Secure Connection of about 50 Clients to a Server with VPN

[sunshiner]

Hi OpenVPN Forum,
i hope anyone here can give me a answer on the following questions.

I would like to connect about 50 Client PCs (they runn a Programm with libmySQL.dll) to a "Virtual Windows Server / Windows Web Server 2008" in the Internet. The Clients should connect to a mySQL or FireBird Database on this Server. But the mySQL Port is an freeway for Hackers or Viruses, therefore i want to use a safe VPN connection from the clients to the server.

1.
How do I get secure access to this database? The SQL port on the server must be open for remote access (access from the Internet), which would be an open door to hackers, etc..

2.
If this is possible with OpenVPN, I wonder whether it can connect about 50 clients at the same time? Each Client connects with the database and reads (read only) about 10x10 cells with float values ​​(eg 123.456) out of the database. Every Clients reads this 100Values about 2 times per minute - if that is possible?
The band width is about 100Mbit/s, i hope thats enouth for that reading?

3.
I once heard that there are freeware VPN solutions, for which it should be possible to restrict the access to the server (if one of the client people illegaly passes his password to another person). Either in the form that i set an maximum allowed number of 50clients in the vpn software, or in the form that the VPN software on the server only allows connections from clients with a specific HardwareMACAdress etc.!? Can i do this in OpenVPN?
Does OpenVPN run on my "Virtual Windows 2008 Server"???

4.
Is there a way to edit data into the database e.g. with a small freeware tool for Windows. It should be possible to connect from any PC to the DB server and see the cells, such as if it were an Excel file to the data so to change?
4.1.
How does it feel as if e.g. 50Client PCs just read the DB and at the same time a change of a few numbers is made? Let's say he's writing 123.4 in the cell and at that very moment the clients want to read out this cell!. Will the clients get/read the old value of the cell until the editor has finished writing 123 456 and press enter??
4.2.
Which Database on Virtual Windows 2008 Server would you prefer? MySQL over libmySQL.dll or FireBird etc.?

For your help I would be very happy!

[sunshiner]

...can anybody help me, please?

[AllenK]

Hi OpenVPN Forum,
i hope anyone here can give me a answer on the following questions.

1.
How do I get secure access to this database?

By using a VPN connection, allowed outside systems secure access to an internal network. Access Controls can limit at the port level.

2.
If this is possible with OpenVPN, I wonder whether it can connect about 50 clients at the same time? Each Client connects with the database and reads (read only) about 10x10 cells with float values ​​(eg 123.456) out of the database. Every Clients reads this 100Values about 2 times per minute - if that is possible?
The band width is about 100Mbit/s, i hope thats enouth for that reading?

Yes, it is possible with OpenVPN.. I've been using it for many years, with many different applications.. I've only just registered here because of an issue I could not sort out myself.

3.
I once heard that there are freeware VPN solutions, for which it should be possible to restrict the access to the server (if one of the client people illegaly passes his password to another person). Either in the form that i set an maximum allowed number of 50clients in the vpn software, or in the form that the VPN software on the server only allows connections from clients with a specific HardwareMACAdress etc.!? Can i do this in OpenVPN?

Security is but one part of access to Internal networks, I have no knowledge of a single piece of software that takes care of everything. There are many possibilities for only allowing a single MAC address per client, but if you have problems with your users "borrowing" credentials, then i think you could use "--script-security 2" and the "up" features. Read up on that.

Does OpenVPN run on my "Virtual Windows 2008 Server"???

http://openvpn.net/index.php/open-sourc ... ility.html

4.
Is there a way to edit data into the database e.g. with a small freeware tool for Windows. It should be possible to connect from any PC to the DB server and see the cells, such as if it were an Excel file to the data so to change?

Not an OpenVPN question.. but scripts can easily modify databases, they are small and free when you write them.

4.1.
How does it feel as if e.g. 50Client PCs just read the DB and at the same time a change of a few numbers is made? Let's say he's writing 123.4 in the cell and at that very moment the clients want to read out this cell!. Will the clients get/read the old value of the cell until the editor has finished writing 123 456 and press enter??

Not an OpenVPN question, but i don't see any way a client would have access to new data if another client hasn't written it yet.

4.2.
Which Database on Virtual Windows 2008 Server would you prefer? MySQL over libmySQL.dll or FireBird etc.?

Personal preference