need suggestions

[wmacquinn]

I need help trying to figure out the best way for several users to access and update a microsoft access database from several locations. They don't have a server and don't wanna pay for one. Any ideas?

[14049752]

A VPN of some sort would probably work. Get an inexpensive DD-WRT capable router, set it up so that the database is shared through the VPN, then set up the VPN at each location/computer.
You'll probably need to specify LMHOSTS for the VPN, if you want to use Windows shares.

[doortodoorgeek]

which version of office, office pre-2003 (or maybe 2000) will let users open a access database right on a web server (http://www.yourserver.com/accessdatabase.mdb) while that is a scary way it would work, I would put it in a subfolder, put security on the folder and make sure the robots.txt file makes it so google does not craw that folder.

What I would actually do is get a really cheap web service company (a lot of the cheap ones will support a access mdb as a database backend) and pay someone a real small fee to create a asp, asp.net or whatever they are comfortable in to make a web frontend and again I would put it in a subfolder, put security on the folder and make sure the robots.txt file makes it so google does not craw that folder.

that is just the way I would look at it, less hassles, less configuring for the clients and can run on different computers with (little or) no setup

[14049752]

it would work, I would put it in a subfolder, put security on the folder and make sure the robots.txt file makes it so google does not craw that folder.

Just because something would work, doesn't mean you should do it....

I thought of another VPN angle. They could use a program like Hamachi to set up a VPN very easily, then just enable windows shares over that. Pretty simple, but it does require a subscription for commercial use.

[wmacquinn]

We are actually using both office 2003 and 2007. We do have a website that is kind of up but it looks horrible and I have tried to mess with it but don't know anything about it. Is there anyway to put a sign in tab on it and have the folder there?

[bagellad]

For a quick work around and if preformence isn't a factor you could have them using TIGHT VNC or something to alter the database from far away. My mom and stepdad do this for checking their other business's database.