Secure FileMaker access with SSH

Mar 18, '02 01:58:20AM

Contributed by: fridberg

I keep my address book, password list and other info in Filemaker databases. Since I don't want to worry about synching them with other copies, I would like to make them available on the web using Filemaker's Web Companion plugin.

Unfortunately, Web Companon doesn't support SSL and all communications with databases, including password transmission, is done in clear text. This is horribly insecure. Read the rest of the article for info on how to secure FileMaker through SSH.

First, configure Web Companion and enable instant web publishing. For added security, pick an unused port for web sharing (do not use default port 80) and disable internet access to that port in a firewall. Open the database to be shared and enable Web Companion in Sharing menu.

To connect to database from another unix box, use:

ssh -L 80:my.filemaker.server:[FMaker PortNum] my.filemaker.server
[FMaker PortNum] is the port number that Web Companion was set to. Replace my.filemaker.server with actual address of your server Mac.

Once the connection is established, Filemaker databases can be accessed through any web browser by connecting to:
http://localhost
SSH will forward connections from port 80 on client machine to designated port on a server Mac through securely encrypted SSH channel.

If Web Companion's port is disabled with the firewall, no one can access the database who doesn't have a login account on your Mac.

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