[CentOS] SSH, SCP connections to remote MySQL Database using OpenOffice Possible?

Mon Mar 10 17:27:28 UTC 2008
Matt Hyclak <hyclak at math.ohiou.edu>

On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:38:34PM -0400, Therese Trudeau enlightened us:
> >>>>  I can connect to the remote database via Linux desktop, it's just via an un encrypted connection through port 3306. For obvious reasons I don't want to do it that way.
> >>> 
> >>>>  My question is, is OpenOffice Calc able to connect to remote databases via SSH and or SCP? If so, do I need a plug in for that, or need to configure calc to do that in some way? How would I do this, or which plug in(s) do I need?
> >>>>
> >>> 
> >>> No, but what you could do is use an ssh tunnel to accomplish this.
> >>> Something along the lines of "ssh -L 3307:database.example.net:3306
> >>> database.example.net"
> >>> 
> >>> This will tell your system to tunnel the local port 3307 through the
> >>> database box, TO the database box on port 3306. From this point, after
> >>> you connect via ssh with the above command, you can simply point your
> >>> database software to the local 3307 port in plain text, and it'll
> >>> travel over ssh to the remote box.
> >>> 
> >>> I've probably done a bad job explaining this, so I'll go get some more coffee.
> >> 
> >> Hehe THANKS Jim I need some too!
> >> 
> >> So when I "ssh -L 3307:database.example.net:3306", am I doing this via terminal prior to connecting with Calc (or base),
> >> then start up base and enter in just the regular database.example.net into the "Server URL" field in Clac or base?
> >> 
> >> Or do I need to enter "ssh -L 3307:database.example.net:3306" just once in to the "Server URL" FIeld from within OpenOffice Calc or VBase? 
> >> 
> > 
> > You should enter localhost:3307. That connects to the local end of your SSH
> > tunnel. 
> 
> OK this is what I tried - I opened up terminal on my local desktop machine, and I issued the command:  ssh -L 3307:domain.name.of.DesktopLocalMySQLserver:3306 username at domain.name.of.RemoteServer.
> 
> Then I started up OpenOffice Calc, clicked on File>New>Database, and in the area where it asks for the "ServerURL", I entered in:  localhost:3307 and just below it where it asks for the port number I also entered in 3307 (the default is 3306).
> 
>  The error I got was "Illegal Connection Port Value 3307:3307: and I could not connect. 

I think what you really want is 

ssh -L 3307:localhost:3306 remote.db.server

The host in the middle is relative to the end machine. You could also
probably do 

ssh -L 3307:remote.db.server:3306 remote.db.server

(for that matter, I don't see why you couldn't do ssh -L 3306:... as long as
you don't have mysql running on your desktop)

Matt


-- 
Matt Hyclak
Department of Mathematics 
Department of Social Work
Ohio University
(740) 593-1263