MySQL Workbench on Remote Snow Leopard Server

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MySQL Workbench on Remote Snow Leopard Server

How do I connect to MySQL on Snow Leopard Server using Workbench ???
I have freed up some of the permissions, such as port 3306, in the firewall section of Admin. However,
this has not done the job and need to keep a firewall on a server running remotely. It is necessary to connect to MySQL before you install the database. It is needed because you must connect to the server in order to install the database enabling the script of the SQL file. I get an error that says: "Lost connection to MySQL server at 'reading initial communication packet,' error 61." This happens when I press the button in Workbench that says: "Test Connection." I can go into MySQL and enter a password and create a database. This is necessary to load the actual data at a later time. I am also using Cold Fusion. This, too, is waiting for a connection to the MySQL server from Workbench.
Any ideas ???? Thx, Ted

Xserve Snow Leopard, Mac OS X (10.6.4), Xserve Snow Leopard

Posted on Jul 18, 2010 8:06 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

MrHoffman

Community+ 2024

Level 10

116,637 points

Jul 18, 2010 8:42 AM in response to LiveThere

If this is Adobe Workbench as I might suspect, that's probably the wrong tool to use for troubleshooting connections and related.

Try [Sequel Pro|http://www.sequelpro.com> or another similar tool.

If you're running remotely via VPN, that adds additional complexity to the configuration. As part of both local and particularly remote testing, using light-weight diagnostics (such as ping) would be warranted. This before running any juggernaut-class packages over the link.

(Put bluntly, very few juggernaut-class software packages from most any vendor will generate decent diagnostics for network errors.)

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Answer 2

LiveThere Author

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7 points

Jul 18, 2010 8:49 AM in response to MrHoffman

I am actually using MySQL Workbench from the MySQL.com website. Additionally, I am using screen share to access the workbench. This means that I am controlling the workbench on its own machine.
I'll try Sequel Pro. Thx, Ted

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Answer 3

LiveThere Author

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7 points

Jul 18, 2010 8:50 AM in response to LiveThere

Good answer. Thx, Ted

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Answer 4

Jul 18, 2010 10:49 AM in response to LiveThere

If you're running this stuff locally, then you might be able to use a direct (local) path or (if you're using the network path) use of the localhost host or the 127.0.0.1 (loopback address) can be required.

I'm not familiar with the MySQL Workbench stuff and tend to either use Sequel Pro, or the shell and mysqladmin and the other command tools, so I don't know what options or requirements Workbench might have.

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Answer 5

sfatula

Level 2

158 points

Jul 18, 2010 8:44 PM in response to LiveThere

MySQL workbench has 2 ways to connect to the remote mini. #1 is to open the MySQL port. #2 is to make the connection via SSH tunnel, which workbench allows you to do, or, you can do externally via your own tunnel mechanism. Thru a tunnel, it's the same as being connected locally.

Of course, you could also enable remote screen sharing as well and be 100% local.

I have no problems at all connecting to a remote Mini via ssh tunnel, or local mini without any tinnel at all via MySQL Workbench.

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Answer 6

Jul 19, 2010 5:33 AM in response to sfatula

For remote access stuff, avoid opening ports for an unencrypted path. If you do open up ssh through your network perimeter firewall, you are going to get attacked, which means you will want to use good passwords, or (better) some combination of passwords and certificates. Dictionary attacks and distributed dictionary attacks are commonplace, which means picking a password from any of the big dictionaries or one of the 5K common-password dictionaries will get breached. VPNs (and ssh is a lightweight VPN) can be very useful for other purposes.

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Answer 7

sfatula

Level 2

158 points

Jul 19, 2010 7:46 AM in response to MrHoffman

Yes, opening up ANY port will get you attacked. ssh, properly used, is quote secure. You can make it effectively impossible to break in by using certificates for authentication. Also, the Apple firewall has a brute force blocker for ssh. Of course, passwords attempts are useless if you set ssh to require a certificate based authentication. In a dozen years of managing systems of all kinds, never seen a break in work at a certificate based site. But, everyone has their own way of doing things.

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