PrintServer and AppleShare 2.01


I am rebuilding an AppleShare network from scratch. I am upgrading many of the
files that we had previously used. The file server seems to be working okay
but there are a few problems. I have rebuilt with System 6.0.5 (we had
previously used 6.0.3), AppleShare 2.01, and Printserver 2.0. The network is
running on a Macintosh SE with 2.5MB RAM.

The network starts okay, but has crashed several times. I think most of
these crashes are due to system incompatibilities or memory problems in the
workstations. The workstations are mostly Macintosh SEs with 1MB. I
expected some of the applications (like PixelPaint and Studio/8) to bomb,
because of memory, but these have also caused the file server to crash. One
user caused a crash by typing a new password. I thought this was due to
system incompatibility (he's running 6.0.3 at present), but the
documentation for 6.0.5 says it works fine in a network with other systems
(specifically 6.0.2, 6.0.3, and 6.0.4).

The biggest problem I am having is with the PrintServer. I installed it,
but when I load it and try to connect to a network printer, it times out.
(I have tried both printers on the network with the same results. I have
also re-installed PrintServer from another set of diskettes.) Then, when
you choose to quit the application it bombs the system.

Do you know of any incompatibilities among System 6.0.5, AppleShare 2.01,
and PrintServer 2.0? Are there any upgrades I might need? How about the
RAM cache, now set for 1MB? Also, does AppleShare get upset with the file
server running 6.0.5 and workstations running an earlier version?

We don't know of any incompatibilities with the system software and
application versions you have listed. In fact, we run similar
configurations with no difficulty.

The RAM cache is not changeable by the administrator on an AppleShare
server. Rather, AppleShare dynamically allocates RAM to meet its needs.
Don't change anything in the RAM cache.

We have two concerns with your configuration:

* Are all your users running the same version of the LaserWriter drivers?

* Was the System software installed using the Installer -- not drag
copied?

It is very important that you run the Installer, because this is the only
way to get the proper ROM patches loaded into the individual computer's
System file.

With your Print Server, you mention that when you load it and try to
"connect to a network printer", I have to assume that you are capturing a
printer for print spooling services. If that is correct, and it times out,
you may want to look at using the 6.0.1 LaserWriter and Laser Prep files as
this timeout problem was addressed in those drivers. If you do use these
drivers, make sure that all users upgrade and that there are no older
drivers present in the network.



Published Date: Feb 18, 2012