an
Ethernet port/card will work as long as it has a standard DIN-8
serial port too), you can set up that computer as a LocalTalk Bridge.
Connect both networks to the machine (ethernet to the ethernet port,
LocalTalk to a serial port) and go to Apple's SW Updates site. Apple
has released their LocalTalk Bridge software for free (it's
unsupported, however) and you can download it there. Simply install
the control panel and restart. Now all your LocalTalk devices will be
able to access the Ethernet portion of your network. Why, you ask?
Simple -- there are those of us who have one or two printers, several
Ethernet-equipped Macs, and several Macs with don't support
Ethernet (namely the Classic,
Classic II, Plus,
and earlier models -- unless you want to use a SCSI-to-Ethernet
adapter, which still won't work with the 128 or 512) but do
support LocalTalk. With a LocalTalk Bridge in place (I use an
SE/30 for mine, and have a
LaserJet 6MP, LaserWriter, Classic, Classic II, Plus, and SE
on the LocalTalk portion of my network), all the LocalTalk devices
can see (and, optionally, be seen by) all the ethernet-equipped
devices.
If you have other Mac networking questions, Three
Macs and a Printer is probably the definitive Mac networking site
on the web today. If I didn't answer something here, or it isn't
clear, check out Three Macs.
Now, a small off-topic note: This is my first Mac Daniel column.
From what I've seen in the past, this is pretty long for a Mac Daniel
column, but I felt the topic needed to be addressed pretty
thoroughly. Three Macs addresses it much more in-depth than I could
here. (In the future, my columns won't be nearly so long.) I look
forward to providing many more helpful answers in the future.
Chris Lawson has
been using Macs since 1988. He has extensive experience with Mac OS 8
and later -- and a good deal of experience with System 7.5 and up as
well. Earlier System 7 versions are also within his realm of
knowledge, as is System 6. He has used and abused a wide variety of
Macs from the Plus to G3s, gaining extensive Power Mac experience and
a great deal of Compact Mac knowledge. Questions on all topics are
welcomed, but be forewarned that pre-G3 portables and pre-System 7.5
Internet access are his weak spots. For a more personal bio, please
visit his web site.
Have a question to ask Mac Daniel & Friends? Visit our
staff page and pick an expert.
Recent Mac Daniel columns
Choosing a good printer, Chris
Lawson, 4/12/2000. "What's a good printer for a vintage Mac, one
you can still get toner or ink cartridges for?"
Picking an older Power Mac, Adam
Robert Guha, 4/6/2000. First generation Power Macs can be quite a
value.
How can I burn a CD?, Chris Lawson,
4/4/2000. Explanation of CD, CD-R, CD-RW, plus advice on choosing
a drive.
Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check
the index to see if we've already addressed
your problem recently -- and look in the
archive if it's not in the recent columns. If not, visit our
staff page for the names of several people
who may be able to help you.
LINK
POLICY: This site allows and encourages
links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear
within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page.
Low End
Mac is an independent publication and has
not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple
Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and iMac are
registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and
product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the
individual companies and are hereby acknowledged.
