ClassicStack

ClassicStack is an AppleTalk router and classic LAN services stack that bridges legacy Macintosh networking into modern environments.

What it does

• AppleTalk Phase 2 routing across EtherTalk and LocalTalk transports.
• AFP file server over both classic DDP and modern TCP transports.
• MacIP gateway for IP-over-AppleTalk clients.
• Optional IPX, NetBEUI, NetBIOS, and SMB1 services (build-tag gated).
• Shared raw-link bridge settings for EtherTalk, MacIP, IPX, and NetBEUI.

Build

Requirements:

• Go 1.23+
• Npcap on Windows for pcap mode: https://npcap.com/#download
• libpcap on Linux/macOS for pcap mode

Build default binary (all optional protocol hooks enabled):

go build -tags all -o classicstack ./cmd/classicstack

Build with a custom protocol tag set:

go build -tags "ipx netbeui netbios smb" -o classicstack ./cmd/classicstack

or:

go build -tags all -o classicstack ./cmd/classicstack

Build router-only variant (no optional build-tag services):

go build -o classicstack ./cmd/classicstack

Run tests:

go test ./...

Quick start

1. Copy server.toml.example to server.toml.
2. Edit bridge/device/network values.
3. Run with no flags (auto-loads server.toml) or pass -config.

Examples:

./classicstack -config server.toml

.\classicstack.exe -config server.toml

Config loading rules:

• -config cannot be combined with other flags.
• When no flags are passed, server.toml is loaded automatically if present.

Shared bridge model

Bridge defaults live in [Bridge] and are reused by EtherTalk, MacIP, IPX, and NetBEUI.

Key	Type	Default	Description
mode	string	pcap	Raw-link backend: pcap, tap, tun.
device	string	(empty)	Interface/device name used by shared raw-link consumers.
hw_address	string	DE:AD:BE:EF:CA:FE	Shared host MAC identity.
bridge_mode	string	auto	Frame adaptation mode: auto, ethernet, wifi.

Important: legacy bridge keys under [EtherTalk] are no longer accepted in config files. Use [Bridge] only.

Per-protocol pcap filter overrides:

• [EtherTalk].filter
• [MacIP].filter
• [IPX].filter
• [NetBEUI].filter

These filters apply only in pcap mode.

Transport and service sections

[LToUdp]

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	true	Enables LocalTalk-over-UDP port.
interface	0.0.0.0	Local IPv4 bind/join interface.
seed_network	1	Seed network ID for this segment.
seed_zone	LToUDP Network	Seed zone name.

[TashTalk]

Key	Default	Notes
port	(empty)	Serial device path/name; empty disables.
seed_network	2	Seed network ID for this segment.
seed_zone	TashTalk Network	Seed zone name.

[EtherTalk]

Key	Default	Notes
bridge_host_mac	(empty)	Optional host adapter MAC for wifi bridge shim.
filter	(protocol default)	Optional BPF override in pcap mode.
seed_network_min	3	Seed network range start.
seed_network_max	5	Seed network range end.
seed_zone	EtherTalk Network	Seed zone name.

[MacIP]

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	false	Enables MacIP gateway.
mode	pcap	pcap or nat.
zone	(empty)	Registration zone override.
nat_subnet	192.168.100.0/24	Subnet/pool for NAT mode.
nat_gw	(empty)	Gateway address advertised in NAT mode.
lease_file	(empty)	Optional lease persistence file.
ip_gateway	(empty)	Upstream gateway address.
dhcp_relay	false	Translate/relay DHCP for clients.
nameserver	(empty)	DNS server for clients.
filter	(protocol default)	Optional BPF override in pcap mode.

[IPX]

IPX is optional and requires build tag ipx or all.

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	false	Enables IPX router services.
interface	(empty)	Raw-link interface; empty reuses bridge device.
framing	ethernet_ii	One of ethernet_ii, raw_802_3, llc, snap.
internal_network	(empty)	8 hex digits; empty falls back to default network.
filter	ipx (internal default)	Optional BPF override in pcap mode.

[NetBEUI]

NetBEUI is optional and requires build tag netbeui or all.

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	false	Enables NetBEUI raw-link port.
interface	(empty)	Raw-link interface; empty reuses bridge device.
filter	llc (internal default)	Optional BPF override in pcap mode.

[NetBIOS]

NetBIOS is optional and requires build tag netbios or all.

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	false	Enables NetBIOS service.
transports	["tcp"]	Allowed values: tcp, netbeui, ipx.
scope_id	(empty)	Optional NetBIOS scope ID.

NetBIOS server/workgroup identity is derived from SMB server/workgroup values.

[SMB]

SMB is optional and requires build tag smb or all.

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	false	Enables SMB server.
nbt_binding	:139	NetBIOS-over-TCP listener.
direct_binding	(empty)	Optional direct SMB listener (for example :445).
guest_ok	false	Allows guest sessions.
server_name	CLASSICSTACK	Computer/server name.
workgroup	WORKGROUP	Workgroup/domain label.

SMB shares are configured as [SMB.Volumes.] sections.

Example:

[SMB]
enabled = true
nbt_binding = ":139"
guest_ok = true
server_name = "CLASSICSTACK"
workgroup = "WORKGROUP"

[SMB.Volumes.Public]
name = "Public"
path = "./public"
fs_type = "local_fs"
read_only = false

[AFP]

AFP runs over ddp, tcp, or both.

Key	Default	Notes
enabled	true	Enables AFP service.
name	ClassicStack (example)	Advertised AFP server name.
zone	(empty)	Registration zone override.
protocols	ddp,tcp	AFP transports.
binding	:548	DSI listener.
extension_map	(empty)	Extension map file path.
cnid_backend	sqlite	sqlite or memory.
use_decomposed_names	true	Reserved-character mapping behavior.
appledouble_mode	modern	modern or legacy sidecar layout.

AFP volumes are configured as [AFP.Volumes.] sections.

Logging and capture

[Logging]:

• level: debug, info, warn
• parse_packets: protocol decode logging
• parse_output: file target for parsed logs
• log_traffic: raw traffic logging

[Capture]:

• localtalk, ethertalk, ipx capture output paths
• snaplen for capture truncation length

Useful commands

List pcap devices:

.\classicstack.exe -list-pcap-devices

Print version:

./classicstack -version

Status and attribution

Warning: this project is pragmatic and evolving. Validate behavior in your environment before production use.

AppleTalk routing was originally inspired by tashrouter: https://github.com/lampmerchant/tashrouter

License

GPL-3.0.

Additional docs

• High-level runtime map: ARCHITECTURE.md
• Protocol notes: spec