Description: Apple II Workstation Card: Product Information (2/97)
Header: Apple II Workstation Card: Product Information (2/97)

 Article Created: 01 March 1988
 Article Reviewed/Updated: 28 February 1997

 TOPIC -----------------------------------------------------------

 This article describes the Apple II Workstation Card.

 DISCUSSION ------------------------------------------------------

 The Apple II Workstation Card provides an AppleTalk interface for the
 enhanced Apple IIe computer. It makes the Apple IIe an AppleTalk node on a
 LocalTalk network.

 Hardware
 --------
 The card has its own 65C02 processor, ROM, RAM, and a custom PAL chip. The
 card attaches to a connector module housing two Mini-8 serial ports. One of
 these ports supports AppleTalk, the other emulates a Super Serial Card.

 The card can be installed in any Apple IIe slot except for slot 3 (the
 additional 64K of RAM on the Extended 80-Column card is assigned to slot 3,
 making it unavailable). Slot 7 is the usual choice for the Workstation Card.

 The red and green LEDs indicate only that the card has passed an internal
 diagnostic, and do not indicate that the network interface is active.

 The upper Mini-8 connector (PORT A) supports either the AppleTalk interface
 or a Super Serial interface. The lower Mini-8 connector (PORT B) supports
 only the serial interface.

 Software
 --------
 The Apple IIe Workstation Card contains AppleTalk code in ROM, code to allow
 printing over the network, printing at the workstation, and starting up over
 the network. The Apple IIe Workstation Card can start up either from a local
 disk, or remotely over the network from a startup server running on a file
 server.

 Local Startup
 -------------
 When the workstation starts up from a local device, the card makes itself
 look like a Super Serial Card, with special ID bytes to indicate that it is
 actually an Apple II Workstation Card.

 Network Startup
 ---------------
 The card emulates a Disk II drive on power up to enable network startup, and,
 if in the highest number slot (normal practice) downloads the operating
 system from a network startup server, if available.

 In addition, either of these other two methods can be used to start up over a
 network:

 - Use the PR# command specifying the card's slot and hold down the Open
  Apple key while pressing Return. (Issuing the PR# command and pressing
  Return without pressing the Open Apple key causes printing to take place.)

 - Using a BOOT call also causes the startup process to take place.

 Printing Over the Network
 -------------------------
 The printing task begins when you issue a PR# command from the workstation.
 The application program sends print data out through the SSC entry points as
 defined by the PR# command. The card captures the stream of characters to be
 printed, because it appears to be a normal Super Serial Card in a slot and
 sends it to the selected printer or spooler.

 Only ProDOS applications are supported on the network using the card. An
 important feature of the card is that it does not require the use of main
 memory, because most applications use all or almost all of Apple IIe memory
 (including "reserved" areas).


 Article Change History:
 28 Feb 1997 - Reviewed for technical accuracy, revised formatting.
 Copyright 1988-97, Apple Computer, Inc.
 Keywords: