Switching Locations
This next section covers a tool called Network Location from <a href="http://networklocationapp.com/">http://networklocationapp.com/</a> to help automate the switching of locations.
You can always open the System Preferences, Network and change the configured locations. But I use a piece of software call Network Location to provide me with a menu list from the Tool Bar of OSX.
Network Location and Automatic Switching
This section looks at putting atool into the menubar to quickly switch between locations.
Open Network Location and select the + icon to add a new Location
Type in the Title of your new location
With the new location selected, go to the right side and press the + icon
Select Change the System Location.
And select the Network Location that we created earlier. The Open Network Preferences button will take you directly to the System Preferences if you have forgotten the name
I have set the Network Location, turned of my wireless (since having two network adapters active isn’t very helpful when testing), and turned the volume off (after all, it’s a lab and you should be studying, right ?
And now on the menu bar I have a menu option that will switch to my LabLoc network profile that I created earlier. So I can very quickly switch between the different ethernet interface configurations that I put together.
There are other products that also provide Network Location switching. <a href="http://www.symonds.id.au/marcopolo/">Marco Polo</a>is a freeware tool that worked OK but I had some unusual problems and moved to a commercial product when I realised how useful this was. There is also<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/locationmanager/">LocationX</a> and <a href="http://?www?.45rpm?soft?ware?.com/?4?5?R?P?M?/?L?o?c?a?matic.html">Locamatic</a> (Donationware) but I personally have not used these products.
Wrapup
Network Location can do a lot more than just switch between Network Locations but you can work those out for yourself.
When I am testing a new network I can have tem or more different network locations. Wehn I am working at muliple sites, with different customers, the network configurations can be complicated with proxy settings. This procedure is hopefully more helpful and useful.
