Connect to SQL Server on a machine on another network?

Hi,

I am hoping you will be of assistance to me and provide a little advice on what exactly is possible using SQL Express / SQL Server 2005 with regards to remotely connecting to a server.

I am a final year undergraduate student studying computing sciences in the UK. As a final year project I am attempting to create a client-server database, where the client (a WM5 PDA) can connect to an SQL server hosted on a different machine (a PC). However, I must be able to connect to the server when the PDA is being used on any Wi-Fi connection.

Basically I want the PDA to be able to connect to a database kept on the PC at home when you're out and about using the PDA's wi-fi.

Is this possible? If so, could you explain in 'dummy' terminology how one would go about this?

As my university is part of the MS Academic Alliance I have access to VS 2005 and SQL Server 2005 for this project.

Many thanks for your time and I eagerly await your responses!
Simon

I guess this is more network ressource availity question rather than a SQL Server question. From my understanding of your situation, you want to either connect to the server through your local network or through the internet, or will it also be the WIFI network at home ?

HTH, Jens K. Suessmeyer.

http://www.sqlserver2005.de

|||Well, I'm hoping to connect the PDA to the database across the internet or create a VPN, connecting via LAN is simple enough to do.|||

Hi,

As you have said, connecting over LAN is simple if you have SQLExpress running on both computers and you want to manage a database on one machine from another. If, however, you are looking for a way to work with a SQL database as a data store and access its functionality, for example, using it as a Contact database, then you have to create an Application.

For access over the internet, the App of course has to be a Web Application, which incidentally can also work in a LAN situation, or you can use Windows Forms App for the latter. (It is also possible to have a Windows Forms App access the database from outside the LAN using "Remoting")

Jav

|||

As this forum is specific for SQL Express, I'll point out that SQL Express does not support HTTP Endpoint, so you will not be able to connect to SQL Express through the Internet from any source, PDA or otherwise. If your central SQL install is one of editions of SQL Server that does support HTTP Endpoints, then you should be able to connect to it through the Internet.

From a WiFi point of view, e.g. LAN, WAN or VPN, you should be able to accomplish this as long as you have enabled remote connections to SQL Express. (See the FAQ at the top of this forum for a pointer to the remote connections topic) That said, what you describe is not the typical architecture used for PDA based application. Typically, you would store your data locally on the PDA using a mobile database solution, such as SQL Mobile, or the soon to be released re-branding of SQL Mobile called SQL Server Compact Edition. You would then set up a programatic synchrnoization between the local database and the central SQL Server. I'm fairly certain a good deal of this is documented in the SQL Server Mobile Books Online.

Mike

|||If you SQL Server is within your LAN and you want to reach it from the internet, you will have to forward the appropiate port exposed to the internet to the "virtual Server". You will have to configure you active component (normally at home this is a router) to forward the request to the server. With either using a static IP Adress or something like dyndns.org you can even connect to the server using the same name even after redial to the internet (and therefore getting a new IDAddress)

HTH, Jens K. Suessmeyer.

http://www.sqlserver2005.de|||

Thanks Mike and Jens,

Sorry this forum is inappropriate =]. Just to clarify, this is very much possible through SQL Server that supports HTTP end points? I believe I have access to a full version of SQL server rather than express.

I briefly tried to forward the 1433 port on my router to my local machine, and connect via my [StaticIP]:1433, but I didn't enjoy much success. I'm not sure if this was due to the fact I was trying to connect remotely to the same machine that the application was running on.

Thanks again for your help, it is much appreciated!