The GatorBox is a LocalTalk-to-Ethernet bridge, a router used on

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

-based networks to allow

AppleTalk AppleTalk is a discontinued proprietary suite of networking protocols developed by Apple Computer for their Macintosh computers. AppleTalk includes a number of features that allow local area networks to be connected with no prior setup or the ...

communications between clients on

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 ra ...

and

Ethernet Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

physical networks. The GatorSystem software also allowed

TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...

and

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 ...

protocols to be carried to LocalTalk-equipped clients via tunneling, providing them with access to these normally Ethernet-only systems. The GatorBox was designed and manufactured by Cayman Systems, Inc. When the GatorBox is running GatorPrint software, computers on the Ethernet network can send print jobs to printers on the

network using the 'lpr' print spool command. When the GatorBox is running GatorShare software, computers on the

network can access

Network File System Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol originally developed by Sun Microsystems (Sun) in 1984, allowing a user on a client computer to access files over a computer network much like local storage is accessed. NFS, like ...

(NFS) hosts on Ethernet.

Specifications

* The original ''GatorBox'' (model: 10100) is a desktop model that has a 10 MHz

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...

68000 The Motorola 68000 (sometimes shortened to Motorola 68k or m68k and usually pronounced "sixty-eight-thousand") is a 16/32-bit complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector ...

CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, log ...

, 1 MB

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

, 128 KB

EPROM An EPROM (rarely EROM), or erasable programmable read-only memory, is a type of programmable read-only memory (PROM) integrated circuit, chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Computer memory that can retrieve stored d ...

for boot program storage, 2 KB

NVRAM Non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) is random-access memory that retains data without applied power. This is in contrast to dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and static random-access memory (SRAM), which both maintain data only for as l ...

for configuration storage, LocalTalk

Mini-DIN The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older 13.2 mm diameter DIN connector. Design Mini-DIN connectors are in diameter and come in s ...

-8 connector, Serial port Mini-DIN-8 connector,

BNC connector The BNC connector is a miniature quick-connect/disconnect RF connector, radio-frequency connector for coaxial cable. It was introduced on military radio equipment in the 1940s, and has since become widely used in radio systems and as a common t ...

, AUI connector, and is powered by an external power supply (16 VAC 1 A

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

that is connected by a 2.5 mm 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 (120/240 V, 1.0 A, 50–60 Hz). * The ''GatorMIM CS'' is a media interface module that fits in a

Cabletron Cabletron Systems, Inc., was a manufacturer of networking computer equipment throughout the 1980s and 1990s primarily based in Rochester, New Hampshire, in the United States. They also had manufacturing facilities in Ironton, Ohio, and in Irelan ...

Multi-Media Access Center (MMAC). * The ''GatorBox CS/Rack'' (model: 10104) is a rack-mountable version of the GatorBox CS that uses an internal power supply (120/240 V, 1.0 A, 50–60 Hz). * The ''GatorStar GXM'' integrates the GatorMIM CS with a 24 port LocalTalk

repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Some ...

. * The ''GatorStar GXR'' integrates the GatorBox CS/Rack with a 24 port LocalTalk repeater. This model does not have a

and the serial port is a female

DE-9 connector The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems. Description, ...

. All "CS" models have 2 MB 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. GatorPrint includes GatorSystem functionality. GatorShare includes GatorSystem and GatorPrint functionality. * ''Network Applications'' - NCSA Telnet, UnStuffit

Software Requirements

* The GatorKeeper 2.0 application requires

System A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

6.0.2 up to 7.5.1 and Finder version 6.1 (or later) *

MacTCP MacTCP is the standard TCP/IP implementation for the classic Mac OS through version 7.5.1. It is the first application-independent implementation of a TCP stack for a non-Unix platform and predates Winsock by over 5 years. Released in 1988, it is ob ...

(not

Open Transport Open Transport was the name given by Apple Inc. to its implementation of the Unix-originated UNIX System V, System V STREAMS networking stack. Based on code licensed from Mentat's Mentat Portable Streams, Portable Streams product, Open Transport w ...

)

References

External links

GatorBox CS configuration information
* ttp://juiced.gs/backissues/ ''Juiced.GS'' magazine Volume 10, Issue 4 (Dec 2005)– contains an article on how to set up a GatorBox for use with an

Apple IIGS The Apple IIGS (styled as II) is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Inc., Apple Computer beginning in September 1986. It is the fifth and most powerful model of the Apple II family. The "GS" in the name stands for "Graphics and Sound" ...

Software and scanned manuals for the GatorBox and GatorBox CS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatorbox Networking hardware

Specifications

Software

Software Requirements

See also

References

External links