6360 connected to LAN via PPP, can't access AFP drives

[Machead]

My Performa 6360 runs System 7.5.5 and is connected by a null modem serial cable to "melissa", which runs Linux Mint 18.2 and acts as an FTP, a PPP, and an AFP server.  melissa is connected to my LAN via Ethernet, and the 6360 is connected by PPP through melissa.  I also have a Power Mac 7200/75 and a Power Mac G4, both of which are connected via Ethernet to my LAN, and they both can access melissa's AFP and FTP servers.  However, my 6360 can only access melissa's FTP server.

My 6360 can access all other computers on the network, and all other computers can access it as well.  The TCP/IP control panel says that the router address and subnet mask are "<not available>".  On all my other computers, the router is 192.168.2.1 and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.  The 6360's IP address is 192.168.2.150, and melissa's address is 192.168.2.101.  The PPP software used by the 6360 is Apple Remote Access version 3.0.

I think the inability of the 6360 to access any AFP drives may be due to the fact that it is connected to the LAN through melissa, and melissa does not provide any AppleTalk routing through its PPP connection.  I've tried editing /etc/netatalk/atalkd.conf to add it, but that does nothing.

 

[Cory5412]

Do you have OpenTransport installed on the 6360? If I am remembering correctly: Before OpenTransport, appleshare did not support tcp/ip at all, it worked only as part of the appletalk protocol (which can be run on localtalk and ethernet physical layers.)

before (or possible co-existing with) OT, you could use Apple Remote Access to connect to a specific ARA-PPP server, but I believe that basically uses PPP to tunnel AppleTalk instead of TCP/IP, I don't know if linux as a host can do that these days, or if you'd need to use a line simulator or a PBX and run an arappp server on another Mac.

Outside of simplifying the whole setup by getting Ethernet for the 6360, another possibility is to use the 7200 as a server and localtalk it to the 6360.

TL;DR

1. Get OpenTransport, preferably the newest possible version and also appleshare and maybe just get 7.6.1 as well. Updates for 7.5.5, 7.6.1
2. Or, get Ethernet for the 6360 and sidestep PPP entirely. I also still recommend updating to 7.6.1 with the latest opentransport and appleshare. I personally have very good luck with that configuration.

 

[Machead]

I do have Open Transport installed and running; I upgraded to version 1.3.  No change.  I would like to stay with 7.5.5 if possible.  Also, I only have 1 ADB keyboard and mouse which I share between the 6360 and 7200, so any solution involving both of them together won't work.

 

[Cory5412]

Are you using OT to dial as well? And, what version of AppleShare are you running?

Out of curiosity about the overall structure of the network, when you are dialed in with the 6360, does it have an IP on your lan (and could, for example, some unrelated box on your LAN ping it?) or does it have a NAT IP within the Linux computer that's hosting the PPP session?

 

[Machead]

Are you using OT to dial as well?

I think so.  How do I tell?

And, what version of AppleShare are you running?

3.6.1RevB

Out of curiosity about the overall structure of the network, when you are dialed in with the 6360, does it have an IP on your lan (and could, for example, some unrelated box on your LAN ping it?) or does it have a NAT IP within the Linux computer that's hosting the PPP session?

The former.  The 6360 can ping all other computers on the network, and all other computers on the network can ping it as well.

 

[Cory5412]

It's probably worth getting the AppleTalk 3.7.4 update.

It looks like the PPP control panel is part of OT, so if you're using that it should work.

 

[Machead]

I was able to connect to my AFP server using the "Server IP Address" button.  I'd like to figure out why it doesn't list the names of connected AFP servers like my 7200 does.  I think it may be connected with the general problem I have that my Macs can't refer to local computers by name.

 

[Cory5412]

Glad to hear it's now working.

The names are using the appletalk protocol.

OT/PPP does not carry appletalk, only tcp/ip. You will not ever see the server names on your 6360 with this configuration.

ARA/PPP would work with appletalk, but not with tcp/ip. Also, your PPPd on the Linux computer probably can not accept ARA/PPP sessions. I don't know if that has been implemented with modern software. Probably nobody thinks it's relevant, because TCP/IP meets most needs.