It'd be handy to know a bit more about your Netatalk setup (maybe post relevant parts of the config files: atalkd.conf and AppleVolumes,default would be good).

Did you re-compile the kernel with the AppleTalk protocol installed ("options NETATALK")?

Any weird and wonderful errors being logged to /var/log/messages when you start up the Netatalk daemons?

It's been a while since I fiddled with Netatalk, since once you get it set up "it just goes" and you can sort of forget about it.