[geeks] SCSI-Ethernet on an 68040 Macintosh

[Nate]

On Jan 15, 2011, at 11:45 AM, gsm at mendelson.com wrote:

> On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 07:49:50PM -0600, Jonathan Patschke wrote:
>> I have a Quadra 605 system with an Apple IIe card that I would like to get
>> onto my home network.
>
> I thought the Q605 had ethernet. The Centris 605 did not. I looked it up,
> and you are right. They both had an option of either the ethernet card
> OR the Apple IIe card. :-(

I've always wondered what would happen if someone used the MicroMac LC
PowerWorkstation (which allows you to use up to three LC PDS cards) with both
the IIe card and an ethernet adapter:

http://www.micromac.com/products/lc_pws.html

>> Looking at the IIe Card compatibility matrix indicates that there are no
>> compatible systems that have onboard Ethernet.  Additionally, there are no
>> systems that have both NuBus slots and an LC PDS.  Furthermore, the IIe
>> card disables the LC comm slot, so I couldn't use the dedicated
>> communications slot in an LC 575.
>
> Yes, it was a crazy thing wasn't it. I had one on an LC.
>> Does anyone have experience with SCSI Ethernet adapters?  Those look like
>> the only path to a networked machine with a IIe card.  My first attempt at
>> buying one netted an Asante EN-SC device that is incompatible with 68040
>> Macintoshes, and I'd like to have more success on a second attempt.
>
> I have a Dayana (spelling?) one that I use with an 800k floppy SE. Works
fine.
>
> You are looking for one designed for the early Powerbooks.
> Note that the IIe cards are difficult to use, and you need to get the
correct
> external floppy drives and cables.

I wouldn't say they're that hard to use... and by 'correct' external floppy
drives really just means standard Apple 5.25" drives (and the internal Mac
3.5" floppy drive works as an Apple II floppy drive when running the IIe
card).

> IMHO you would be better off with an emulator but that would limit you to
> disk images instead of being able to read floppies.
>
> The other possibiity is to run the network over localtalk and buy a
localtalk
> to ethertalk bridge. There used to be software to do that with a Mac, but I
have never actually seen it.
> Geoff.

Apple released the AppleTalk Bridge software as a free download, actually.
You can get it here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1258?viewlocale=en_US