online access/security

[deke]

I have been told by FileMaker tech support that a FileMaker Pro7 client db cannot be accessible remotely and be a secure connection.

I have a client that told me that they used to have remote access using v5.5.

My response to them was that "you may have had access to your client-based FM5.5 db, but I doubt if the connection was protected through a secure connection, as in Advanced Server7."

Was I right in what I said? Must one have a properly-configured FM Server to enable a secure connection to restricted, remote users?

Thanks.

[Reed]

It may be possible to get a secure connection to FMP w/o server if you firewall the server machine, only allowing access from one machine that acts as a tunnel. You could use an ssh tunnel or a VPN to access the database securely.

[deke]

Let me add that the client does not have FM Server installed. They have three seats of FM7Pro client. The FM7 db was created and resides on one of the the client seats.

I'm not sure what you mean by "ssh tunnel."

I am not a FM "heavy" when it comes to FM server, remote access, FM firewall so some more detail would help.

Thanks.

Deke

[Reed]

I'm more of a Mac guy so this may need to be done slightly differently on Windows.

Our organization blocks port 5003 from any outside access, so only computers inside the university firewall can access shared FMP files. There are two ways around this.

1. The university operates a VPN server... the details of its operation are not known to me, but they supply a client which allows you to authenticate yourself as a university employee, then you are inside the university firewall, and traffic between your machine and the VPN server is encrypted. Their server has not been reliable for me so I am using method 2.

2. I have two machines within the university firewall. One is the FM host machine, and the other is running sshd, allowing encrypted remote login. I can log in to this machine without invoking a command line, and use this machine to access the filemaker server, since it's inside the firewall. Traffic between my home machine and the ssh machine is encrypted, and actually you wouldn't even have to have the FMP host on the network directly at all. Just have two network cards inside the ssh machine, and connect the second one directly to the FMP host. All connections would then have to go through the secure shell connection.

Maybe someone else could help with doing this with only windows, if you don't have access to any macs.