Force app to use wired ethernet interface.

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Level 1

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Force app to use wired ethernet interface.

Is there a way to force an app to use a particular network interface?

I connect my modbook to my macbook in order to use a program called Teleport that allows me to mouse and keyboard on my modbook from my macbook (I have found it works better than Synergy). If I have a wireless connection it will work through that, but it gets glitchy if I am downloading (which I often am). So, I had a short cable made (about 1.5') to connect the two computers. There is no internet access through the wired ethernet connection- it just runs between the two machines. It works like magic- unless I turn the airport on, and then I'm pretty sure Teleport kicks over to the wireless as it becomes all glitchy. It's not an IP issue or anything like that, I'm competent with basic networking.

So what I would like to do is force Teleport to use the wired Ethernet connection, and have everything else use the wireless airport connection. Is there a way to assign a particular app to a particular interface, so that I can force teleport to stick to the wire?

Black macbook and modbook, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Jun 25, 2010 6:40 PM

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Answer 1

Camelot

Level 9

58,575 points

Jul 8, 2010 11:42 PM in response to rhymnocerous

Few, if any, apps give you control at this level. It usually just comes down to IP-level networking where the app tells the OS what IP address it wants to connect to and it lets the OS work out the routing.

That said, it does sound like a basic networking issue, despite your thoughts that it isn't. As long as you're using different subnets on the wired vs. wireless network (e.g. 192.168.x.x on the wireless and 10.1.x.x on the wired) there shouldn't be an issue as long as you try to connect to the corresponding wired IP address on the client.

In other words, if your MacBook has the IP addresses 192.168.1.2 (wireless) and 10.1.1.2 (wired), and the modbook has the addresses 192.168.1.3 (wireless) and 10.1.1.3 (wired) you can indirectly control which network to use by connecting to the 192.168.1.3 (wireless) or 10.1.1.3 (wired) addresses - the OS will work out that the best way to get to 10.1.1.3 is over the wired link.
If you've configured both interfaces in the same subnet (e.g. they both have 192.168.1.x addresses) then all bets are off.

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