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Inside Macintosh: Networking With Open Transport / Part 1 - Open Transport Essentials


Chapter 12 - Introduction to AppleTalk

This chapter provides an overview of the Open Transport implementation of AppleTalk, a communications network system that interconnects computer workstations, printers, shared modems, and other computers acting as file servers and print servers. AppleTalk allows these devices to exchange information through communications hardware and software. Its chief features are that

If you want to use AppleTalk, the specific set of Open Transport functions you call depends on the nature of the specific protocol you use--whether it is connectionless or connection-oriented, and transactionless or transaction-based. For example, you use different functions to send and receive data with a connection-oriented protocol such as AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP) or Printer Access Protocol (PAP) than with a connectionless protocol such as Datagram Delivery Protocol (DDP) or AppleTalk Transaction Protocol (ATP).

Read this chapter if you want an overview of AppleTalk networks and AppleTalk protocols. You can also read this chapter for help in deciding which AppleTalk protocols to use for your application's requirements.

This chapter introduces

This chapter and the other AppleTalk chapters in this book describe how to use AppleTalk-specific options with the Open Transport networking functions that are appropriate for the AppleTalk protocol you wish to use.

Because an AppleTalk network includes both hardware and software, the information in this book constitutes only a small part of the body of literature documenting AppleTalk. An important resource for any AppleTalk network developer is the book Inside AppleTalk, second edition, which has detailed specifications for each of the AppleTalk protocols.


Chapter Contents
About AppleTalk
AppleTalk Networks and Addresses
Multinodes
Handling Miscellaneous Events
Configuring AppleTalk Protocol Providers
About AppleTalk Protocols Under Open Transport
AppleTalk Addressing and the Name Binding Protocol (NBP)
The AppleTalk Service Provider
Datagram Delivery Protocol (DDP)
AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP)
AppleTalk Transaction Protocol (ATP)
Printer Access Protocol (PAP)

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© Apple Computer, Inc.
15 JAN 1998