ARA: Turn On AppleTalk in Chooser After Installing ARA
Upon initial installation of AppleTalk Remote Access (ARA), AppleTalk is turned off in the Chooser. When new users select ARA, they get a message saying that ARA wasn't correctly installed or is corrupted and they should re-install. Repeated installation efforts give the same results. The dialog is persistent whether it's a brand new installation or an existing (and previously working ARA) setup.
The real problem is that AppleTalk is turned off, and you must turn on AppleTalk in the Chooser for ARA to work at all.
Does Apple plan to change the dialog box to instruct users to turn AppleTalk on?
The real problem is that AppleTalk is turned off, and you must turn on AppleTalk in the Chooser for ARA to work at all.
Does Apple plan to change the dialog box to instruct users to turn AppleTalk on?
This problem will be fixed in the next release of AppleTalk Remote Access. The error dialog will say something about going into the Chooser and turning on AppleTalk.
Note: You can also use the Always AppleTalk software which is part of the PowerBook File Assistant collection of software. This allows a System 7.1 user to switch between AppleTalk being active and inactive without restarting the computer.
Cause of Incorrect Messages in Several Utilities
---------------------------------------
The problem is that the 7.0 Tune Up doesn't load enough of AppleTalk to let anyone know that AppleTalk is turned off. As a result, ARA and several other network utilities are unable to function, and display a false error message.
There is a way to tell whether AppleTalk can be turned on. The revised meaning of the Gestalt 'atkv' selector is that if the selector is present, it returns the "available" version of AppleTalk. If the selector isn't present, then AppleTalk isn't available.
Note: Tthis differs from the 'atlk' selector, which returns zero if AppleTalk is currently off, and the AppleTalk version if AppleTalk is currently on. But this only tells you the current state; it doesn't tell you if AppleTalk COULD be turned on in the Chooser without restarting.
AppleTalk Remote Access calls gestalt with the 'atkv' selector to make sure that the correct AppleTalk is installed. But, there is no 'atkv' selector because Tune Up prevented the AppleTalk boot code (which installs the selector) from running. ARA then complains that your software is incorrectly installed if the selector is not present. At the time ARA was released, this was the correct behavior. Since Tune Up has come along, the rules have changed. Now the lack of an 'atkv' selector means that AppleTalk can't be turned on without restarting.
Another aspect of the problem is that when the LAP manager loads, it checks PRAM to see if AppleTalk has been configured. If these bits in PRAM have never been configured or if PRAM has been "zapped," the LAP manager would believe that AppleTalk was turned off. If PRAM is zapped, then the AppleTalk status setting may be left in an indeterminate state. There was a change, beginning with AppleTalk 57 on how the setting in PRAM is interpreted:
AppleTalk Version <57 >=57
-----------------------------
PRAM setting ON ON ON
PRAM setting indeterminate ON OFF
PRAM setting OFF OFF OFF
Therefore if you ever zapped PRAM, the AppleTalk status setting may have been left in an indeterminate state. AppleTalk Remote Access updates AppleTalk to version 57.0.1, and displays the "improperly installed" message because it determines that AppleTalk is turned off.
(PowerBook users don't know any of this. Their computers come with Tune Up pre-installed and AppleTalk off.)
Other utilities and applications will also suffer from the problem. The Network control panel, MacTCP, and DAL with Tune Up installed and AppleTalk off all suffer from the same problem and the user is presented with a similar "not installed correctly" message.
* MacTCP gives the error -43 (driver not installed).
* DAL will just not connect to any of its servers or the DAL installation checker will show no network adaptor (drivers) cards.
* The Apple Internet Router give the error message "The router software was damaged or incorrectly installed. Please re-install the router."
The Solution
------------
AppleTalk version 57.0.4 fixes these problems for most cases.
* If PRAM is unconfigured, it no longer believes that AppleTalk is off, instead it believes it is on.
* The Network control panel now displays a more appropriate message telling users that AppleTalk is turned off instead of telling them that their software has been incorrectly installed.
* Future revisions of AppleTalk Remote Access and Apple Internet Router will have more meaningful error messages.
* In System 7.1 MacTCP, LAT, and DAL will load whether AppleTalk has been turned on or off.
Note: You can also use the Always AppleTalk software which is part of the PowerBook File Assistant collection of software. This allows a System 7.1 user to switch between AppleTalk being active and inactive without restarting the computer.
Cause of Incorrect Messages in Several Utilities
---------------------------------------
The problem is that the 7.0 Tune Up doesn't load enough of AppleTalk to let anyone know that AppleTalk is turned off. As a result, ARA and several other network utilities are unable to function, and display a false error message.
There is a way to tell whether AppleTalk can be turned on. The revised meaning of the Gestalt 'atkv' selector is that if the selector is present, it returns the "available" version of AppleTalk. If the selector isn't present, then AppleTalk isn't available.
Note: Tthis differs from the 'atlk' selector, which returns zero if AppleTalk is currently off, and the AppleTalk version if AppleTalk is currently on. But this only tells you the current state; it doesn't tell you if AppleTalk COULD be turned on in the Chooser without restarting.
AppleTalk Remote Access calls gestalt with the 'atkv' selector to make sure that the correct AppleTalk is installed. But, there is no 'atkv' selector because Tune Up prevented the AppleTalk boot code (which installs the selector) from running. ARA then complains that your software is incorrectly installed if the selector is not present. At the time ARA was released, this was the correct behavior. Since Tune Up has come along, the rules have changed. Now the lack of an 'atkv' selector means that AppleTalk can't be turned on without restarting.
Another aspect of the problem is that when the LAP manager loads, it checks PRAM to see if AppleTalk has been configured. If these bits in PRAM have never been configured or if PRAM has been "zapped," the LAP manager would believe that AppleTalk was turned off. If PRAM is zapped, then the AppleTalk status setting may be left in an indeterminate state. There was a change, beginning with AppleTalk 57 on how the setting in PRAM is interpreted:
AppleTalk Version <57 >=57
-----------------------------
PRAM setting ON ON ON
PRAM setting indeterminate ON OFF
PRAM setting OFF OFF OFF
Therefore if you ever zapped PRAM, the AppleTalk status setting may have been left in an indeterminate state. AppleTalk Remote Access updates AppleTalk to version 57.0.1, and displays the "improperly installed" message because it determines that AppleTalk is turned off.
(PowerBook users don't know any of this. Their computers come with Tune Up pre-installed and AppleTalk off.)
Other utilities and applications will also suffer from the problem. The Network control panel, MacTCP, and DAL with Tune Up installed and AppleTalk off all suffer from the same problem and the user is presented with a similar "not installed correctly" message.
* MacTCP gives the error -43 (driver not installed).
* DAL will just not connect to any of its servers or the DAL installation checker will show no network adaptor (drivers) cards.
* The Apple Internet Router give the error message "The router software was damaged or incorrectly installed. Please re-install the router."
The Solution
------------
AppleTalk version 57.0.4 fixes these problems for most cases.
* If PRAM is unconfigured, it no longer believes that AppleTalk is off, instead it believes it is on.
* The Network control panel now displays a more appropriate message telling users that AppleTalk is turned off instead of telling them that their software has been incorrectly installed.
* Future revisions of AppleTalk Remote Access and Apple Internet Router will have more meaningful error messages.
* In System 7.1 MacTCP, LAT, and DAL will load whether AppleTalk has been turned on or off.