Subject: [netatalk-admins] papd & Laserwriter Bridge

From: Tan Chee Weei <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 12:01:37 +0800

I am currently running Netatalk 1.3.3 with a 2.0.30 Kernel.
I have been having problems with LaserWriter Bridge 2.1
running off a Mac 4400 (7220) which is used to bridge the
localtalk network which the printer is connected to and the
ethernet where the Linux netatalk server and other Mac clients
are connected to.  When papd is running on the Linux server,
the printer is available in the Appleshare chooser directly as well
as a printer spooled by the linux server.  Netatalk makes use
of LW Bridge to access the printer as well since it doesn't have
the same capabilities as LW Bridge.  Users have the option of
selecting the printer in the Chooser directly or selecting the
printer published by Netatalk which would provide spooling.

The problem is that with this setup, the printer drops off the
Ethernet after a while, despite LW Bridge. Clients on connected
via ethernet could no longer see the printer but those
on the localtalk net were still able to.  I decided to disable
papd so as not to publish the printer from the linux server and 
this seems to have solved the problem as so far, the printer
continues to be available on the ethernet whereas it would
usually have dropped off by now. 

I had originally wondered if LW Bridge was the culprit but it
seems the configuration in conjunction with LW Bridge could
be the likely cause.  I thought that such a configuration
(less LW Bridge) with a printer directly on the ethernet was 
supposed to work as indicated in the printer setup HOWTO.
Should it continue to work with LW Bridge?  Does anyone
have an idea exactly why this would be a problem?

Finally, is anyone aware of software for linux that performs
the same function as LW Bridge, or better still, localtalk bridge,
to bridge between a localtalk and ethernet network.  This assumes
the existence of a localtalk card and driver for linux on a Pentium
board.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

CW

---

From: Patrik Schindler <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 10:42:59 +0200

>have an idea exactly why this would be a problem?

Short ago, there was an issue to patch ddp.c ind the Kernel to fix a similar Bug. Unfortunaltely I cannot find further information about it.

>the existence of a localtalk card and driver for linux on a Pentium

You may get an used Apple LocalTalk PC Board. I stayed in tight contact with the author of the corresponding driver, 'cause I had problems to use netatalk as a router between LocalTalk and Ethernet. He thought, he got the point but then the card won't initialize anymore in my system. With the DOS driver, there is no problem, so I ought a initialisation problem with the driver (the DOS driver also takes MUCH longer to initialize it).
I don't speak C, so I cannot doit myself. Has anyone another LTPC Board and the knowledge to debug, what the DOS driver does with it, to apply this to the Linux driver?

Gruss, PoC
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