Apple Talk

AppleTalk is a network operating system designed to connect Apple computers. Its components are built on Macintosh operating systems. There are two main versions of AppleTalk depending on how many years in the past the network was implemented, Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 2 is the current installation as of about 2002.

If anyone knows of something more current they should let me know. AppleTalk/Local Talk networks make use of CSMA/CA a media access control method. STP cabling is usually used. But it is possible to use UTP or Fiber Optic cabling depending on cost and/or performance issues. The network topology is a bus or tree. A Local Talk network is limited to 32 nodes. Local Talk is the data link layer protocol originally used for Macintoshes. Macintosh computers using Local Talk are linked together using their printer ports. AppleShare is used as the file and print sharing protocol on AppleTalk networks.

AppleTalk networks make use of an addressing scheme in which each computer when it comes online:

• looks for a stored address that it used in a previous session • if one isn't available then it chooses an address at random from those that are available • then it broadcasts the address to make sure no other computer is using it • if it is being used then it tries another • if it isn't being used then it stores the address to potentially be used again when it returns online the next time.

AppleTalk was designed for small networks. Fortunately, these small networks can be connected together. Each subnetwork is called a zone and has a name for identification. Resources in other zones can be configured so that they can be accessed by a click on the zone name.