Phase 2 AppleTalk networks

There are two types of AppleTalk networks: Phase 1 and Phase 2.

AppleTalk Phase 1 was the original AppleTalk protocol architecture designed to support networking for small workgroups. Phase 1 could only support a single physical network that had just one network number and one zone.

AppleTalk Phase 2 enhances the routing and naming services of AppleTalk. This means improved network traffic and better router selection. You can now create AppleTalk networks that support more than 254 nodes and have multiple zones.

You must use Phase 2 to run Services for Macintosh.

Phase 2 includes these features:

• enhancements to routing and naming services, such as the ability to support AppleTalk networks with more than 254 nodes
  
  
• support for multiple zones per network
  
  
• improved network traffic and better router selection
  
  
• support for token ring, LocalTalk, Ethernet, and FDDI
  
  

LocalTalk networks have a single network number; EtherTalk and TokenTalk networks can be assigned a network range, allowing for more nodes on the network.

Each LocalTalk network must be in a single zone; each EtherTalk and TokenTalk network can have multiple zones, and individual nodes on a network can be configured to be in any one of the network's associated zones.

A node is any type of device on the network. Each client, printer, server, and router is a node on an AppleTalk network.

LocalTalk networks can have as many as 254 nodes (but are actually limited to 32 or fewer nodes because of media capacity); EtherTalk and TokenTalk networks can have as many as 253 nodes for every number in the network range, for a maximum of 16.5 million nodes.

Caution

• Although EtherTalk and TokenTalk support 16.5 million nodes, do not specify this many nodes; network media cannot physically accommodate this many nodes.
  
  

Notes

• Help and Support uses the terms Ethernet and token ring in descriptions of network media. For discussions on the implementation of an AppleTalk network on Ethernet or token ring, EtherTalk and TokenTalk are used. For more information, refer to an AppleTalk manual.
  
  
• AppleTalk Phase 2 is not available on Macintosh platforms released before Macintosh Plus. It requires the installation of AppleTalk file V53. AppleTalk file V53 is installed automatically when you install either EtherTalk 2.0 or TokenTalk 2.0.