Method and apparatus for dynamically connecting a system under test ("SUT") to and disconnecting an SUT from a private VLAN in a computer manufacturing environment is described. In a preferred embodiment, each time an SUT disposed in a burn rack boots up, a VLAN-capable switch (hereinafter "CAT") connected thereto checks the media access control ("MAC") address of the SUT against a MAC address-to-VLAN correlation table ("MAC-VLAN table"). If the SUT's MAC address is not listed in the MAC-VLAN table, the CAT connects the SUT to a predefined default VLAN; i.e., the manufacturer's main manufacturing network. If the SUT's MAC address is included in the MAC-VLAN table, there is a private VLAN associated with the SUT and the CAT connects the SUT to the associated VLAN in a conventional fashion, at which point custom configuration can be performed as needed on the private VLAN.