AppleTalk

AppleTalk is a discontinued <a href="/facts/Proprietary_protocol/o902Cmmh">proprietary</a> <a href="/facts/Protocol_stack/Btj9FtwJ">suite of networking protocols</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Apple_Computer/oTJYta3k">Apple Computer</a> for their <a href="/facts/Macintosh/8GhnXTK0">Macintosh computers</a>. AppleTalk includes a number of features that allow <a href="/facts/Local_area_network/edUDxJ6J">local area networks</a> to be connected with no prior setup or the need for a centralized router or server of any sort. Connected AppleTalk-equipped systems automatically assign addresses, update the distributed namespace, and configure any required inter-networking routing.
AppleTalk was released in 1985 and was the primary protocol used by Apple devices through the 1980s and 1990s. Versions were also released for the <a href="/facts/IBM_PC/yhcJGMPL">IBM PC</a> and compatibles and the <a href="/facts/Apple_IIGS/IXyL2fd4">Apple IIGS</a>. AppleTalk support was also available in most networked printers (especially <a href="/facts/Laser_printer/fJ2GrUBj">laser printers</a>), some <a href="/facts/File_server/4SFrAdHY">file servers</a>, and a number of <a href="/facts/Router_(computing)/Nh5cIyVf">routers</a>.
The rise of <a href="/facts/TCP%2fIP/KNkxtSpw">TCP/IP</a> during the 1990s led to a reimplementation of most of these types of support on that protocol, and AppleTalk became unsupported as of the release of <a href="/facts/Mac_OS_X_v10.6/GGNogRTe">Mac OS X v10.6</a> in 2009. Many of AppleTalk's more advanced autoconfiguration features have since been introduced in <a href="/facts/Bonjour_(software)/gFBhvEtj">Bonjour</a>, while <a href="/facts/Universal_Plug_and_Play/nrUmlpGr">Universal Plug and Play</a> serves similar needs.

AppleTalk open-in-new

AppleTalk