Chapter 1. Introduction

Table of Contents

Legal Notice
Overview of Netatalk

Legal Notice

The Netatalk software package as well as this documentation are distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. A copy of the license is included in this documentation, as well as within the Netatalk source distribution. An on-line copy can be found at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt

Overview of Netatalk

Netatalk is an Open Source software package that can be used to turn a *NIX machine into an extremely light-weight and versatile file server for Macintosh computers. It speaks both AFP over TCP as well as the legacy AppleTalk protocol, which means it can act as a bridge between older Macs, networked Apple IIs, and the very latest macOS systems.

Netatalk is AFP 3.3 compliant with AFP 2 backwards compatibility. Its file server offers high transmission speeds and full support for Macintosh metadata (resource forks), while offering a wide range of authentication methods to accommodate any deployment environment.

The included print server daemon can provide Apple II and Macintosh clients with the ability to print to AppleTalk-only printers. In addition, Netatalk is fully integrated with CUPS, allowing any networked Mac to discover and print to a CUPS/AirPrint compatible printer on the network.

Additionally, Netatalk can be used to act as an AppleTalk router, providing both segmentation and zone names in traditional Macintosh networks.