How can I get my Color Classic on the Internet?

[System6+Vista]

Okay! My Color Classic is finally running for a long period of time, and was able to turn on after I shut it down and installed a PDS ethernet card. My question now: How can I get this thing on the internet, or at least can I check my pop3 mail? I have it plugged into a 10/100 ethernet router, and the green light on the PDS card turned on when I plugged in, which is a good start. I started download random programs that looked plausible, and so far I have "MACTCP" running in my control panel folder (system 7.1) and "internet config extension" installed in my extensions folder. I am trying - but having issues - trying to get a browser or e-mail client onto the CC to test them, but I would expect the TCP/IP isn't configured yet anyways. I'm a born Windows user, so I have zero experience running internet in Classic Macintosh OS. Any help?

Thank you,

Dave

 

[porter]

Grab a couple of simple programs like "NCSA Telnet" or "MacPING" as they have the ability to show you the state of MacTCP.

Do you have anything providing addresses using DHCP on your network? Else, you will have to statically allocate and configure an IP address for your network.

I would do the things in the following order:

First get an address configured/allocated for your local network.

Get Ping working with numeric addresses on your local network

Get ping working with addresses on the external internet

Get name address resolution working.

 

[System6+Vista]

You know what, I have to plead ignorance. I don't exactly know what any of that stuff means, and I sure don't know how to do it. For the last decade, Windows has been automatically handling all of my TCP/IP settings, so I've never had any experience messing with them myself. Currently I have a cable modem feeding into a linkysys wireless router - my windows vista computer can connect wirelessly, by wire to the router, or by router to the cable modem itself - where do I start?

I really appreciate the assistance.

 

[porter]

If windows automatically handled everything then

(a) go Start->Settings->Network Connections and have a look at what the setting look like for TCP/IP

( B) start with DHCP on MacTCP, but be prepared to manually configure DNS

 

[tendim]

Have you tried the Three Macs and a Printer website?

http://www.atpm.com/network/

It is one of the best guides for setting up a Macintosh network.

 

[beachycove]

The MacTCP Control Panel almost certainly will need to be manually configured, as most modern Routers will not work with it automatically. Some may not work with it at all.... In the latter case, it is possible that Apple's later networking software, Open Transport, would do a better job, but MacTCP will usually work one way or another, so it is worth a shot, and you are not going to hurt anything by trying.

This page gives some screenshots of the MacTCP configuration process.

Do you know how to log in to your Router? If so, you can check some of these details, but if not, carry on regardless and see if this works. The Router most likely has the IP address 192.168.1.1, in which case you would enter 192.168.1.x (x being any number between, say, 2 and 100 for our purposes, but NOT the same as the last number in the IP address of the Router itself or the IP address of any other computer running on the network as a DHCP client). E.g., 192.168.1.10 should work fine. If not, try another one or find out if your Router has a more unusual IP address like 192.168.2.1, in which case those numbers will have to be ...2.x and not ...1.x . ) Like I say, though, to start, enter a trial number of 192.168.1.10 in the small box above the "more" box, then click "more."

Next, make sure "manually" is selected, in the Gateway address enter the IP address of your Router (192.168.1.1 most likely), make sure the Subnet Mask reads 255.255.255.0 , and at the bottom, for the Domain servers, you can try entering a . in the left box and the IP address of your Router (192.168.1.1) again in the right box.

Then save, reboot, and you may be in luck.

How did you get the CC working, by the way?

 

[porter]

The MacTCP Control Panel almost certainly will need to be manually configured, as most modern Routers will not work with it automatically.

Really? I use DHCP to configure my Macs. I do have to set up the DNS information though, so it seems to do the RARP.

 

[System6+Vista]

Beachycove, thank you so much for that link - it's exactly what I need. For some reason, when I complete all the steps (and I was able to find the addresses in my Windows settings) it doesn't prompt me to restart - This has me thinking that something isn't initialized properly. I just installed the "network software installer 1.5.1' from apple, including the latest Appletalk and Ethernet for PDS and Ethernet for NuBus (because it automatically chose that one - though I'm pretty darn sure my CC isn't using a NuBus card). Now, when I go into Control Panel and open the new 'Network" panel, I try to switch to Ethernet but it keeps saying "Could not switch to Ethertalk due to an error. Your connection will be reset to LocalTalk." So perhaps until this is resolved nothing will work properly. I forget the person on this forum who runs www.adoptamac.com, but thats where I bought the ethernet card and the instructions were that it uses Mac OS drivers so I didn't think I needed to install anything extra.

