Chapter 7 - Managing the AFP Service
Introduction to Managing the AFP Service
The AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP) service is part of the VINES support for the AppleTalk Protocol stack. To use the AFP service, you must purchase the VINES for Macintosh option. This service communicates with AppleTalk, the Security Service, and the VINES File System (VFS). AFP enables Macintosh users to:
Access a VINES network Mount file volumes that reside on VINES servers Use VINES Mail for Macintosh
Figure 7-1 illustrates the AFP service.
Note: The AFP service is not required for Macintosh users to access a VINES PostScript print service.
You may want to take advantage of the configuration capabilities of the AFP service. This chapter describes how to configure and manage this service.
Prerequisites for Configuring AFP
Before you configure the AFP service, complete the following tasks:
1. Install a LAN card in the server and configure it appropriately.
2. Check that all Macintosh workstations that are to be connected to the network have the appropriate communications hardware and AppleShare software.
3. Connect the cables from the network to:
- Servers
- Macintosh workstations
- Printer Access Protocol (PAP) compatible printers
4. Configure the AppleTalk and other LAN cards from the server console.
5. Determine whether the versions of AppleTalk running on the network are Phase 1, Phase 2, or both.
6. Configure the AppleTalk ports on the servers that support Macintosh users.
7. Set up the AppleTalk zones and enter the appropriate zone information at the server console.
8. Start AppleTalk.
For information on configuring AppleTalk ports, setting up AppleTalk zones, and starting AppleTalk, see Managing AppleTalk on a VINES Network.
You may also want to create group and user names for your Macintosh users and set up the file and print services. When you create these services, keep StreetTalk names as short as possible (31 characters or less) to ensure that the name is fully visible in the Chooser window.
Keep the AFP service, the StreetTalk group and user names, and file and print services on the same server or on a server that is close to the Macintosh workstations. This network proximity results in the best performance.
You manage the AFP service from StreetTalk Explorer or from the OPERATE or MSERVICE programs. You start and stop the service, set log levels, generate log reports, and look at service users the same as any other service. See "To Control a Service Using MSERVICE", "To Control a Service Using OPERATE" and "To Control a Service Using StreetTalk Explorer" in Chapter 2 for more information.
The service users that these utilities show for the AFP service reflect Macintosh users accessing all file services on the server. The information is not broken down by individual file service.
If you install VINES system software and the VINES for Macintosh option at the same time, the AFP service automatically comes up running. You do not need to stop the service before configuring it. You change these configuration options while the AFP service is running and configuration changes take effect immediately.
If you installed the VINES for Macintosh option after initial system startup, the AFP service comes up as stopped. You must start the AFP service before you configure it.
Note: If you did not purchase the VINES for Macintosh option, the service automatically is in a Stopped state when you install VINES software on your server. This state is normal.
You can configure the AFP service with the following options:
Enable or disable Macintosh guest login. Map DOS extensions to Macintosh icons. This allows users to easily share applications.
Mapping DOS Extensions to Macintosh Icons
VINES provides the networking capability to see, move, and use files among workstations that run different operating systems (DOS, OS/2, Macintosh, and Windows). Users can also share files created under different file systems if they:
Save the files in a format that is compatible between the file systems Save the files in the usual format and run them through a conversion utility
If users do not save files in the proper format or run an appropriate conversion utility on them, they will not be able to share them across different operating systems. The method chosen depends on the application used to create the file; not on VINES software. VINES software does not perform any translation.
Some applications provide versions for different file systems that perform the translating themselves. When users of these applications store their files under the proper format, they can open them for editing under another file system.
In most cases, users will need a translation utility - such as MacLink® Plus Translators - to share files across different file systems. Translation utilities strip and restore the appropriate codes for the applications and file systems.
Support for DOS-to-Macintosh Mapping
Some translation utilities map DOS extensions to Macintosh file icons created in the same application. The AFP service provides a DOS extension-to-Macintosh icon mapping feature. Mapping DOS extensions to Macintosh icons enables users to:
1. Create a file in the DOS version of an application.
2. Save the file and translate it if necessary.
3. Click on the file icon on a Macintosh desktop to open the file and launch its application.
The mapping feature works from DOS to Macintosh only, not from Macintosh to DOS. See "DOS Names for Macintosh Files" later in this chapter for more information.
