Networking Mac IIvx to PowerPC G3?

[printboy63]

Hello fellow Mac-ers...
I have a IIvx (180 MB) that I've been using just for accounting and such. Drive is acting up so nows the time to back-up. It's not online, and the only disks it takes are the old 3.5" floppys. It has AppleTalk connector boxes with a phone line between it and my laser printer.
I also have a PowerPC G3 which has a CD drive but on floppy drive and it has USB for connectors.
I need to get this drive backed-up onto my PowerPC G3, or at least connect the two and burn the entire IIvx drive onto a CD.
Can this be done with just a phone line connection using AppleTalk/AppleShare or do I need to use the little boxes. I can't plug one side (box) into the G3, so will it work without these "converter boxes"????
Hope this makes sense and thanks for the help!!!
-Kevin

 

[Makosuke]

Ahh, the old IIvx--I believe I had one of those at work when I first started. Hypothetically you could get a phone-wire-based LocalTalk network going between them, but there's probably an easier way.

First, what exact model of G3 do you have? Early ones, I believe, have a SCSI bus available inside, which would mean that you could take the hard drive out of the IIvx, hook it to the SCSI connector in the G3, and just copy the files directly off of it. That would be DRASTICALLY faster than any other method, not to mention MUCH easier since you won't need to get a network set up (which is a lot harder with hardware and software of that vintage), and you shouldn't need to buy anything since you can use the SCSI cable from the IIvx.

If that doesn't work, the IIvx doesn't have an AAUI port, but an alternative would be to buy a NuBus Ethernet card (looks like you can find one for about $10-20 easily enough, though make sure it has a 10Base-T connector on it, rather than just a 10Base-2) and use that to connect to the G3's Ethernet port, which will be a whole heck of a lot faster than LocalTalk.

Post more info and if you want to try it I or someone else should be able to walk you through the necessary steps.

 

[pooky]

If you go with the nubus card, just remember you need a switch in between the two computers, or you need to use a crossover type cable.