Applying changes to hosts file on OS X (without restarting)
Some machines seem to have no problem with changes to the hosts file, others seem to have quite a bit of trouble with caches and things hanging onto information. This has worked once or twice now, and I thought I’d bother to re-document it (for myself at very least).
To add an entry: Edit /etc/hosts sudo niload -v -m hosts . Clear Private data and clear things. lookupd -flushcache To remove the entry: Edit /etc/hosts sudo niload -v -d hosts . Clear Private data and clear things. lookupd -flushcache Notice the -d for deletion.
Source: Coding In Paradise
