AppleTalk Configuration in NetWare for Macintosh

This section describes the syntax of the commands you will use to configure networks and zones in the AppleTalk router in NetWare for Macintosh. It also explains the general AppleTalk rules for network numbers, zone names, and the default zone on extended networks.

How to Use This Information

This information should be used as a reference when you are installing and configuring NetWare for Macintosh.

NOTE: Remember that you can press <F1> for on-line help when using the INSTALL module during the configuration procedure. The on-line help screens provide command-line syntax and other useful information for setting up your server.

Nonextended Network and Zone Configuration

EtherTalk 1.0, LocalTalk, and ARCnet networks are nonextended networks that can support a maximum of 254 node addresses. Configuration data and syntax for nonextended networks is shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Configuring Nonextended Networks (EtherTalk 1.0, LocalTalk, and ARCnet)

Configurable Component	Explanation
Network number	All nonextended AppleTalk networks require a valid network number. The number must be specified on the BIND command line, using this syntax: `net=1000`
Zone name	All nonextended AppleTalk networks require a valid zone name. The name may be specified on the BIND command line or in a global file named "ATZONES.CFG." Zones must be specified using this syntax: `zone={"Zone 1"}`Note that the braces ({ }) and double-quotes (") are required.

A valid AppleTalk network number is any integer between 1 and 65,279. All AppleTalk routers connected to a network must use the same number for that network, and no other network can use that number.

NOTE: NetWare for Macintosh uses base-10 (decimal) numbers to define AppleTalk network numbers. Some third-party routers may use base-16 (hexadecimal) numbers instead.

A valid zone name is a string of up to 32 characters, which can include embedded spaces. All of the characters must be legal printing characters, and they can include the Macintosh control characters shown in Table 27. In NetWare for Macintosh, zone names are case-insensitive. All AppleTalk routers connected to a network must agree about the zone name assigned to it.
NOTE: All AppleTalk routers keep track of zones once the zones have been established, and it is not a straightforward task to change zone names once you have defined them on a large AppleTalk internet. Please see How Zone Information Is Maintained on an Internet for information about changing zone names.

Extended Network and Zone Configuration

Ethernet and Token Ring networks are extended networks. Configuration data and syntax for extended networks is shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Configuring Extended Networks (EtherTalk 2.0 and TokenTalk)

Configurable Component Explanation

Configurable Component	Explanation
Network range	Both EtherTalk 2.0 and TokenTalk require a network range that includes one or more valid AppleTalk network numbers separated by a hyphen. The range must be specified on the BIND command line, using this syntax: `net=1-10`
Zones list	Both EtherTalk 2.0 and TokenTalk require a list of AppleTalk zones, which can include up to 255 valid zone names. These may be specified on the BIND command line or in a global file named "ATZONES.CFG." Zones must be specified using this syntax: `zone={"Zone 1","Zone 2","Zone 3"}` Note that the braces ({ }), double-quotes (") and commas (,) are all significant.

Network range

Both EtherTalk 2.0 and TokenTalk require a network range that includes one or more valid AppleTalk network numbers separated by a hyphen. The range must be specified on the BIND command line, using this syntax:

net=1-10

Zones list

Both EtherTalk 2.0 and TokenTalk require a list of AppleTalk zones, which can include up to 255 valid zone names. These may be specified on the BIND command line or in a global file named "ATZONES.CFG." Zones must be specified using this syntax:

zone={"Zone 1","Zone 2","Zone 3"}

Note that the braces ({ }), double-quotes (") and commas (,) are all significant.

A network range is a contiguous range of valid network numbers. The size of the network range you assign determines the maximum number of AppleTalk devices on the network; for example, an extended network with the range 1-10 could support up to 10 x 253, or 2,530 nodes. Although there is no hard-coded limit to the size of a network range, you should specify the smallest range that suits your needs. A range of one, such as 10-10, is acceptable and is required if there are Phase 1 routers present on the internet. All AppleTalk routers connected to that network must use the same range for that network, and no other network can use that range or any number contained within it.
A zones list can contain up to 255 zone names, and the first name you enter is the default zone. All AppleTalk routers connected to that network must agree about the zones list and about which zone is the default zone.

Internal Network and Zone Configuration

The internal network is an extended network, and the general rules for extended networks apply. However, because the internal network can never support more than two nodes (the router and the protocol stack), there are some special conditions to consider.

