Yes, MayaBase XP Laptop Switcher is real freeware. There are no hidden costs and no trial period. You can use it as long as you like and on as many laptops as you like.
Yes, You can switch configurations as often as you like.
Yes, You need to setup your hostfile in two configurations. The office-configuration would look something like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost
192.168.0.1 mail.office.local mail.office.com
The outside-configuration would be:
127.0.0.1 localhost
254.212.2.2 mail.office.com mail.office.local
replace 254.212.2.2 in the example above with the IP of your company internetaddress
From now on you could connect by using one of the two servernames. You could do the same with every service your company provides in both worlds.
The current version of switcher does not check dependencies. If one service depends on another you will have to start the service others depend on first. When stopping services you will have to do it the other way around. In future versions Switcher will check these dependencies for you.
Yes, as long as these computers run XP there will be no problem at all. It can be very usefull to have a special configuration for making backups. In this configuration you could stop all processes that use data you want to include in your backup (SQL servers and so on) and all processes that slow down the backup. You could also create (SQL)backups of other databaseservers in your office or copy files into your backuptree. To do this you can run batchfiles you've created to execute these tasks.
It would look something like this:
Desktop section
- A clearly different background so you wont forget you are working in backupmode
- Volume to maximum so you will have a load notice whenever something goes wrong during the backup.
Stop Services section
- the SQL server(s) (mysqld, MSSqlServer)
- webserver, ftp-server ...
Run section
- mysqldump command to make a backup from a remote server.
- Copy command to copy remote files to the computer which will create the backup
- the backup-program itself
No, just create one configuration to start the services and on to stop them. Uncheck all checkboxes for these configurations in the main screen but the services box. Run the configuration to save the checkbox-state. The next time you run one of these configurations onle the services will be set.
Switcher enables and disables the device, not the networksettings. This is the only safe way to disable any networkcard. Enable all networkcards in the networksettings and let Switcher disable and enable them. You can see what Switcher does in your hardwaresettings.
Switcher doesn't supply these features but it can be helpfull.
You will need a SSH-server at work to do this in a secure way. You could use OpenSSH, a free SSH-server available for Windows. You can get it here. Install and run it. There is a QuickStart file in the applications docs folder (normally c:\Program Files\OpenSsh\docs).
Install a SSH client that allows tunneling. The best (and free) solution is Putty. You can download Putty here.
XP users with Service Pack 2 installed need to install a patch from Microsoft on the client. You can get that here. Select the language of your OS first. Otherwise it wont install.
Next you will need to uninstall file and printersharing on your laptop. Got to the settings of one of your network interface cards, select "File and Printer Sharing" and uninstall it. Unchecking it will not do. You might expect that the service wouldn't be available when unchecked but that is not the case.
Add a configuration to putty ans set the IP and port settings. Select the option Tunnels and add the following:
- in the field Source port: 127.0.0.2:139 - in the field Destination: internal server ip:139 (example: 192.168.0.1:139) - Click the Add button - Save the configuration
Now you can run and test the configuration. Start Explorer and enter \\127.0.0.2 in the addressbar and press Enter. You should be able to see the shares on your remote server. In this way you can also tunnel other services like Intranet-websites, email and others.
Everything works. Now you can setup Switcher to start this stuff automacally:
- in the Files section enter a line like:
127.0.0.2 SERVER
Now you can use \\SERVER instead of \\127.0.0.2 in your Explorerbar. Make sure you set it back to the correct IP in the configuration you will use at work. Don't invent a name for the server. Use the correct one. It wont work with another name. In that case your server will end up in the Web Client Network section.
- int the Run section locate and add the programm putty.exe. You can use the options -load ConfigName and -pw Password to start your tunnel on startup.
This way of tunneling is also an ideal way of connecting to your email in a secure way. If everyone connects in this way you wont need an outside mailservice anymore.
You will need a SSH-server at work to do this in a secure way. You could use OpenSSH, a free SSH-server available for Windows. You can get it here. Install and run it. There is a QuickStart file in the applications docs folder (normally c:\Program Files\OpenSsh\docs).
Install a SSH client that allows tunneling. The best (and free) solution is Putty. You can download Putty here.
XP users with Service Pack 2 installed need to install a patch from Microsoft on the client. You can get that here. Select the language of your OS first. Otherwise it wont install.
Next you will need to uninstall file and printersharing on your laptop. Got to the settings of one of your network interface cards, select "File and Printer Sharing" and uninstall it. Unchecking it will not do. You might expect that the service wouldn't be available when unchecked but that is not the case.
Add a configuration to putty ans set the IP and port settings. Select the option Tunnels and add the following:
- in the field Source port: 127.0.0.2:139 - in the field Destination: internal server ip:139 (example: 192.168.0.1:139) - Click the Add button - Save the configuration
Now you can run and test the configuration. Start Explorer and enter \\127.0.0.2 in the addressbar and press Enter. You should be able to see the shares on your remote server. In this way you can also tunnel other services like Intranet-websites, email and others.
Everything works. Now you can setup Switcher to start this stuff automacally:
- in the Files section enter a line like:
127.0.0.2 SERVER
Now you can use \\SERVER instead of \\127.0.0.2 in your Explorerbar. Make sure you set it back to the correct IP in the configuration you will use at work. Don't invent a name for the server. Use the correct one. It wont work with another name. In that case your server will end up in the Web Client Network section.
- int the Run section locate and add the programm putty.exe. You can use the options -load ConfigName and -pw Password to start your tunnel on startup.
This way of tunneling is also an ideal way of connecting to your email in a secure way. If everyone connects in this way you wont need an outside mailservice anymore.