After you create the mappings, refer your users to the VINES User's Guide for Macintosh for information on how to use the mappings.
Example Mapping DOS Extensions to Macintosh Icons
A DOS user creates the file MONTHLYR.DOC in Microsoft Word. In the AFP service configuration, you map the extension .DOC to the Macintosh icon. To share the file with a Macintosh user, the DOS user saves the file in the appropriate format for use on the Macintosh and stores it on a network file volume. Because you mapped the DOS extension to the Microsoft Word document icon, the document appears in a Macintosh folder as a Microsoft Word document. The Macintosh user can click on the document icon and open the application and document simultaneously.
A mapping consists of the application's definition and a three-character DOS extension. The application's definition includes these three components:
Application's name File Creator File Type
The AFP service provides definitions of several popular applications that are available for both Macintosh and DOS users. When you create mappings, you can select from the list of pre-defined applications or enter your own application definitions. You can also add your own application definitions to the pre-defined list. Whether you select from the list or not, you must always enter a one-, two-, or three-character DOS extension to create the mapping.
The File Creator and File Type of an application are assigned by Apple Computer, Inc. Before adding your own application definitions, use a Macintosh utility, such as DiskTop or ResEdit to gather this information.
Table 7-1 shows the rules for entering your own definitions.
When you enter your own definitions, base the number of characters you use for the application names on the number of mappings you need. If you limit the application names to 8 characters or less, you can define up to 44 mappings. If you use 32 characters for the application name, you can define up to 21 mappings.
Before you define mappings, fill out the Extension Mapping Worksheet in Figure 7-2.
To Access the Configure AFP Server Menu
1. From a PC on the network, either:
- Enter OPERATE servername, where servername is the name of the server whose AFP service you want to manage.
- Enter OPERATE. The Select A Server menu appears. Choose the server whose AFP service you want to manage.
The Operate A Server menu appears.
2. Choose SELECT a Service to operate. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
3. Choose the AFP service. The Control A Service menu for the AFP service appears.
4. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Configure AFP Server menu appears.
From the Configure AFP Server menu, you can:
Map DOS extensions to Macintosh icons. This allows users to easily share applications. Enable or disable Macintosh guest user login.
To Define a Mapping
1. From the Configure AFP Server menu, choose Define DOS Extension Mappings. The Define Extension Mappings menu appears.
2. Choose ADD mapping. The data entry screen appears.
3. Do one of the following:
- Enter information in the Application Name, File Creator, and File Type fields to create your own application definition.
- Press F2 to choose a pre-defined application. Highlight an application from the list and press ENTER. Table 7-2 lists the pre-defined applications.
4. Enter a one-, two-, or three-character DOS extension.
5. Press F10 to save the mapping. The system verifies the entries. If they pass, the Define Extension Mappings menu reappears and shows the addition. The system displays the DOS extension in upper case.
If you make a mistake in an entry, the system displays an error message and the cursor moves to the beginning of the field that contains the error. Correct the error and press F10 to save the mapping.
Maintaining the Pre-Defined List of Applications
In addition to the list of pre-defined applications, you can add your own pre-defined application to the pre-defined application list. To do so, you must have Write access to VINES Files. If you have Write access, the F4 key definition appears at the bottom of the Pre-Defined Applications screen.
When you add an application definition to the pre-defined applications list, you add it to the AFP service on one specific server - not to the network. To add entries to the AFP services on other servers, you must access the configuration menus for each AFP service on each server.
If you change the File Creator and File Type associated with a DOS extension, the system updates existing files that were originally created from DOS or OS/2 (FAT) workstations only. In addition, the system updates the File Creator and File Type when the files are next accessed from a Macintosh workstation, not immediately after you save the changes.
