MySQL connection string using SSH

[stevengraff]

I'm presently using:

cConn = 'DRIVER={MySQL ODBC %mySqlVersion% Driver};SERVER=%serverName%;DATABASE=%dbname%;UID=%userName%;PWD=%userPW%;OPTION=3;'   
DB    = ObjectCreate("ADODB.Connection") 
RS    = ObjectCreate("ADODB.Recordset")   
DB.Open(cConn)

and it works just fine. But now my client is concerned about security. How can I adjust this to include the parameters for SSH?

I think I need to include the SSH host name (which will be the %serverName% used above), ssh user id, ssh password, and ssh port. And change the server= parameter above to localhost.

Anyone familiar with the syntax? Do the parameters all go on the one line? or is there another way to connect?

Thanks,
SG

[Deana]

I recommend checking out the website http://www.connectionstrings.com. It is a great resource for these types of questions. Here is a link to the connection string sample using SSL:

https://www.connectionstrings.com/mysql-connector-odbc-5-1/using-ssl/

[td]

SSL certainly is the better approach but if that is not a possibility for some reason, there might be a way to connect using SSH.  It would require setting up a SSH port proxy on client system and then modifying the connection string to point to 'localhost' as the server and add a 'port=xxx'. 'Xxx' being the port number of the proxy port. 

Setting up the port proxy could possibly be done using a tool like putty or a third party dotNet assembly.   

Note that while I have some familiarity with SSH, I have never tried using an SSH proxy port to connect to a DB so I don't know that it would actually work. 

[stevengraff]

Here's why I thought SSH might be easy...

The gui connection/management program called MySQL Workbench makes it drop-dead simple through their gui. (See attached, regular vs. SSH connection spec.) So, I figured "how hard could it be using Winbatch commands?" :)

[Deana]

I would suspect it would be easy using winbatch too... assuming you have the correct connection string. Again, I recommend checking out the website http://www.connectionstrings.com. It is a great resource for these types of questions. Here is a link to the connection string sample using SSL:

https://www.connectionstrings.com/mysql-connector-odbc-5-1/using-ssl/

[stevengraff]

Well, it looks like ssl is do-able, but not ssh.

For ssh, from what I've read, you need to make the machine-to-machine connection first, using SSH, then connect to MySQL, in a second distinct step.

[Deana]

Well, it looks like ssl is do-able, but not ssh.

For ssh, from what I've read, you need to make the machine-to-machine connection first, using SSH, then connect to MySQL, in a second distinct step.

Ah yes, apparently need to hone my reading skills ( and drink more coffee ). I personally have never worked with SSH but the following ssh.net library looks interesting: https://sshnet.codeplex.com/

[td]

Here's why I thought SSH might be easy...

The gui connection/management program called MySQL Workbench makes it drop-dead simple through their gui. (See attached, regular vs. SSH connection spec.) So, I figured "how hard could it be using Winbatch commands?" :)

Basing a task's underlying difficulty on the appearance of some UI is a little like assuming that nuclear power plants are easy to build because you get light when you flip the light switch.

[stevengraff]

Maybe so, but... I've seen Winbatch elegantly finesse it's way through so many nuke plants over the years, well, I s'pose I'm a little spoiled. Btw, when I was an engineering student at UMich a few decades ago, I had a co-op job working on the design of... a nuclear power plant. :)

[JTaylor]

Chernobyl?

Jim

[stevengraff]

No. :)

[td]

Maybe so, but... I've seen Winbatch elegantly finesse it's way through so many nuke plants over the years, well, I s'pose I'm a little spoiled. Btw, when I was an engineering student at UMich a few decades ago, I had a co-op job working on the design of... a nuclear power plant. :)

I know WinBatch is currently used by a nuclear power plant operator but not to sure it has ever been used to build one.