Building an Apple Talk Network

[CompactMacLover]

Since Ive gotten my vintage macs out, Ive thought of building an AppleTalk Network that works with all my 68k Macs

This is what I have so far
Original Mac SE 2.5MB RAM 20MB HD
Mac LC 4/40
Mac SE FDHD 4/20
Mac Classic II

How does apple talk work with System 6, can file sharing happen between System 6-9 macs. I would also like them to be able to print to my HP Color LaserJet 4500 that is AppleTalk Compatible.

What hardware should I use and software

[LCGuy]

System 6 can connect to a System 7 - 9 Mac with File Sharing and access files without any trouble at all, I've done it myself. However a System 6 Mac can't share files without the use of third party software.

As for the LaserJet, does it support classic AppleTalk, or just AppleTalk over IP? If it only supports AppleTalk over IP you are SOL, if it supports "real" AppleTalk, however, you should be in luck so long as the LaserWriter software for System 6 supports it.

[CompactMacLover]

The LaserJet has Classic AppleTalk, darn thing is 15 years old, and wont die. Thats good to know about System 6 to 9 that means I can get an appletalk to ethernet bridge, connect everything up and away I go.

[CJ_Miller]

System 6 can connect to a System 7 - 9 Mac with File Sharing and access files without any trouble at all, I've done it myself. However a System 6 Mac can't share files without the use of third party software.

I encountered some weirdness with this last week. There was a file I copied onto my SE but I deleted my other copy of it, so I wanted to copy it back. (It was a corrupt archive of the program Oscar, I wanted to see if the other archive would open) I figured since my SE has AppleShare Workstation 2.0.1 that it would show up on my other Mac's choosers, but it did not. I am wondering if it will work to use Server 2.0.1 instead, but it is not like I need to serve files off of this box often so have yet to try it. Instead it was my first time using ClarisWorks (3.0) to transfer files, it took me about five minutes to figure out and worked great. It has been since 1997 or so I have been using Macs and only now am I getting into ClarisWorks, it is brilliant. But alas, both my archives of Oscar were bad.