MoofPort: An Open-Source WiFi Ethernet Driver for the Wi-Fi on Classic Mac

An open-source Ethernet driver for the BlueSCSI v2 Wi-Fi on a Mac Classic running System 6.0.8.

The MoofPort 1.0 folder, as it comes out of the archive.

MoofPort is a replacement .ENET0 Ethernet driver for the BlueSCSI v2's Wi-Fi (DaynaPORT emulation) on a Macintosh Classic with System 6.0.8. It works with MacTCP 2.1 and with EtherTalk / AppleShare, at the same time, the way the driver you have now does.

It is a drop-in replacement for the .ENET0 driver from DaynaPORT SCSI/Link 1.2.5. You run an installer, restart, and your Mac is on Wi-Fi again, with the same MacTCP and AppleTalk settings. If you ever want to go back, one click on Uninstall puts DaynaPORT's driver back exactly as it was.

Why do anything on a 35+ year old computer? :)

For years the vintage DaynaPORT SCSI/Link driver has been the way to get a vintage Macintosh onto Wi-Fi with a BlueSCSI. It did that job well, and everyone who has a Mac Classic on a network owes it thanks. BlueSCSI's Wi-Fi emulation speaks DaynaPORT's protocol precisely so that this driver works.

But that driver is a closed piece of software that is long out of support, and it is not going to change. That has a cost:

MoofPort keeps what worked: the same .ENET0 interface, so MacTCP and AppleTalk cannot tell the difference, and the same small memory footprint (within 1 KB of DaynaPORT's). It adds source code you can read, tests, and somebody to fix it.

Drop-in .ENET0 driver for MacTCP 2.1 and EtherTalk / AppleShare, at the same time.

Faster receiving than DaynaPORT 1.2.5, and level on sending and latency (see Performance).

Installs on a System with no DaynaPORT software. If DaynaPORT is installed, it is kept for Uninstall.

One-click Install, Update and Uninstall (MoofPortInstall). Uninstall restores DaynaPORT's driver byte for byte.

Small: about 17,500 bytes resident, within 1 KB of DaynaPORT's 16,554.

Uses newer BlueSCSI firmware's several-packets-per-command READ and WRITE when it is there, and works with older firmware one packet at a time.

MoofStat shows the driver's counters; MoofTune changes its timing until the next restart.

Open source (MIT), with host unit tests and emulator tests.

Requirements

A Macintosh Classic, Plus or SE (a 68000 Mac with the same SCSI chip) with System 6.0.8.

A BlueSCSI v2 with the Wi-Fi DaynaPORT feature. The BlueSCSI must connect to your Wi-Fi network.

BlueSCSI firmware v2026.01 or later is recommended. This firmware can send several packets in one SCSI command. Older firmware also operates, with one packet in each command.

MacTCP 2.1, AppleTalk with EtherTalk, or both.

DaynaPORT software is not necessary. If DaynaPORT SCSI/Link is installed, MoofPort replaces its driver in the System file. MoofPort keeps the DaynaPORT driver for Uninstall.

System memory: MoofPort uses 17,528 bytes. The DaynaPORT driver uses 16,554 bytes.

EtherTalk without DaynaPORT disks

MoofPort supplies the .ENET0 driver that EtherTalk uses. EtherTalk does not need the DaynaPORT disks. You must have Apple's AppleTalk Phase 2 with EtherTalk. The System 6.0.8 disks do not include it.

To install AppleTalk and EtherTalk from Apple's Network Software Installer 1.4.5:

NOTE: Easy Install installs AppleTalk without EtherTalk. Use Customize.

NOTE: The DaynaPORT disk is a different source. Click Custom Install and select "AppleTalk v58.0.0 for System 6".

This setup was tested in the Snow emulator on a clean System 6.0.8 with no DaynaPORT software (AppleTalk 58.1.4, EtherTalk 2.5.6). AppleTalk opened MoofPort at start-up, and MacTCP operated. An AppleShare volume was not tested on this setup. The AppleShare copies under Performance used the AppleTalk and EtherTalk from the DaynaPORT disk.

The release has three files. Each file contains the same four items: MoofPortInstall, MoofStat, MoofTune and Read Me. Download one file:

MoofPort-1.0.sha256 contains the SHA-256 checksums of the three files. To examine a download on another computer, use sha256sum -c MoofPort-1.0.sha256.

Make a new folder on the hard disk, for example "MoofPort".

Put the release file into this folder.

Open the release file with StuffIt Expander or StuffIt Lite.

Expand the files into the "MoofPort" folder.

NOTE: The .sit.hqx file is a BinHex file that contains the .sit file. StuffIt Expander and StuffIt Lite decode the BinHex and then expand the archive. If you get only the .sit file, expand it too.

NOTE: StuffIt 1.5.1 also operates on System 6. Use Decode BinHex File in its Other menu to get the .sit file. Then open the .sit file and extract the four files.

The folder then contains MoofPortInstall, MoofStat, MoofTune and Read Me.

Insert the floppy disk, or connect the disk image of the floppy emulator. The disk "MoofPort" shows on the desktop.

Make a new folder on the hard disk, for example "MoofPort".

Drag the four files from the disk "MoofPort" into this folder.

Eject the disk.

NOTE: The .dsk file is a raw 800K HFS image with no Disk Copy header. Disk Copy 4.2 cannot open it directly. Floppy emulators and Mac emulators (for example Mini vMac and Snow) open it as a floppy disk.

