Lantronix MPS100 EPS Reference Manual - Page 16
Addressing, Zones
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AppleTalk Concepts The Server supports only the Printer Access Protocol (PAP) and therefore cannot create outgoing AppleTalk sessions-only incoming print requests are accepted. Any services on the Server with AppleTalk enabled will show up as LaserWriters in Macintosh Chooser windows and are associated with an available zone (explained in Section 2.3.2). Users who select a Server service as their LaserWriter will have their print jobs forwarded to the Server for printing, or for queueing if the print port on the Server is in use or otherwise unavailable. AppleTalk printing is different from printing in other protocols. There are standard Macintosh drivers provided for specific Apple printer types, such as LaserWriters and ImageWriters, but there are no plain ASCII line printers by default. ASCII jobs are converted into PostScript (for laser printers) or bitmaps (for ImageWriters) when printed. Only laser printer devices are supported by the Server under AppleTalk. The Macintosh client will need to query the printer about status, so only laser printers that reply to these interactive PostScript requests can be used. The Server parallel ports support Bitronics mode, provided the attached laser printer also implements it. 2.3.1 Addressing AppleTalk provides for dynamic node addressing, allowing a node to choose its address at boot time. It will send network packets to the other nodes to avoid choosing a node ID already in use. A node can also discover its network number by listening for AppleTalk router broadcasts; if none are heard, a default network number is chosen. The Server will save zone/network/node ID triplets in permanent memory, which reduces traffic at reboot time, although the Server AppleTalk address may change across boots in response to any network changes. Network numbers are configured in the routers, so the only AppleTalk configuration supported by the Server is the specification of a zone name other than the default. Due to the generally non-configurable nature of AppleTalk, most AppleTalk devices are truly "plug-and-play"- they can be powered up and used right out of the box. 2.3.2 Zones Zones are arbitrary groupings of AppleTalk nodes used to organize resources into groups that are easier for users to understand. For example, a college may organize zones around departments, like Math Department and Physics Department. Zones allow users to sift through large numbers of nodes by choosing those groups they are familiar with regardless of the organization of the network. In general, zones need not have a correlation to physical or network location, thus any node can declare itself a member of any single zone. Zones, like nodes, originate from and are configured on AppleTalk routers. One zone on each network will be chosen by the router as the default zone. If there are no AppleTalk routers on the network, there will be only one zone (the default zone) of which all nodes are members. If no zone name has been previously defined on the Server, or if the defined zone is no longer valid, the Server will join the default zone and no other configuration is needed. The Server can be placed in a different zone with the Define Protocols AppleTalk command. Each time the Server is booted, or when its zone is changed, it will verify the zone name with a router. 2-2