Filemaker pro remote access?

[LoopyLoopsWoopDeWoops]

Hi

Does anyone know how to get remote access for a server that uses Filemaker CRM pro? Thanks :)

Is this for work? If so this is something your IT dept should be able to answer.

Thanks NG. It's for my sister - she has been offered the opportunity of working from home (in UK, office abroad) but their IT guy can't figure out how to give her access to the server. If they can't do it, she has to move back.

There's still a lot of unknowns here before anyone can really help out...

Firstly what do you mean by "access" and what exactly is the "server".

There are different means of remotely accessing a computer, not necessarily a server. The most common on Windows machines is to use a remote desktop connection. But is the machine running FileMaker a Windows machine? It could be a Mac, which will have similar technology but not one I know about off of the top of my head (where as I use remote desktop to Windows based machines day in day out).

FileMaker Pro also seems to support web publishing where by a machine that is running it publishes the data to a web site hosted on the machine that other computers can then access.

But is that the sort of "access" you're after? That is to say just to the data held in FileMaker Pro.

And then what sort of networking does the company have? Are there VPNs? Are any machines accessible via the web?

So many questions, all of which will twist the answer. So please come back with some more details about exactly what is required, exactly what machines are involved (Operating Systems) and exactly what sort of networking capabilities this company has.

Oh Go, no idea! Thank you so much, will try and get all the info. Tis definitely a Mac though.

*d

Ok so your sister wants to connect to something installed on her mac at work when she's at home?

If so this seems to provide an easy solution, and it gives a free demo to to try it out: www.gotomypc.com

But that will cost in the long term when there's probably a free way of doing it. But that will depend on the office's IT policies and staff. And to be honest the IT guy doesn't sound like he's up to much if he can't sort this one out on his own.

I can see two main ways it can be sorted out.

1. provide VPN or RAS access into the companies network for remote machines. So let your sister's home machine into the network.

2. publish your sisters office machine onto the internet.

Both of those have their own security worries...

Once the two machines can see each other there will be other options ahead, for example remote desktopping or that web publishing thing that the software seems to do.

So between an it guy that doesn't seem to want to help and security worries you might actually find that gotomypc is actually easiest option...

The easiest way to do it is via port forwarding. Set your router to forward traffic on port 5003 to the address of the FileMaker server. You need a static IP address for this to work in a straightforward way, but if you have one it's a piece of cake. If you can get your IT person to do that, and it really isn't hard, you'll be able to access your database as if you were in the office.

The benefit of doing it this way is that your IT person will only have to do one thing- even if the public IP address of th office changes, as long as you know what it is, you'll still be able to connect.

I'm quite wary of making suggestions here without knowing the full environment and why the IT person is struggling. I'm sure any half decent IT person will have the ability to set up a remote desktop. It's simple. So I can only assume it's network related.

In which case we can only offer options to be looked at but again, I'd expect an IT person to understand what a VPN is, how it could fit into their environment and find someone who can help them set it up (if they can't).

But in general terms I'd suggest a VPN to connect with a PC in the office running Remote Desktop should be adequate.

The problem with things like GotomyPC is whilst it's great for the occasional access, using it on a day to day basis for a long period of time is very frustrating.

The problem with any form of publishing that desktop machine onto the internet, be that by port forwarding or by giving it it's own address, will be security. Suddenly you've made a hole into your corporate network that publicly readable traffic will flow through.

VPN'ing is safer in that it's at least encrypted and the "hole" in the network is password protected.

Both though allow things from outside your network to reach inside, and that is a security risk, and I wonder if that's why the IT person is being so unhelpful about this. It's just a world of awkwardness, even more so if the company network faces audits for any reason (e.g. holding credit card data).

And that's why something like GoToMyPc could be a winner, nothing reaches into the company network, all network links are established outwards from both machines.

But that said I've never used it. I thought it would be like remote desktopping, which I have done for extended periods of time and I think is fine, but niceguy2 seems to suggest that it could actually be different and quite painful...

GoToMyPc does at least allow a free trial so use can begin immediately, and during that free trial the IT guy might finally sort out a "proper" way of allowing the required form of remote access.