CAUTION: Make a backup copy of the hard disk image before you install MoofPort. If the Mac does not start after the installation, the backup is the sure way back.

On a different computer, make a copy of the hard disk image file on the SD card.

Type a name for this run, for example the name of the Mac.

NOTE: MoofPortInstall puts this name in the name of its result file, Installer-<name>.out.

NOTE: Cancel is the default button. MoofPortInstall changes nothing until you click Install.

If DaynaPORT is installed, MoofPortInstall keeps its driver for Uninstall.

On a clean System with no DaynaPORT, MoofPortInstall installs MoofPort the same way.

MoofPortInstall writes the file Installer-<name>.out next to itself. This file records the changes.

For MacTCP, select the Ethernet icon in the MacTCP control panel. MoofPort shows as "Ethernet Built-In". If you use EtherTalk, keep EtherTalk selected in the Network control panel.

MacTCP 2.1 and EtherTalk both use MoofPort.

Use this procedure if MoofPort 1.0b1 or a different older MoofPort is installed. MoofPortInstall then shows Update.

Open MoofPortInstall.

Type a name for this run.

Click OK.

Click Uninstall.

When MoofPortInstall shows the result, click OK.

Restart the Mac.

MoofPortInstall puts the DaynaPORT driver back exactly as it was before the installation.

CAUTION: If you installed MoofPort on a System without DaynaPORT, MoofPortInstall has no driver to put back. After Uninstall, the Mac has no Ethernet driver.

Measured on a real Mac Classic (8 MHz 68000, 4 MB, System 6.0.8, MacTCP 2.1), 2026-11-10, in one session. DaynaPORT 1.2.5 and MoofPort 1.0 alternated in blocks (MoofPort, DaynaPORT, MoofPort, DaynaPORT), with the drivers switched unattended, so both saw the same Wi-Fi conditions. Times are measured on the PC, not by the Mac's clock; figures are medians. How it was measured is described in TESTING_METHODOLOGY.md.

Receiving and file sharing are faster; sending and latency are level with DaynaPORT.

Occasional Wi-Fi packet loss: now and then a packet is lost on the BlueSCSI's Wi-Fi link (about 1-2% of full-size packets in tests, varying with radio conditions). MacTCP sends it again after about a second, so a large transfer can pause briefly. DaynaPORT is affected equally on the same hardware.

If you hold Shift at start-up, MoofPort stays active. MoofPort is in the System file, not in an extension.

Testing methodology

See TESTING_METHODOLOGY.md.

MoofStat and MoofTune are described in TOOLS.md.

The build uses Retro68 in Docker, and the portable core has host tests:

scripts/build-mac.sh MoofPortInstall # also MoofTune, MoofStat cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build && ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure scripts/release.sh --force 1.0 # dist/MoofPort-1.0.{dsk,sit,sit.hqx,sha256}, verified

release.sh also needs hfsutils, macutils, unar, gcc and Python 3.

CLAUDE.md lists all the commands. The release files (.dsk, .sit, .sit.hqx) are built by scripts/release.sh; docs/dev/RELEASE.md describes them.

Do I need DaynaPORT installed? No. MoofPort installs on a System with no DaynaPORT software. If DaynaPORT is installed, MoofPortInstall keeps its driver for Uninstall.

Do I need the DaynaPORT disks for EtherTalk and AppleShare? No. MoofPort supplies the .ENET0 driver that EtherTalk uses. Apple's Network Software Installer 1.4.5 is one source of AppleTalk and EtherTalk. Use Customize, not Easy Install. See "EtherTalk without DaynaPORT disks" under Requirements for the procedure and for what was tested.

Does AppleShare work? Yes, with EtherTalk, together with MacTCP. See Requirements for where to get EtherTalk.

Which BlueSCSI firmware do I need? Firmware v2026.01 or later is recommended. This firmware can send several packets in one SCSI command. Older firmware also operates, with one packet in each command.

Which file do I download? Use MoofPort-1.0.sit.hqx if you are not sure. See Download.

The Mac stops or shows a bomb at start-up.

The Mac starts, but the network does not operate correctly.

The Mac starts without the BlueSCSI. The Mac starts normally. MacTCP and AppleTalk then show that the driver is not available.

Why is a large transfer sometimes slow? This is the occasional Wi-Fi packet loss (see Known issues). The DaynaPORT driver has the same loss on the same hardware.

More bake-in testing on real hardware.

Sending with several packets queued: find the occasional slow turnaround. The typical gap is shorter than DaynaPORT's, but the average is only level.

Echo latency: try the steady setting's handling of echo-sized replies, which matched DaynaPORT.

Direct access to the Classic's NCR 5380 SCSI chip, bypassing the SCSI Manager (high risk if the boot disk shares the bus, as typical on BlueSCSI).

Wi-Fi frame loss: find which radio hop loses frames with a 2.4 GHz monitor-mode capture. Needs different wifi hardware.

MoofStat: print the driver version.

Review the BlueSCSI codebase for chances of tighter integration.

Publish the unattended test harness (driver switching, testnet stall logging) into the main branch. (Stay tuned for MoofAgent)

See Also

MoofTCP - A modern, memory-lean replacement for MacTCP on 68k Macs running System 6

Credits and license

Retro68 for the 68k cross-compiler.

Snow for the Mac emulator the tests run in.

BlueSCSI and DaynaPORT for the network hardware this was built around.

Claude Code was used to develop this project, with human planning and testing.

MoofPort is not affiliated with Apple, Dayna Communications or BlueSCSI. No Apple or DaynaPORT code is included.