CompuServe Thread

#A-Max II, IV & Emplant

6 messages in this thread
#165966From: John Montague MassengaleOct 1, 1994 7:21 PM
I'm out of touch with the Amiga world, but I want to use my A-Max II again and network with my Mac. Judging by the messages, there are lots of problems with IV (which I didn't even know existed). Should I stick with II for reliability? What about Emplant v. A-Max?
#166026From: Steven D. KapplinOct 2, 1994 12:53 PM
John, The simplest way is to use Localtalk. If your network has a Localtalk server or network card in the network server, then you can easily network Amax via Localtalk. However, if you want to use an Ethertalk net you will need a network card for the Amiga. Amax II does not support network cards, although Amax IV does. Frankly, I don't know about networking Emplant other than thru Localtalk. Emplant does provide support for SCSI devices, as does Amax II, and this is a second alternative for Ethertalk. There are quite a number of Ethertalk "cards" for the Mac which connect to the SCSI port.
#166056From: Karl F. KugelOct 2, 1994 6:47 PM
>Amax II does not support network cards, although Amax IV does. Really? You mean I could connect my AMax IV equipped Amiga to a netware and be there not only as an Amiga (via Oxxi's client software) but as a Mac? Fascinating! Do you have any details? -Karl
#166084From: Steven D. KapplinOct 2, 1994 11:17 PM
Karl, Well, not exactly. According to Amax IV if you have an Amiga network card in your computer, the Mac emulation can use it. Leastwise, that's what the docs imply. Any Amiga device can be accessed by Amax IV and used by the emulation. However, you need the Amiga network card and you need the software. You will probably need the Mac software as well, I would guess. However, I have no experience with this, so I can't advise you on what to do. Since I no longer have my Amax IV, I'm not sure of the procedures. I believe that in the devices setup screen in Amax IV you should be able to tell the emulation about a network card. Perhaps someone else here has actually done this. If not, you may need to call Readysoft for some technical assistance. This is about all that I know Karl. Now, all that aside, whether you have Amax II or Amax IV, if your network server has a Localtalk card or Localtalk port (I believe some Novell cards or TOPs cards may have this), then you can network the Mac emulation via Localtalk using the Amax's Mac serial ports. This I know works because I had a 3000 with Amax II networked this way (it's slow, however, by comparison to a true Ethertalk connection). A second way which will work with any Mac emulator is to buy a Mac network adaptor which uses the SCSI port. These adaptors are commonly used on old Mac Pluses and laptops which have no slots for a network card. Most of the mfgrs, Dayna, Farallon, etc. make them for various Mac models including the Pluses. They cost around $279 via mailorder.
#166214From: Karl F. KugelOct 4, 1994 2:21 AM
Thanks for all the info. I'm interested in getting familar with the Mac/Amiga interface to NetWare, so you see why I got excited. It looked like two for the price of one! -Karl
#166067From: Brian LoweOct 2, 1994 8:10 PM
Hi John, >> Should I stick with II for reliability? << As someone who spent about $500 on Amax IV (from Amax II), my suggestion is to stay with the II. I do have color, but it is s……l……o……w……! I don't have the ability to read low density Mac drives any more and I can't see any big positives in going to IV. Wish I had my II (and my money) back. Brian