To Create a Pre-Defined Application
1. From the Configure AFP Server menu, choose Define DOS Extension Mappings. The Define Extension Mappings menu appears.
2. Choose ADD mapping. The data entry screen appears.
3. Press F2. The Pre-Defined Applications screen appears.
4. Press F4. The data entry screen for a new pre-defined application appears.
5. Enter information in the following fields:
- Application Name
- File Creator
- File Type
6. Press F10 to save the definition. The Pre-Defined Applications screen reappears and lists the new definition.
To Change a Mapping
1. From the Configure AFP Server menu, choose Define DOS Extension Mappings. The Define Extension Mappings menu appears.
2. Choose CHANGE mapping. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
3. Choose the mapping you want to change. The system displays a data entry screen with the current mapping.
4. Edit the application definition and press F10. The system verifies the changes.
- If the verification is successful, the system redisplays the Define Extension Mappings menu, which reflects your edits.
- If the system finds an error, you receive an error message and the cursor moves to the beginning of the field that contains the error. Correct the problem and press F10. The system verifies the corrections.
To Delete a Mapping
1. From the Configure AFP Server menu, choose Define DOS Extension Mappings. The Define Extension Mappings menu appears.
2. Choose DELETE mapping. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
3. Choose the mapping you want to delete. The system displays a confirmation screen:
- Choose YES to confirm the deletion.
- Choose NO to cancel the deletion.
The Define Extension Mappings menu reappears.
If a file is created from a Macintosh workstation, a DOS name is automatically created using Macintosh rules. For example, the Macintosh file MacEquipment would have the DOS name !MACEQUI.PME. AFP does not rename the extension - even if you configure AFP for icon/extension mapping.
To be able to read the names of Macintosh-created files from a DOS perspective, you should name Macintosh files with names that are legal in DOS and have the proper DOS extension for the application.
Enabling/Disabling Macintosh Guest Login
To allow Macintosh users who do not have a StreetTalk name to log in and mount network file volumes on their desktops, enable guest login. Guest login is supported under VINES in the same way that it is supported in AppleShare. You can enable and disable Macintosh Guest access while AFP is running. The change takes effect immediately for all future Macintosh users logging in to VINES.
You enable or disable guest login for individual servers - not for individual network file volumes.
By default, guest login is disabled. If you do not explicitly configure guest login, Macintosh users will not be able to log in as guest. The default setting is visible in the Manage A Service and Control A Service menus for the AFP service.
If you enable Macintosh guest login, check that you do not compromise your security. Restrict user access to the directories, files, and administrative tasks that you need to protect.
Caution: Enabling Macintosh guest login can pose a security risk to your network. Anyone logging in as guest from a Macintosh workstation has the same access rights as World to the directories and files on the network. For more information on access rights, see Managing VINES Security.
To Enable or Disable Guest Login
1. From the Configure AFP Server menu, choose Enable/Disable guest login. The Guest Login screen appears.
2. Do one of the following:
- Choose YES to change the status of guest login.
- Choose NO to cancel the change.
The Configure AFP Server menu reappears.
3. Press ESC to return to the Control A Service menu. The change is reflected in the guest login field in the lower part of the menu.
Troubleshooting the AFP Service
This section contains information about the AFP service that can assist you in troubleshooting AFP problems. Following each symptom is an explanation of what you can do or why the symptom occurred. For assistance with the AFP service's log messages, see Appendix C.
Receiving "Guest Login: Disabled" Message
If this message appears in the last line of a Control A Service menu for the AFP service, Macintosh users cannot log in as guest through the Chooser. If you deliberately disable guest login, you receive this message. In addition, if you do not configure guest login for the AFP service, the default, Disabled, is assumed.
Receiving "Guest Login: Configuration Unavailable" Message
If this message appears in the last line of a Control A Service menu for the AFP service, an error occurred during the lookup of the StreetTalk configuration record, and the configuration of guest login could not be retrieved. Network timeout is an example of a problem that might result in a "Configuration unavailable" message. The problem usually corrects itself automatically.
Server Not Visible on the Network After Changing AppleTalk Phases
To change AppleTalk phases, you must stop AppleTalk on the server. Any time you stop and restart AppleTalk, AFP recognizes the action. Even though you are not prompted to wait, you must allow AFP a five-minute period to resume communications after AppleTalk is started. You then see the server on the network.
