Lesson 22: Manage Advanced Network Settings

Question 1

What’s a network location?

Who can access network locations?

Answer 1

A network location is a saved state of Network preferences that contain all network interface settings.

Only administrators can define network locations, but if more than one location exists, all users can switch between the various network locations by using the Apple menu.

Question 2

Which interfaces and protocols are supported by default in macOS High Sierra?

Answer 2

macOS High Sierra supports the following network interfaces and protocols:

• Ethernet IEEE 802.3 family of hardware network interface standards
• Wireless (Wi-Fi) IEEE 802.11 family of hardware network interface standards
• FireWire IEEE 1394 bridged network interface
• Thunderbolt bridged network interface
• Bluetooth wireless hardware network interface
• Cellular networks that use USB adapters or iOS devices with cellular network service (Personal Hotspot)
• Virtual private network (VPN) virtual network interface through Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) over Internet Protocol Security (IPSec); Cisco’s IPSec; and Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2)
• Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), also known as the Internet protocol suite
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• Domain Name System (DNS) protocol
• Network Basic Input/Output System (NetBIOS) and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) protocols
• Authenticated Ethernet through the 802.1X protocol

Question 3

How does network service order affect network connectivity?

Answer 3

The network service order list is used to determine the primary network service interface if more than one service is active.

All network traffic that isn’t better handled through local connection to an active network service interface is sent to the primary network service interface.

So in most cases, all WAN traffic, Internet traffic, and DNS resolutions are sent through the primary network service interface.

Question 4

In Network preferences, how can you tell which interface is currently being used for network activities?

Answer 4

In Network preferences, network service interfaces with a green status indicator are being used for network activities.

All network traffic that isn’t better handled through a local connection is sent to the primary network service interface.

The primary network service interface is the topmost active interface in the listing.

Question 5

What’s the easiest way to configure VPN settings in macOS High Sierra?

Answer 5

The easiest way to configure VPN settings is to use a configuration profile containing all the relevant VPN setup information.

Question 6

How is 802.1X configured on Mac computers?

Answer 6

macOS High Sierra uses two configuration methods for 802.1X:

a. Automatic configuration through the selection of a Wi-Fi network that requires WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication
b. Semiautomatic configuration through an 802.1X configuration profile provided by an administrator