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Open Transport
By John J. Mulhern III

Open Transport, which includes the AppleTalk and TCP/IP control panels, is Apple's name for its new networking technology. Open Transport has recently begun to replace what Apple refers to as its "classic networking" technology -- more commonly known on campus as the combination of the Networking and MacTCP control panels.

Networking technology works with networking software (e.g. Netscape) much like your operating system works with desktop software (e.g. Excel) to provide the behind-the-scenes AppleTalk and TCP/IP services that local networking and Internet applications must have in order to work. Open Transport and classic networking are, essentially, network operating systems. However, Open Transport is much more tightly integrated into the Mac OS. Classic networking was more of an add-on, since the Internet was not in anything like its current form when Macintoshes started networking in 1986.

Open Transport has been standard equipment on all new desktop Power Macintoshes (like the 7200/120 and 7600/132) since late 1995 and is optional on all other Macintoshes (both desktop and laptop) that Apple currently sells. In addition, it can be installed on most Macintoshes sold since 1993. The "Open Transport Cheat Sheet" (an Acrobat PDF file) details which Macintoshes can be upgraded from classic networking to Open Transport.

The Penn environment

Secondly, Open Transport has both fewer bugs and more flexibility than classic networking. For example, Open Transport makes it easy to switch between a PPP modem connection and a TCP/IP Ethernet connection: this can be especially useful for PowerBook users, who often need to use their machine at work via Ethernet and at home via modem. Open Transport also makes it easy to switch between multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs); you can switch between, say, PennNet and Netcom without having to restart your Macintosh.

ISC recommends at least Open Transport 1.1. In fact, the current version of ISC's installer for PPP for Macintosh will not work with any version previous to Open Transport 1.1. Apple has recently released a new version, Open Transport 1.1.2.

Open Transport Q&A

A: The easiest way to tell if you are running Open Transport is by looking in your Control Panels folder. If you have an AppleTalk and/or a TCP/IP control panel, you are running Open Transport. If you have a MacTCP and/or a Network control panel, you are running classic networking.

Q: Where do I get Open Transport?

A: Open Transport is available from the Computing Resource Center at 3732 Locust Walk, from Penn's AppleShare server, and from Apple's various support sites (www.info.apple.com and ftp://ftp.info.apple.com).

Q: I just upgraded my operating system. I want to run Open Transport, but I can't find the AppleTalk or the TCP/IP control panel.

A: Apple's system installer does not automatically upgrade from classic networking to Open Transport when you install newer system software. To do so, first locate and open the Apple Extras folder. Double-click the Network Software Selector. Select "Use Open Transport Networking" and close the dialog box. Open Transport will be used the next time you restart your Macintosh.