Subject: Re: [netatalk-admins] Atalk over TCP/IP only?
From: Michael M Han (han@windy.ckm.ucsf.edu)
Date: Thu Jun 25 1998 - 14:36:47 EDT
Previously...
>when using AppleTalk over TCP/IP only with Netatalk (i.e. no Ethertalk
>access is needed) do you still need some kernel that supports AppleTalk?
Yes you do, but only because the netatalk package has only been ported
where the kernel can go. It is theoretically possible (and has been
kicked around as a possibility on several occassions) to write an
IP-only afpd (AppleShare server).
>I'd suppose atalkd etc. are then just ordinary TCP/IP apps.
No, atalkd implements listening on AppleTalk, requiring that AppleTalk
support be present in the kernel. afpd is a hybrid, being able to
listen both on atalk and ip.
>Is that assumption correct? Can Asun's version of Netatalk be configured to
>use AppleTalk over TCP/IP only?
Yes, it can. 'man afpd' provides information on how to create an
afpd.conf for listening only on IP or on Atalk.
>If so, is it possible to install it on some
>UNIX whose kernel does not support AppleTalk, e.g. SGI IRIX?
No. See above. Adrian's making some strides in separating the IP from
the Atalk in the source tree. At some point it may be possible to grab
an afpd for IP source tree that would be more portable than a
"classic" netatalk, the portability of which is sharply limited by the
requirements of kernel drivers.
>Is there any disadvantage of using AppleTalk over TCP/IP with a MacOS 8.1
>client that uses TCP/IP anyway? Can you mount volumes from more than just
>one server at a time using AppleTalk over TCP/IP? Can you mix AppleTalk over
>TCP/IP and Ethertalk (from the client's perspective)?
Yes on all counts. This stuff is all relatively easy to witness once
you actually try out ASIP connectivity.
>Another question: would netatalk using AppleTalk over IP require privileged
>prots, or could it in principle be ran under a non-root id, assuming you
>only want to serve files for which that user has access permissions?
Kernel driver installation requires root privelige, so I guess you are
referring to the fabled IP-only afpd. Theoretically what you
describe should be possible. Starting a process and listening on a
port should be doable for any user id, I think. It may require SUID
root though, in order to bind a port?
I'm relatively sure that what I've written is right, and if anything's
wrong I'm sure someone can jump in and correct me. Just give netatalk
a test drive though, since it's easy enough to find the answers to a
lot of your questions once netatalk's properly installed.
_________
mike (han@library.ucsf.edu)
I will not encourage others to fly
- The collected wisdom of Bart Simpson
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