Fred McKenzie aol.com> wrote:

AppleTalk and IP are independent protocols with different addressing
schemes. In network protocols terms, they use different Ethernet frame
formats, so a router which looks specifically for IP (and related
protocols) would ignore and discard AppleTalk packets. A simple "layer 2
bridge" should correctly forward AppleTalk along with IP.

AppleTalk generally uses self-assigned addresses, but you can manually
configure them with some devices. On LocalTalk, only an 8-bit node
address is used. On EtherTalk (or AppleTalk over Airport), a 16-bit
network and 8-bit node are used, for an effective 24-bit address.

If you are familiar with the concept of 169.254 self-assigned addresses
in TCP/IP (used in the absence of a DHCP server; sometimes called APIPA
- Automatic Private IP Addressing), then AppleTalk operates on the same
basic principle.

An AppleTalk station remembers its last used address and when it wakes
up it does a broadcast to check if anyone is using that address. If
someone else is using it, the station randomly generates a new address
and tries that one instead. Rinse and repeat until a unique address is
found.

It shouldn't be any different. I've set up a couple of Time Capsules for
other people but never tried to use AppleTalk with one so don't know if
your problem is widespread or something specfic to how your Time Capsule
is configured.

AppleTalk certainly works fine on my Airport Extremes and Airport
Expresses (both G and N models of both).

On my Airport Extreme I have it going from either Ethernet LAN or
wireless clients to the WAN port, which goes through to my main network
switch. My AppleTalk printer is connected to that (HP LaserJet 6MP with
JetDirect EX).

My Airport Extreme is configured to operate in bridge mode. This
effectively puts the WAN port onto the same network as the LAN and
wireless, and the Airport Extreme is operating as a layer 2 bridge.

If you had the Time Capsule configured to act as a DHCP server and/or
use NAT, then its WAN port is a separate network, and it wouldn't
surprise me if it won't forward AppleTalk packets between LAN (or
wireless) and WAN, but this shouldn't affect its ability to forward
AppleTalk between wireless and/or LAN ports (which is still just a layer
2 bridge).