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Addresses identify the exact locations of services. AppleTalk addresses consist of a network number and a node number (in the format of network number.node ID ). An AppleTalk network number is a 2-byte (16-bit) value and an AppleTalk node number is a 1-byte (8-bit) value.
Each node acquires a unique node number dynamically when it connects to the network. It tries to use the same network and node numbers the next time it attempts to connect to the network; however, if its previous node number is already in use, it keeps trying until it finds a unique node number that is not in use.
The network portion of an AppleTalk address is chosen from the network number, or range of network numbers, assigned to the AppleTalk network. Nonextended networks are assigned a single network number. Extended networks are assigned a range of network numbers, thus significantly increasing the number of devices that could exist on a network.
NOTE: The current version of AppleTalk (called Phase 2) supports both nonextended and extended addressing schemes.
For information about addressing, refer to:
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