

EtherShare 2.2

High Performance AppleTalk Server
EtherShare provides reliable, high performance network services for Apple Macintosh based on
state-of-the-art Unix servers. It also gives Unix applications flexible printing options on PostScript devices like LaserWriter.
EtherShare fully complies with Apple standards and works with any Macintosh out of the box. There is no need to retrain Macintosh users.
EtherShare is easy to set up. The server installation is performed from CD-ROM with a straight
forward routine. The installation is finished by a server reboot and immediately after that all management is done remotely with Macintosh. It's as simple to configure users, groups,
print spoolers, account information, font services etc. with EtherShare as it is to activate File Sharing of Macintosh System 7.
EtherShare not only offers impressive file and print services, AppleTalk routing and remote administration by Macintosh, but many additional features which prove extremely useful for the daily
workflow.
EtherShare spool queues are only limited by available Unix resources. There are detailed accounting infos on all print jobs which are easily exported to other programs. The built-in font server minimizes font problems and significantly reduces network traffic.
EtherShare provides a Macintosh frontend to the Unix mail system. It also includes a terminal emulation which communicates with the Unix host via AppleTalk. So mobile PowerBook users can easily
dial into an ARA server and then connect to Unix.
EtherShare scales well from small to large sites with most demanding requirements: from a server with one Ethernet interface to one with multiple network adapters, from entry level workstations
to most powerful multi processor servers, from simple Unix storage devices to huge disk arrays or
MO juke boxes, from local Unix users and groups to central name and directory services etc. Despite
this growth potential EtherShare always remains easy to administer and never requires relearning
from users.
EtherShare is tightly integrated in Unix. With optional Helios PCShare it offers a complete and powerful, yet easy to manage crossplatform solution. With Helios OPI it serves the most demanding printing needs.
Features & Benefits
Performance
up to 850 Kbyte/s throughput to Apple Macintosh over Ethernet
Utilizes full Unix power, incl. multi processor RISC machines
Load balancing with multiple network adapters
Reliability
Full conformance to AppleTalk
Handles largest output requests, up to gigabytes per print job
Supports most demanding storage needs with hundreds of gigabytes
Ease of Use
Macintosh look-and-feel to user
Fast server installation from CD
Full administration via Macintosh
Flexibility
Supports all Apple Macintosh
Huge choice of output options
Servers from major Unix vendors like Sun, IBM, HP , SGI, DG
Sophisticated font management and spooler accounting
Routing between all networks
Scales well for small & large sites
System Requirements
EtherShare Server
- One of the following Unix systems:
- SunSPARC Solaris 1, SunSPARC Solaris 2
- IBM RS/6000 AIX
- Hewlett-Packard 700 or 800 under HP-UX 9 with PA-RISC 1.1 or newer
- Silicon Graphics Irix 5
- Data General AViiON
- Digital MIPS Ultrix
- Motorola 88K SVR4
- Digital Alpha
- Appr. 5 MB hard disk space
- 16 MB RAM; 512 KB RAM per active client
- optional NFS and NIS
- at least one activated network adapter; multiple adapters for load
balancing, especially in environments with heavy printing requirements
EtherShare Client
- Any Macintosh with standard System 6.0.3 or newer, incl. System 7;
any Power Macintosh
- Any DOS/Windows PC with AppleTalk client software, e.g. PhoneNET
Talk PC or CopsTalk; use of optional
Helios PCShare
for even better performance with DOS clients recommended
Network
- Any AppleTalk network/internet with LocalTalk, E'net Token Ring or FDDI in arbitrary topology
- Direct LocalTalk link to EtherShare server with optional Helios SLIC for SunSPARC Solaris-1
- Direct FDDI link to Sun Solaris with Interphase or Network Peripherals FDDI adapter
- Direct Token-Ring or FDDI link to RS/6000 AIX with appropriate IBM network adapter
- Direct FDDI link to AViiON with DG adapter
Installation, Administration and Configuration
Server Installation
- Fast installation from CD-ROM with simple script (creation of an installation tape from the CD-ROM is an option)
- Automatic creation of EtherShare Applications volume with guest access privileges
- Automatic creation of a guest account
- No further installation activities under Unix
- Installation by experienced user feasible
Client Installation
- No special drivers for Apple Macintosh needed
- EtherShares programs may be copied from the server to the
local hard disk or launched remotely by multiple users from
the server Server Administration
Server Administration
- Remote administration from any Macintosh in the AppleTalk network, even via modem & ARA
- Special system & printer administrator groups Managing multiple servers simultaneously
- Managing Unix users, groups and printers; optionally based on NIS yellow pages
- Publishing volumes and printers Managing spool queues and PostScript fonts
- Handling printer accounting data
- Gathering extensive statistics on usage etc.
