AppleTalk
AppleTalk was a proprietary suite of networking protocols developed by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) in the 1980s for Macintosh computers. It was designed to be easy to set up and use, requiring minimal configuration. AppleTalk allowed Macintosh computers to connect to each other and to peripheral devices, such as printers and file servers, over a local area network (LAN).
AppleTalk supported several different network topologies, including LocalTalk, EtherTalk, and TokenTalk. LocalTalk was a slower, lower-cost option that used shielded twisted-pair cabling and ran at a speed of 230.4 kbit/s. EtherTalk allowed AppleTalk to run over standard Ethernet networks, providing much higher speeds. TokenTalk implemented AppleTalk over Token Ring networks.
Key components of the AppleTalk protocol suite included:
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AppleTalk Address Resolution Protocol (AARP): Used to map AppleTalk addresses to hardware addresses (e.g., Ethernet MAC addresses).
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AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP): A connection-oriented transport protocol providing reliable, sequenced delivery of data.
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AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP): A file sharing protocol enabling Macintosh computers to access files stored on file servers.
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AppleTalk Session Protocol (ASP): A session layer protocol that establishes and manages connections between AppleTalk applications.
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Datagram Delivery Protocol (DDP): A network layer protocol responsible for routing datagrams within an AppleTalk network.
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Name Binding Protocol (NBP): Used for name registration and resolution, allowing devices and services to be located on the network by their names.
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Printer Access Protocol (PAP): Used for printing to AppleTalk-compatible printers.
AppleTalk's popularity declined in the late 1990s and early 2000s as TCP/IP became the dominant networking protocol. Apple officially deprecated AppleTalk in favor of TCP/IP-based networking with the release of Mac OS X. While remnants of AppleTalk could be found in earlier versions of Mac OS X for backward compatibility with older printers, support was eventually removed completely.