AppleTalk Server Parameters
Server Configuration
4-2
4.1.2.1 Preconfiguring Virtual Ports
Incoming LAT or Telnet/Rlogin logins to the Server do not have a physical port associated with them, since
they can appear and disappear at random. Therefore, each such connection receives a virtual port at the
time of connection which disappears after logout. These virtual ports are created from a template port,
which is the set of characteristics that every network login receives. Each user can use the Set Port
commands to customize his or her own port during that connection, but cannot save the individual port
settings. A recommended use for the template port is to provide local switches to network logins, as they
typically do not have any Break key to use after they connect.
The Server provides a way to preconfigure virtual ports. If a parameter is Defined on port zero, it will set
up default parameters to be provided for all of the network logins. If, for example,
Define Port 0
Preferred “Albert”
is entered, the preferred service for all network logins becomes service Albert.
Users can change or clear these characteristics on their own ports with their own Set Port command after
login.
NCP and Telnet remote consoles are considered virtual logins, so they will also receive the template port’s
setup. They will, however, ignore many of the configuration options, such as Dedicated and Access settings.
Otherwise, the console could be rendered useless.
4.1.3 Enabling Announcements
The Announcements flag tells the Server whether to broadcast local service advertisements and MOP
remote console announcements to the network. Normally enabled, Announcements can be disabled if you
don’t want network users to see or connect to the local services. If no services are defined, the Server does
not broadcast announcements.
Note:
For command syntax, see Set/Define Server Announcements on page 12-34.
4.2 AppleTalk Server Parameters
The only configurable AppleTalk parameter is the zone to which the Server will belong. If there is no
AppleTalk router on the network, all devices will pick the same zone (“*”). If a router is present, the Server
will use the network’s default zone unless Define Protocols AppleTalk is used to specify a different zone
name.
Figure 4-3: Specifying AppleTalk Zone
The above command places the Server in an AppleTalk zone called “AcctZone.” An error will be returned
(and the default zone used) if the specified zone cannot be confirmed with a router.
Note:
Zone names are case-sensitive; if lowercase letters are used in the name, the
string must be enclosed in quotation marks.
The current zone name can be viewed on the Show Protocols display. The Show Protocols AppleTalk
screen and its subscreens give even more detail, including the current network range and packet counts. A
node will only show up in the display if it is a router or is in direct contact with the Server for printing or
configuration.
Local> SET PROTOCOL APPLETALK ZONE “AcctZone”