External connection routing question

[swells808]

Here's the situation. I have FM 8.5 advanced running on a server inside the company network. I want to give 2 users the ability to connect from outside the network to the database but, would rather they open filemaker and click remote than do IWP. Ist there a simple way to do this for example:

-Make a dns route to the internal ip of the server only on the ports fm requires

And if I go with the above example what ports on the firewall need to be opened up?

Thanks in advance.

[mr_vodka]

This post may help.

VPN

[Wim Decorte]

The data port that FM uses is port 5003. That one needs to be open for a direct connection. Not for a VPN connection (VPN puts the client inside the network).

[swells808]

Thank you wim that takes care of it all for me!

[Kip]

This is a very stupid question maybe...but I read the post hoping I could use it since we have the same situation but we couldnt manage with above info:

-we are running filemaker server in a network. We can connect internally (directly) and externally (through IWP however, we want to connect outside the network using the remote dialogue so that we can open the file with a filemaker client (because IWP is too slow and has less options). However I dont have a clue how to connect using the dialogue and what steps to take. I am really a newbie on this so please be gentil

Can someone help?

Edited January 29, 2007 by Guest

[Genx]

You need to open port 5003 to the server as Wim mentions... You then will also have to find out the IP of your server... Go to www.whatismyip.com

To open the port, get on your server, click start -> Run -> cmd -> Ok -> ipconfig, the number that comes up as "ip address" is the ip address of your server and the address to which you have to forward your port via your router interface... can't help you here cause don't know what you have.

We'll just assume your external ip is static (remains constant and doesn't refresh) for now, if it's not, you might have to set up a dns alias for it but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Anyway, then when you're on a connection other than you're network connection (e.g. home) Click file, open remote, Choose view favourite hosts, Add..., put in that ip address you got from www.whatismyip.com and give it a name, e.g. Work FM or something... Then click ok, and click on it -- if you forwarded the port correctly, and if your IP is static then it should show up.

If this doesn't work come back and tell us what you tried.

[Kip]

Ok it is working! After testing locally on the server it seemd to work fine. Your router remark reminded me to open the port 5003 on the router and after that it worked perfectly.

Thanks for your help.

Kip