How can I access my home MS SQL Server DB from a remotely hosted web service?

0

1

As can probably be seen (if not already see below) I am fairly networking illiterate. Here is what I would like to do:

  1. Setup a SQL Server DB hosted on a computer I have in my home.
  2. I want to be able to access this DB from a web service that will be hosted remotely (a web hosting site).

Here are my problems:

  1. I don't know how to set up the SQL Server DB to be accessible in this way. I've done it locally many times but never to be accessed beyond a local web deployment.
  2. Security is a concern for me. I want to be able to manage the server myself so remote hosting for the DB isn't going to cut it. I am hoping to get some tip/tricks, best practices etc for securing the server too.

Any advice, suggestions, or at least a point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

metaomniliquant

Posted 2013-12-27T00:39:53.210

Reputation: 1

The question IMHO appears to be relatively broad, from possibly needed dynamic DNS over firewall, server configuration, security unknown webservice. Maybe you will need to split it up into questions focusing on single "problems". – bummi – 2013-12-27T00:53:17.060

A vps would solve most (if not all) of your problems I think: you manage it, but it's still on the web, so no need for dyndns etc.. Also, if this is a db-traffic-intensive application, your home upload-speed might not be high enough. And then there's the security concerns about opening a way into your network.. – DaJF – 2013-12-27T01:37:54.653

@bummi - My questions are mostly networking related. I know how to set up a database to be accessible locally and how to access a remote DB. What I don't know is how to securely make a DB accessible remotely. If there's information that you feel you need to answer this, let me know what it is and I'll try updating my post with the needed information. Thanks for the time. – metaomniliquant – 2013-12-27T18:43:02.777

@DaJF - From what I've been seeing online, VPS solutions enforce a storage limit and are quite pricey relative to my monthly budget. It is also on the web so I don't have any direct access to it. I'd like the flexibility of having everything available to me. Also, say I were to use an online VPS solution, would the DB access be automated or would I do that myself? Either way, I'd still want to know how to do it. Regarding security, I've made note of this as well. How to set up a secure, remotely accessible DB server is what the post is about. If more clarification is needed please let me know. – metaomniliquant – 2013-12-27T19:01:34.770

Well, that depends, it might be more expensive to do at home if you start calculating what it'll cost you buying the hardware for a database-server and running/powering/maintaining it at home plus a decent internet connection. A VPS gives plenty of flexibility, and you can access it form anywhere, has a better uptime (check the SLA), is secure enough (it gets regular security-updates), and isn't hard to use. You get remote desktop access, I don't know whether that fits your definition of available though. -> – DaJF – 2013-12-30T00:49:39.117

>

  • Another option is using a MySQL database hosted online, this will be a lot cheaper, and has many of the same advantages as a VPS. Btw, in what way is security a concern for you? Do you wan't to protect it from being altered, or do you want to limit its exposure? Is the data secret? That makes a difference in how to approach this.
    • < – DaJF – 2013-12-30T00:50:18.727

    No answers

    Asked: 2013-12-27T00:39:53.210

    Viewed: 1 023 times

    Active: 2013-12-27T00:39:53.210