- Configuring AppleTalk routing
Product Highlights
Accessing EtherShare Services
Macintosh users access EtherShare volumes and spoolers through the standard Chooser. There are absolutely no differences for Macintosh applications whether they run from an EtherShare server or
use data and print queues on an EtherShare server.
File Services
EtherShare is compliant with Apples
AFP 2.1 as used in File Sharing or AppleShare, e.g. access privileges, fast Find File, Alias (with directory and file ids!), DOS short names etc. All Unix disk space incl. NFS volumes, CD-ROM, MO etc. can be used. Up to 250 volumes per EtherShare server are supported and even volumes larger
than 2 GB can be accessed by Macintosh. The special resource information of Macintosh files
stored in a way that also Unix and DOS application can fully share the actual document data content.
Print Services
EtherShare offers powerful printing services based on the Unix spool system with flexible queue
management. Detailed accounting information incl. used fonts etc. is provided.
EtherShare OPI is supported by an optional Helios product.
EtherShare also accepts Unix text, nroff and PostScript. Output is directed
-to PAP printers in E'net, LocalTalk, Token-Ring,
FDDI, e.g. networked ImageWriter/DeskWriter,
laser or proof printer, typesetting machine etc.
-serially attached PostScript printer
-to TCP/IP stream
-to TCP/IP remote LPR
-to file on disk -via shared memory interface to
another Unix application, e.g. a software raster
image processor
Font Management
EtherShare stores PostScript fonts on the server with no more worry about downloading them.
AppleTalk Routing
EtherShare includes AppleTalk routing between available network adapters as standard. This allows
optimal load balancing.
Electronic Mail
EtherShare includes a gateway to standard Unix mail with easy-to-use Macintosh frontend.
Terminal Emulation
Helios Terminal gives terminal access via ADSP which is great for mobile users dialing in with ARA.
Licensing Scheme
The server license is tied to a specific machine and for a certain number of simultaneous users.
License expansion are easily keyed in. EtherShare can manage thousands of (Unix) users, e.g. at
a site with central NIS name service, but the maximum number of concurrent users is 250 per server.
Related Products
EtherShare OPI
EtherShare serves as platform for the Helios open prepress interface OPI server.
With Helios OPI prepress users who work with large color or greyscale images the
size of dozens of megabytes gain significant throughput improvements in the order
of magnitudes. See also: EtherShare OPI
PCShare
The optional Helios PCShare integrates DOS/Windows
PCs for a complete crossplatform
solution for Macintosh, PC and Unix.
AppleTalk Tunnel
AppleTalk Tunnel is an EtherShare extension which allows to interconnect AppleTalk
networks on remote sites via TCP/IP tunnels over X.25 or ISDN. The link
between two or more EtherShare hosts with AppleTalk Tunnel is totally transparent
for AppleTalk and all its services.
SLIC LocalTalk Card
SLIC, the S-Bus card for LocalTalk under Solaris 1, is a convenient way to print
to LocalTalk printers or to inexpensively wire Macintosh as terminals.
AppleTalk Toolkit
Helios provides a Unix C library for AppleTalk DDP, NBP , ZIP , ATP , PAP and ADSP
with functions largely compatible to Inside AppleTalk. A scheduler for asynchronous
completion is included. A standard EtherShare product acts as run time environment
for Unix apps written with the toolkit.
SHM and Admin Plug-In Interfaces
On request Helios discloses to its OEM partners EtherShare's fast shared memory
interface and a plug-in interface to the administration program.