Configuring AppleTalk on a Cisco router
Configuring AppleTalk on a Cisco router

Use this as a template when configuring AppleTalk.


Assuming you have 2 routers linking 2 offices:

Router A Config

appletalk routing

interface ethernet 0
  appletalk cable-range 100-100
  appletalk zone Sales

interface Serial0
  description Circuit to Router B
  appletalk cable-range 200-200
  appletalk zone InterSite

Router B Config

appletalk routing

interface ethernet 0
  appletalk cable-range 300-300
  appletalk zone Marketing

interface Serial 0
  description Circuit to Router A
  appletalk cable-range 200-200
  appletalk zone InterSite


Important note regarding Frame Relay:

The above example assumes that the 2 routers are connected either via a T1 circuit, or directly back-to-back.

If you are using a Frame Relay circuit and you are using subinterfaces, you need to enter the protocol-specific commands under the subinterface, not the major interface. You will define the signalling parameters under the major interface, but then everything else goes under the subinterfaces.

Assuming your Carrier has given you one Frame Relay point-to-point PVC with a DLCI value of 33, your config will look like this:

If you have more than one subinterface, treat each one as a different logical interface and put all protocol commands under them, not the major interface.
The IOS will accept protocol commands under the major interface, but if there are subinterfaces present the IOS will ignore the ones under the major interface.


Explanation

Your AppleTalk network will look like this:

A cable-range is a logical network on top of a physical one and is tied to a Zone name. It is a range of network numbers, with each network number being able to accomodate up to 256 AppleTalk nodes. For small networks you need only configure a range with the same number, such as 100-100. This will create one cable-range, which will accomodate up to 256 AppleTalk nodes (any device speaking AppleTalk, such as Macs, printers, and AppleTalk routers) and one Zone name. All AppleTalk devices on that network segment, including the router port, will automatically negotiate a network.node address, where the network number will be the same cable-range number on all devices, and a unique node number. Unlike with TCP/IP, AppleTalk node numbers are automatically negotiated by network devices, including routers.

Each network segment in an AppleTalk network must be configured with a unique cable-range. Note how, in the above config, the 2 Ethernet segments and the Serial link, all have unique cable-ranges. All devices touching the same network segment must be configured with the same cable- range. That's why the 2 routers' Serial ports are configured with the same cable-range, since they touch the same network segment, but the 2 Ethernet ports do not.

Zone names, however, can be assigned to one cable-range or across multiple cable-ranges. In the above config, 3 Zone names have been defined, with 1 per cable-range. This will cause all devices on Router A's Ethernet segment to appear in the "Sales" Zone in a Macintosh's "Chooser" window, and all devices on Router B's Ethernet segment to appear in the "Marketing" Zone. A third Zone will also be listed in the Chooser, the "InterSite" Zone, but with no devices in it, since it's a Serial link.

You could have defined one Zone which spanned all cable-ranges, if you so wished, by configuring the same Zone name under each cable-range. This would produce only 1 Zone name in the Macintosh Chooser window, with all devices listed under it. Or you could have created 2 Zone names, with the Serial link's cable-range included in one of the Zone names, in order to eliminate a device-less Zone from appearing. Since the purpose of a Zone is to logically group devices on a network, it's standard practice to assign 1 Zone name per location, with a name reflecting that location or organization, and then adding any Serial links to one of the Zone names.

Monitoring Commands

The most common source of AppleTalk routing problems are incorrect Cable-Range configurations and Zone-less interfaces, so watch your configs.