Search DominoPower's 11,437 Lotus-related article archive 
Home
EasyPrint
News details Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Articles-only Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Twitter Feed Click here for the Twitter feed.
PRODUCT REVIEW
NetSwitcher makes network-hopping easy
By Mick Moignard

We Notes people have always used Locations to tell Notes where we are. You know what that means. You tell Notes once about a location setup, apply it whenever you need it, and it works great. I can arrive at a hotel and have dial-up connection to my Notes home server working almost as fast as I can get the phone plug out of the wall. But networking setups on PCs were never that simple.

"I rate it as the best nine bucks I've ever spent on software."

In my work as a Notes consultant in the UK and Europe, I wanted to be able to connect my laptop to customer networks and to my Ethernet at home, as well as to my employer's Token Ring network. But to do that means, at the very least, remembering whether to use a fixed Internet Protocol address or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), the addresses of gateways and Domain Name Servers, and Internet proxy server settings - for each location. It also means about ten to fifteen minutes tinkering work and a reboot.

Then I heard about NetSwitcher, a nine dollar piece of shareware from http://www.netswitcher.com. I downloaded it and tried it out. It's so good, I paid for it about ten minutes later. Even the ordering and payment process was completely painless, as was following the instructions for installing the license ID after payment. Since paying for it, I have downloaded a couple of revisions, and it gets better.

This tool is like Locations for networks. After using it at Lotusphere to get me onto the house network in about a minute, I felt I had to share my experiences with this program with all you DominoPower readers. I rate it as the best nine bucks I've ever spent on software.

While NetSwitcher will make your Notes life easier, it's a general purpose network utility. No matter how you use networking on the go, NetSwitcher can make your day go more smoothly.

So what's the deal?
When you install it, you get two things. First you get the main NetSwitcher program. I'll tell you more about that in a moment. Second, you also get an optional System Tray icon. This enables you to do network location switches, as well as to run the full NetSwitcher program. Figure A shows what this little icon will do.

FIGURE A


The System Tray tells you the name of the current setup and gives you your options. Roll over picture for a larger image.

First, it tells you the name of the current setup. Then you get an option to run the full NetSwitcher program, followed by a list of other setups. In the above example, my Lotusphere 2001 setup is highlighted.


1  ·  2  ·  3  ·  Next »
Other articles you might like
Home > Reviews and previews (86 articles)
   Managing Notes deployments with Teamstudio Build Manager
   Using Balsamiq Mockups to create low-fidelity prototypes
   Exploring VMWare Workstation
Home > Mobile Technology (32 articles)
   Troubleshooting Lotus Notes Traveler: the basics
   How Holt CAT mobilizes Notes throughout the enterprise
   Interesting new solution for making Notes Mail mobile
Get Weekly Email Updates
Subscribe to our regular weekly email newsletter. It's packed with tips, reviews, deep analysis, and the latest news.
 
Recent DominoPower Articles
Application development, William Shatner, and the origin of the universe
Learn Domino Designer 8.5 for free
The (near) future of Sametime, Quickr, Connections, and Symphony
Inside the IBM Innovations lab
Lotusphere 2010: Hot fixes and cool news for Notes, Domino, and LotusLive
Lotusphere 2010: mobility and collaboration
2010: A Lotusphere of change
Latest Lotus Headlines
SNTT : XPages onclick Ghosts in the machine
Ports used by Lotus Sametime 8.5 servers
Exploring a Domino Date Bug
Adding Quick Highlighter support to IBM Lotus Notes Domino Wiki, Weblog, or Webpage
Remember Young Admins...there are 2 files
WebSphere Portal 6.1.0.2 and Lotus Domino 8.5
The CKEditor - with Domino
>> Read all the news
More from the ZATZ journals
Computing Unplugged: The iPad defenders have spoken
David Gewirtz Online: CNN commentary and analysis
OutlookPower: More about disappearing text
-- Advertisement --

Find unused Lotus Notes groups and clean up your address book
Have you ever wanted to get rid of old Lotus Notes groups that were cluttering up your address book, but you weren't sure if they were used? Find Unused Groups can help.

Find Unused Groups will check your ACL, mail, multi purpose and server groups to help you determine if they are used, and who uses them.

Learn how to easily clean up your address book.

-- Advertisement --

Mark your calendar for in-depth Lotus training, May 12-14, Boston
Join experts and peers May 12-14 in Boston for educational and networking events that deliver real-world Lotus training so you can increase productivity and efficiency in your company, advance your skills, and squeeze the most from your current environment. One registration gets you into THE VIEW's Admin2010 and Lotus Developer2010.

Register by April 10 to save $200.
ZATZ Home  ·  News  ·  Back Issues  ·  Credits/Trademarks ·  Link To Us
Copyright © 1998-2010, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide.
Editor's Login