Re: Remote access

"George Weaver" <gweaver@xxxxxxx> · Fri, 8 May 2009 10:45:39 -0500

Hi Andrew,

Interesting!  Thanks for the 
detail.

George

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 
  Andrew Gould 
  To: George Weaver 
  Cc: pgsql-general 
  Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 9:57 AM
  Subject: Re:  Remote 
access

  On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 9:37 AM, George Weaver <gweaver@xxxxxxx> 
  wrote:

    Andrew Gould  in reponse to George Weaver wrote:

      Hi 
        Andrew,

          Hi,

          I 
            have a client with a main office and a branch office about 90 
            miles
away.

          They 
            have a server at the main office but it is not a web 
          server.

          What 
            would be the best solution for them to access a PostgreSQL 
            database
located at the main office from the branch 
          office?

          I 
            am not "network savvy", but if I get pointed in the right direction 
            I
should be able to fill in the 
      blanks.

          Thanks 
            in advance!

        The 
          best solution will depend upon the type of activity the branch 
          office
needs to perform with the 
    database server.

      The 
        application is an inventory management system.  Their current 
        solution
is an MS Access based system and they 
    use Microsoft Terminal Services to
enable the branch office to access the 
    main office server.  They are
considering a move to an application 
    that I provide which utilizes
PostgreSQL.

        Also, 
          what operating system(s) are they running at the branch 
        office?

      Everything 
        is Windows based.

      George

    Hi 
      George,

    MS 
      Access can access PostgreSQL servers via ODBC links.  There is an 
      SSL
Mode configuration option in the PostgreSQL ODBC driver for 
      security.

Hi Andrew,

I have clients 
    with web-based servers which utilize my application connecting via the 
    internet.  I guess where my ignorance manifests itself is how to 
    connect when the server is not a web server and doesn't have a fixed IP 
    address.  Is it necessary for them to set the server up with a fixed 
    address, or is there some other alternative?

Thanks for your 
    time.

George

You 
  should either get a static IP address or use a service that maps your changing 
  IP address to a server name.

I use DynDNS.com and a perl application 
  called ddclient.  DynDNS manages my domain name in their DNS.  
  ddclient monitors my home internet IP address and sends an update to DynDNS 
  automatically whenever the IP address changes.  When I try to access my 
  domain name, the domain name is mapped to my home IP address and my home 
  router forwards the allowed ports to the appropriate computer.

DynDNS 
  is not the only provider of this kind of service.  ddclient is not the 
  only (free) application that performs this function.  They have worked 
  for me; but there are many options available to 
  you.

Andrew