Table 7. Configuring the Internal Network

Configurable Component Explanation

Configurable Component	Explanation
Network number	The internal network requires a valid network number. The number must be specified on the LOAD command line, using this syntax: `net=10` or `net=10-10`
Zone name or zones list	The internal network requires a valid zone name, and can support multiple zone names. The name(s) may be specified on the LOAD command line or in a global file named "ATZONES.CFG." Zones must be specified using this syntax: `zone={"Zone 1"}` or `zone={"Zone 1","Zone 2","Zone 3"}`

Network number

The internal network requires a valid network number. The number must be specified on the LOAD command line, using this syntax:

net=10

net=10-10

Zone name or zones list

The internal network requires a valid zone name, and can support multiple zone names. The name(s) may be specified on the LOAD command line or in a global file named "ATZONES.CFG." Zones must be specified using this syntax:

zone={"Zone 1"}

zone={"Zone 1","Zone 2","Zone 3"}

NOTE: The purpose of configuring multiple zones on the internal network is to allow print queues to be advertised in any one of these AppleTalk zones. AFP file services are always advertised in the first zone entered for the internal network, which is the default zone for the internal network.

Although a range of one (such as 10-10) is accepted on the internal network configuration, a single network number (such as 10) is allowed. However, even if the internal network is configured with a single network number, the router sees it as an extended network. See What Is Transition Mode? for information about how this affects Phase 1 networks and transition routing internets.
When multiple zones are specified for the internal network, you can choose one of the specified zones as the zone in which an AppleTalk spooler will appear in the Chooser. This is described in Advertising a Queue in a Specified Zone: -o.
NOTE: You cannot---under any circumstances---specify multiple zones for the internal network of a server that performs transition routing. See Transition Mode Routing for more information.

Important Note about Phase 1 Environments

Because the internal network is an extended Phase 2 network, you must always use the -tTransition Mode option if you are using NetWare for Macintosh in an AppleTalk Phase 1 environment. Please see Transition Mode Routing for a full explanation of Transition Mode and Phase 2 extended networks.

NOTE: NetWare print queues advertised in extended zones do not appear with any reliability on AppleTalk internets that contain Phase 1 routers.

Learning Network and Zone Configurations from Seed Routers

In NetWare for Macintosh, the AppleTalk router can be configured to "learn" its network and zone configuration for one or more interfaces automatically by "listening" for packets from another AppleTalk router connected to that network interface. This ability to learn a complete configuration is called seeding. A network interface that is not explicitly configured is called a non-seed interface. A router that has a network configuration on a particular interface is called a seed router. A seed router can be explicitly configured or can have a configuration that was obtained by seeding.

NOTE: If you configure an AppleTalk router interface as a non-seed interface and there is no seed router on that cable, the AppleTalk router remains inactive on the non-seed interface until it receives a configuration from a seed router on that network.

Benefits of the Seeding Feature

When you configure a non-seed interface in an AppleTalk router, the router obtains a network configuration that is consistent with other routers connected to that network. Provided that the network is correctly configured to start with, you can add other AppleTalk routers with non-seed interfaces without introducing inconsistent configurations.

If you use one seed router and configure non-seed interfaces in all other AppleTalk routers connected to that network, it is much easier to change the network or zone configuration if you should need to do so in the future. Instead of reconfiguring all routers on a network, you can down all routers and reconfigure only the seed router.

How the Seeding Feature Works

The AppleTalk Routing Table Maintenance Protocol (RTMP) is the protocol used by AppleTalk routers to distribute network configuration information. Every ten seconds, each AppleTalk router broadcasts RTMP packets containing information about networks. Other AppleTalk routers receive the RTMP packets and use the information to build and maintain a complete view of the AppleTalk internet. Please see Transition Mode Routing if you would like more information about RTMP.

When the AppleTalk router in NetWare for Macintosh is configured with one or more non-seed interfaces, it uses information received in the RTMP packets to acquire the network number on a non-seed interface. It then sends a request to learn the zone information for that network. How Seeding Works shows a router configured with a non-seed interface (that is, net=0-0), acquiring its configuration from a seed router on an extended network.

Example 5: Learning from Other Routers provides a step-by-step example of how to use non-seed interfaces in NetWare for Macintosh.

Figure 4
How Seeding Works

A non-seed interface remains inactive until another router is heard from and a network number obtained. If you suspect a non-seed interface was configured on a network that does not have any seed routers, load the ATCON utility and check View RTMP Table. The address field is network number 0 while the router is acquiring its network configuration on a non-seed interface. On a Phase 2 interface, the node number is also 0. If these conditions persist for longer than 20 seconds, then the router is not obtaining its network configuration for that interface.