|
|
|
|
| Welcome, Guest | Home | Search | Login | Register | |
| Author | Will a SCSI DVD drive work with my PB? (Read 31214 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
jjbomfim
32 MB  Posts: 55 
|
on: February 25, 2008, 20:37
I have the opportunity of buying a cheap SCSI DVD drive, and I would like to know if my Powerbook 1400 will be able to read files from it. The drive would be enclosed in a regular SCSI external case, and I alreade have the proper cable to hook it up to the Powerbook's SCSI port. The reason this would be useful is that I could burn all my files (backup everything, plus my mp3s, pictures) on a single DVD, instead of having a bunch of CDs. So, would 7.6.1 recognize the drive? Will I be able to burn an HFS formatted DVD on OSX like I do now with CDs? Thanks. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
wall
|
256 MB Posts: 343
Reply #1 on: February 25, 2008, 21:02
|
I think it will work as a cdr-drive only. I had an internal dvd-drive in a 7500, which worked that way. A good drive database for compatibility: http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso
|
wall
|
256 MB Posts: 343
Reply #2 on: February 25, 2008, 21:13
|
editingeditingediting You could backup the 1400 to a hfs+ hd in a newer mac via ethernet. I did it with pcmcia wlan in my 1400.
|
jjbomfim
|
32 MB Posts: 55
Reply #3 on: February 25, 2008, 21:25
|
Quote from: "wall" editingeditingediting Yeah, but then I would also need that newer mac to read those files. The drive would be good because it would be in a place with no other Macs around.
|
Minimalist
|
128 MB Posts: 186
Reply #4 on: February 25, 2008, 23:54
|
If you had -- or acquired -- an old PC, you could install Linux -- or *BSD or Open Solaris -- and a bunch of stuff like netatalk. You could drop a few hundred gigs of hard drive in that old PC and use it as a backup server for all of your production computers. An old PC can be had for less than a hundred dollars with a decent size hard drive. Linux, *BSD, and Open Solaris are free. Netatalk, Samba, FTP, NFS, or whatever filesharing protocols you choose to use are also free. Although I don't use my old Linux PC as a backup server, I certainly could if I wanted to. I can tell you from personal experience, however, that Appletalk on Linux works beautifully. It's a beautiful thing. (Sorry, I've been listening to too many David Lynch interviews.) p.s. You could use that old PC for other things as well. A print server comes to mind... If you need a printer for your 1400.
|
Minimalist
|
128 MB Posts: 186
Reply #5 on: February 26, 2008, 12:00
|
Addendum Oh yeah, your old PC running one of the free *NIX operating systems can run headless. No monitor, keyboard or mouse is necessary for it to operate. You can administer your server from System 7.6 using MacSSH or from an xterm in OS X. You could even use X forwarding to administer your server if a GUI is more your speed. And to keep my seemingly off-topic tangent on-topic, you could put a DVD writer in that old PC and burn/read your DVDs over the network using Appletalk (for your Classic Macs or OS X Macs), Samba (for your Windows PCs), NFS (for your *NIX and OS X Macs), and FTP (for everything else). If you don't want the bother/expense of running a separate computer for your backup needs, consider consolidating services. You could use your old PC as a file server that is perfectly suited for serving music and video. You could use it as a print server for sharing a printer. You could use it as a fax server for sharing fax capabilities. You could use it as a firewall/router for your network. And the list goes on and on and on. I currently use an old 433 MHz Celeron box as a server for my home LAN. It serves files over Appletalk and NFS. It also acts as a print server so all of the computers on my network can use one printer. Additionally, it performs some other rudimentary tasks. It does DHCP (because I want all of my machines to have the same IP address all of the time). It does DNS (because I don't want to be bothered with remembering the IP addresses of all of the computers on my network). It does NTP (because I want all of the computers on my network to have synchronized clocks). So you see, an old PC can be one of the best peripherals you could ever attach to your Mac -- both old and new alike.
|
jjbomfim
|
32 MB Posts: 55
Reply #6 on: February 26, 2008, 17:57
|
Minimalist, this sounds interesting. I've been thinking about it here and there ever since my post about the PowerPrint cable. In there you mentioned using a PC with linux as a printserver. The main thing that's keeping me from trying this out is that I don't know enough *nix to easily go through the setup of everything (both of unix into the pc and then getting my Mac talking to it). I also don't really understand what happens in this setup. Could you answer some of it for me? I mean, When I print from my Mac to a printer, I have a driver for that specific printer. What happens when I'm connected to the linux server and I click on print? Is the print job from the Mac translated inside Unix into its own language and compatible drivers? You said you can use any PC printer with it, but I don't need Mac drivers for this printer? Having Linux talking to the printer will do? Forgive the ignorance, but I have very little hands-on experience with unix. I only run some live-cds now and then, but I never installed anything. Well, thanks in advance!