After you stop and restart the AFP service, it takes approximately one minute before the service is fully operational again. If you stop and start AppleTalk, it can take up to five minutes before Macintosh users can see the server in their zones again. If users experience access problems and you stopped and restarted AppleTalk and/or AFP, they may not be waiting long enough after the restart.
Receiving "Connection Unexpectedly Lost" Message
Macintosh users see this message if the AFP service shuts down. Any data already on the server is preserved. Users should save the files that they have opened from their local drives to protect them. If a connection is unexpectedly lost, the file volume icon and any open folders disappear from the Macintosh desktop.
AFP Restarted But Not Available in All Zones
This problem can occur if AppleTalk is not available when AFP is restarted:
1. When AFP comes up, it tries to use the AppleTalk stack immediately. If AppleTalk is not running, AFP shuts down immediately. Every five minutes, AFP attempts a Name Binding Protocol (NBP) Register to check if AppleTalk is back.
The status of AFP remains Running at the server console or in the OPERATE or MSERVICE menus. However, users are not able to access file services on the server.
2. If AppleTalk is back but still initializing, AFP retries three times, waiting 30 seconds between retries. The delay gives AppleTalk time to initialize all the zones.
3. On the third attempt, AFP forces the NBP Register to occur in all initialized zones, regardless of whether all zones are initialized. Therefore, AFP is not available in all zones.
4. If the third attempt fails, AFP waits five minutes and repeats steps 2 and 3.
5. To resolve the situation, stop and restart the AFP service. To ensure that the AFP service is available in all zones, check that AppleTalk is running and that all zones are initialized properly before restarting AFP. If AFP has been restarted and is available only in a subset of zones, stop and restart AFP again.
Receiving "Incorrect Password" Message
Passwords are case sensitive. Macintosh users should check that the CAPS-LOCK key was not depressed when they entered their passwords. If the key was down, they should unlock it and try again.
If Macintosh users enter the correct password and receive this message, it may be that the server where their StreetTalk names are maintained is not available. The server may not be available for two reasons:
Server was taken off line. Intermediate connection is down (either AppleTalk or another server).
Check the status of the server and its AFP service. If the server and AFP are running, verify the connection between the workstation and the server.
After Macintosh Restart, User Cannot Mount VINES File Volumes
An AFP service can register in multiple AppleTalk zones. For example: server USCHI011 is registered in two zones - Easy Street and Heartbreak Hill. The user could log in to USCHI011 in either zone and mount the same file volumes.
AFP does not keep track of workstations by their user names. To prevent users from mounting the same file volumes from different zones at the same workstation, AFP keeps track of each Macintosh workstation by these identifiers:
Network number Node number Zone number Session number
Even if Macintosh users log in under different StreetTalk names, they cannot mount the same file volumes twice.
Macintosh users should always dismount file volumes to log out of them. If, however, Macintosh users must restart while logged in to file volumes, they can re-mount the same volumes from the same zone in which they originally mounted them. To mount the file volumes from different zones, users should wait approximately two minutes before attempting to log in and mount the file volumes.
If users do not wait long enough, AFP prevents them from mounting the same file volumes because AFP cannot detect that a Macintosh workstation was restarted. After two minutes, the AppleTalk Session Protocol (ASP) times out, and AFP terminates the original connection. Users can then remount the file volumes.
Server Name Not in List of AppleShare Servers
If a user cannot see a particular server in the AppleTalk zones in which it usually appears, use the OPERATE command to see if at least one file service is running on that server. If no file services are running on the server, AFP automatically removes the server name from the AppleTalk network and users no longer see it in the Chooser desk accessory.
To resolve the problem, restart at least one file service. AFP will reinstate the server name on the AppleTalk network. Users see the server in the Chooser within 15 to 20 seconds, depending on network activity.
When transferring files to a server from a local Macintosh drive, users may notice that the size of a file on the server is larger than that of the same file on the local drive. There is nothing wrong with the file. This inconsistency appears when a server disk is too large for the Macintosh software to handle. The Macintosh software performs a calculation to obtain the size of a file. When a disk is too large, this calculation is inaccurate and results in this size inconsistency.