Another website reports that I'll need OpenTransport in order to us DHCP. Which version? I also need to find that new version of disk copy that lets me mount them otherwise it'll be all day installing the 4 disks.

 

[beachycove]

You definitely do not need the Nubus extension. Perhaps the software installer is confused because it pre-dates production of the Color Classic, I am not sure, but I have seen the same error on mine. What I can tell you is that if you drag the Apple Ethernet LC extension in the AppleTalk Files folder on the Network Installer disk to your System folder on the CC, and reboot, you should be able to select Ethernet and give those IP settings in MacTCP a whirl. That is the file you need. It will automatically go to the right place (Extensions) if you drag it to the System folder on your hard drive.

My advice would be that you don't install Open Transport just yet — it is likely to slow down your CC further.

The rebooting that I described is done manually rather than automatically; for TCP/IP networking changes to take effect, you generally need to reboot one of these machines.

Let us know how you get on. There are plenty of folk who can walk you though setting up the networking, though it may take a day or so to respond.

 

[System6+Vista]

Nope, still not working. In "Network" it still has an error switching from LocalTalk Built-In to Ethertalk. Also, all the MacTCP settings are configured, and I rebooted twice, but MacWeb still doesn't recognize any internet- I'm not surprised because of the "network" control panel settings.

I'm using System 7.1, as installed by the person before me. I have 8mb RAM, the 68882 co-processor and the extra stick of VRAM. The ethernet card is clearly getting power I know because when my ethernet cable is plugged in, it lights green. I am wondering if it is time for a fresh install of OS?

 

[beachycove]

Let's ssume that the MacTCP Control Panel is correctly configured, and that the proper Extension is now installed.

There are two further things to check. First, your Router needs to be configured to accept the IP you are handing to it from MacTCP. Log in and check the settings. Second, many of us find that connecting the old machines through a hub to a modern Router is necessary.

 

[System6+Vista]

You guys don't think that the issue that the 'network' control panel won't switch to ethertalk is a big deal?

 

[beachycove]

Ethertalk is not what you want for internet access, but Ethernet. There should be, as I recall, three icons in the MacTCP Control Panel at this stage. Ethernet would be the one to choose. Ethertalk is Appletalk protocol routed over ethernet wiring, and this is not the protocol of the internet as we know it (the one native to Unix is what this effectively is). If Ethernet does not appear, then this suggests to me that MacTCP is not properly configured, or else that there is a communication failure between the CC and the Router, or both.

I am not sure why the system will not allow you to select Ethertalk — because it is plugged into the Router, rather than into an Appletalk network, perhaps? I don't know. But take heart to this extent: Ethertalk would not be there in the Control Panel at all if the network software were not already recognizing the network card. This leads me to think that the trouble is in the network in your home/ office/ wherever rather than in your CC as such. Reinstall System software if you like, but i doubt that this is the problem.

A CC is going to be REAL SLOW on the internet (though as a web server it can do surprising things!), so I am not sure why you want to do this anyway. However, chacun à son goût.

If you want to press on, I think you are going to have to: a) describe the network in more detail, and B) tell us the IP numbers etc. that you are setting in MacTCP if I or others are going to take this any further. Otherwise everything is just speculation. And the settings of the Router can be make or break: in order for it to communicate with a machine with an IP of 192.168.1.10, it has to be configured to do so — especially if has a private LAN IP like 192.168.2.1 — in which case 192.168.1.10 will not get you anywhere on the CC. The convenience of Appletalk the internet just ain't got.

I really can't say anything else without more information.

Can anyone else around here offer some better advice?

 

[porter]

You guys don't think that the issue that the 'network' control panel won't switch to ethertalk is a big deal?

I think it's a big deal. I don't see why MacTCP should be able to use the ethernet when AppleTalk can't.