Can anyone lend a hand configuring a Shiva FastPath 5?

[JAG]

I picked up several Shiva FastPath 5's on eBay a year or two ago and have finally gotten around to trying to set one up. Problem is that I don't have a manual and can't seem to find one anywhere. What I want to accomplish is to get my LocalTalk Macs bridged to ethernet as well as get online. Yes, I know there are other ways to do this without a FastPath.

I've attached some screenshots of the configuration app. If anyone has any suggestions on where to start, I'd appreciate it. I did buy some new batteries as the one installed appears to be dead. Two of the boxes have a 10Base-T plug, one is coax, and two are AUI. I don't think the daughter boards are too complicated, and had the thought of maybe reverse engineering the boards at some point so other people can have 10Base-T options.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[robin-fo]

I sadly don‘t have one of these . But I could maybe help because I have a certain knowledge about AppleTalk routing in general. What did you already try? Can you install and run Trawl on the computers on the Ethernet and LocalTalk sides and post some screenshots? From which sides can you access the FastPath using the app?

You probably want to set ( =„seed“) network number(s) and zone names for both networks. Best try to get AppleTalk routing working first and then think about IP.


I also found this site: http://www.walshcomptech.com/fastpath5/

 

[ScutBoy]

That website is also what I used when I last set up my Fastpath. It's been so long I'd have to load up the config software and see how mine is set to be sure.

I'd turn off DecNET, and in the one screen you need to check the box for IP Forwarding. There you can set a range of available addresses that the FP will use for each Localtalk Mac that wants to get out to the Ethernet. I think I set aside 5 or 10 in my 192.168.1.0/24 home network.

Jealous of the 10Base-T transceivers. I only have AUI. If you are still stuck, let me know and I'll pull up my configs and share.

 

[NJRoadfan]

Take a look at the attached PDF. I wrote it a few years ago since the Fastpath 5 manuals haven't surfaced.

 

[ScutBoy]

@NJRoadfan - Nice! Thanks for posting that up. I'll definitely file this away in case my battery ever goes bad again.

 

[mactjaap]

I’ve got two FastPath 5 and got them working. So let me know if you need help. I could fire one up and see if I can help.

 

[JAG]

Thanks for all the replies. It will be a couple days until I have a chance to try them out. Much appreciation to all.

If there is reasonable interest on reverse engineering the 10Base-T board, I'm all for giving it a go.

 

[mactjaap]

Thanks for all the replies. It will be a couple days until I have a chance to try them out. Much appreciation to all.

If there is reasonable interest on reverse engineering the 10Base-T board, I'm all for giving it a go.

Absolutely! The FastPath was for me the reason to want to have a modern replacement. That is why I developed things like MacIPPi. So you can have a router in your AppleTalk network to the Internet.

 

[thecroc15]

Take a look at the attached PDF. I wrote it a few years ago since the Fastpath 5 manuals haven't surfaced.

This is great, thank you for sharing! Can finally take a crack at having it be more than just an appletalk bridge. TIL it has a battery, and just jumped out of my chair to make sure it hadn't leaked since I haven't used it in like 20 years. Thankfully a tadiran survivor!

 

[ScutBoy]

When the battery goes flat, the next time the machine powers up (like after a power outage) the FP be brain-dead. It's pretty easy to replace with a new one and then reconfigure.

 

[olePigeon]

For anyone with a FastPath 4, you can upgrade to a 5 with a simple ROM swap.

Edit: Maybe my searching is bad, but I can't find any FastPath stuff on Macintosh Garden.

Edit edit: I have the ROMs on my website.

 

[ScutBoy]

Very handy - thanks!

 

[JAG]

I was able to get everything setup with MacTCP etc and now I can get online! I appreciate all the help.

 

[NJRoadfan]

Below is the pinout for the EtherModule, which I received from Phil Budne, the engineer behind the Shiva Fastpath 5.

In the order on the print:

 2:    GND
 1:    RX+
 3:    EHT2
 4:    RX-
 6:    GND
 5:    TX+
 7:    EHT1
 8:    TX-
10:    GND
 9:    COLL-
11:    EHT0
12:    COLL+
14:    VCC
15:    VCC
16:    VUNREG
17:    VUNREG
18:    10MHz
19:    N.C.
20:    N.C.

I can't remember if the value read from the EHT bits was used in the
firmware, except for logging at boot up, and monitoring.

The pinout ordering is odd, but that is how I received it. I suspect the EHT pins are sense pins to tell the host unit what type of EtherModule is installed. The rest are mostly the same pins you would find on the 15-pin AUI plug. IF you have a 10Base5 AUI EtherModule, you can trace the pins on that fairly easily. You can also confirm if the EHT pins are different between the modules.

 

[ScutBoy]

A little thread necro, but look at what I found in the teardown pile at Free Geek Twin Cities! Fastpath 5R - basically two FP5 boards in a rackmount case.

I never thought I'd see one in the wild.

Bummer is that it has only the 10Base-2 modules. Would love to find/trade for either the AUI module or the 10Base-T module.

I do have a working "desktop" FP5, but this is pretty cool...

 

[lisa2]

Wow! That's way cool. Better than my GatorStar GX-R for sure.

 

[olePigeon]

@ScutBoy Here's mine, sitting on top of my IIfx, a bit rough on the edges. Not gonna brag, but ... check out the Shiva keychain. I hope to make a mini rackmount setup with a vintage 10/100 switch (preferably Dayna, but I'd settle for a Netgear.) I still haven't found the correct rackmount ears. The ears in the pictures aren't the correct size, and were (unsuccessfully) highly modified by my Dremel.

If you happen to stumble upon suitable replacement ears, I'd love to know what to buy.

Here're some additional pictures, including the inside. Fortunately mine has the AUI modules, so I can just connect some cheap 10base-t adapters. Click on the FP5R images, you can see how the two boards + power supply are oriented. The others are regular FastPath 4 in box (unless you're curious about a new-old-stock FastPath) that I upgraded to a FastPath 5 with custom ROMs from @dougg3 . I found both of these at the now-long-since-closed-and-highly-missed WeirdStuff in Sunnyvale. Man I miss that place. So much good stuff found there.

 

[ScutBoy]

Wow! That's way cool. Better than my GatorStar GX-R for sure.

Oh - not so sure about that

 

[ScutBoy]

@ScutBoy Here's mine, sitting on top of my IIfx, a bit rough on the edges. Not gonna brag, but ... check out the Shiva keychain. I hope to make a mini rackmount setup with a vintage 10/100 switch (preferably Dayna, but I'd settle for a Netgear.) I still haven't found the correct rackmount ears. The ears in the pictures aren't the correct size, and were (unsuccessfully) highly modified by my Dremel.

If you happen to stumble upon suitable replacement ears, I'd love to know what to buy.

Funny, mine did not have ears, either. I have a bunch of various in a box somewhere. If I find some that work and can send a set along, I will.

 

[NJRoadfan]

@JAG Any progress on reverse engineering the 10BaseT module? Most of these come with 10Base2 coax, which is.... annoying.