Network Link Conditioner in Xcode 4.1, Lion

Previously, I wrote a post about using the ‘dummynet’ functionality in Mac OSX’s ipfw(8) firewall to simulate a variety of networking conditions, such as:  bandwidth, packet loss, latency (delay). This is a great feature for testing software under a variety of network conditions but it can be a little tough to use unless you’re comfortable at the command line, or even better, have unix scripting skills since there are multiple commands required to create even simple scenarios.

Then, today I noticed that Apple now includes a new prefPane in Xcode 4.1 and Lion called “Network Link Conditioner” that simplifies all of this, and even includes a few profiles to get you started (eg: “Wifi, Average case”, “3G, Lossy Network”.) Pretty cool feature. Especially useful for iOS developers. Screenshot below.

• Install: find and run /Developer/Applications/Utilities/Network Link Conditioner/Network Link Conditioner.prefPane