initialize starts or resets the lookup process
 
    The lookup process gets initialized automatically the first
    time any method gets called, so it's not strictly required 
    for this method to be called manually.
 
    However, this also serves as a way to reset the lookup
    configuration to its default parameters, which is useful in
    case the network setup has changed (e.g. plugged in an
    Ethernet cable to a new  network).
 
    The default behavior can be modified in the config script