|
Minimalist
|
128 MB Posts: 186
Reply #7 on: February 26, 2008, 21:50
|
Quote from: "jjbomfim" Could you answer some of it for me? I'm no expert on the subject, but I'll answer to the best of my ability. Bear in mind however, that my answers may not be the best possible answers and are derived primarily from my own personal experience and circumstances. Quote
I have two Macs: A Quadra 700 and a beige G3 desktop. The Quadra runs 7.6 and the G3 runs 8.6. For both machines I used the Apple supplied Laserwriter printer driver. I selected it in the Chooser just like you would for a locally attached printer. When I clicked it, my shared printer popped up in the selection box. I clicked on that, and I got a nice little printer icon on my desktop. Quote
Your Mac will process the file just like it would on a locally attached printer and then send it to the queue on your print server. If your printer is powered on and there are no other print jobs in the queue, your file will be printed right away. If there are other print jobs in the queue, your file will be printed after the other print jobs are completed. So if your wife was printing recipes, for example, when you decided to print your sales report for work, your wife's recipes would print first and then your sales report would print. This does not tie up your Mac. Once the print job is sent to the server, your Mac has nothing more to do with it. You can continue using your Mac as you normally would. If your printer is not powered on, your print job will be stored in your print server's queue until your printer is available for printing. If your print server is not powered on, you get an error. Quote
Your Mac will process your print job in postscript and send it to the server. The server will receive it and dump it to the printer. Yes, your Linux server uses it's own printer driver. Quote
That is correct. You do not need anything for your Mac but Apple's Laserwriter printer driver. Quote
That's correct. Quote
Funny that you should mention that. 99% of the things that I do with Linux I've never done before. I've never used Linux to share a printer before. That was a totally new exerience for me. Actually, I've never used a printer on a Linux box before until two months ago. I look at it this way. I'm reasonably proficient in using Mac OS. I've been using it for many years and there's little chance that I'm going to screw something up on the Mac side. I'm just playing with a Laserwriter extension and the Chooser. What could be easier than that? On the Linux side it requires a little more work, but not much more. I have to install a printer driver -- which turns out to be really, really, really easy. I have to install netatalk -- which also turns out to be really, really, easy. I have to configure netatalk to share my printer. That last bit caused me some trouble because I spent two hours trying to get an unsupported method working. Once I realized the error of my ways and went with the "supported" method, it took me less than five minutes from config to the printed page.
|
jjbomfim
|
32 MB Posts: 55
Reply #8 on: February 27, 2008, 15:20
|
Quote from: "Minimalist" Your Mac will process your print job in postscript and send it to the server. The server will receive it and dump it to the printer. So my printer has to understand postscript, right? I won't need to install any drivers on the Mac besides one that sends out the print job in postscript (the Laserwriter software). None of my laser printers have System 7 drivers (i have two printers), but they both read postscript. It's not native adobe postscript, but their own Brother and Epson hack version os a postscript language. Should this setup work fine?
|
Minimalist
|
128 MB Posts: 186
Reply #9 on: March 01, 2008, 11:51
|
I use a Brother HL2040 laser printer on mine. I went to the Brother website and downloaded the Linux driver. I installed the Linux driver on the machine I'm using as a server. I configured netatalk to share the Brother printer. On the Mac I clicked on the chooser and selected the laserwriter driver. My brother printer showed up in the little selection box. I clicked on that and I was good to go. I don't know how or why it works, it just does. I have four computers on my LAN. I have two macs and two pcs running linux. All of these computers print to that bargain basement brother printer that i bought for $69 at business depot. I use the usb connection. I had to buy the usb cable separately. I think it cost me $20. I'm not sure, i'd have to check the receipt. I got my sister to pay for it for me because i didn't want to deal with the dimwitted broad at the checkout. overall, it was an enjoyable shopping experience.
|
jjbomfim
|
32 MB Posts: 55
Reply #10 on: March 11, 2008, 04:19
|
What if I have a laser printer with ethernet built-in? Can I print to it if both the printer and my Mac are connected to the same hub (they won't be connected togheter, but will be on the same network)?
|
|
Pages: [1]
|
| |||||||||||
|
© 2021 System7Today.com. |
