Connecting to MetriQ through a firewall

A firewall helps to keep your computer more secure. It restricts information that comes to your computer from other computers, giving you more control over the data on your computer and providing a line of defense against people or programs (including viruses and worms) that try to connect to your computer without invitation. You can think of a firewall as a barrier that checks information (often called traffic) coming from the Internet or a private network and then either turns it away or allows it to pass through to your computer, depending on your firewall settings.

How does it work? When someone on the Internet or a private network tries to connect to your computer, we call that attempt an "unsolicited request." When your computer gets an unsolicited request, a firewall blocks the connection. If you run a program such as an instant messaging program or a multi player network game that needs to receive information from the Internet or a private network, the firewall asks if you want to block or unblock (allow) the connection. If you choose to unblock the connection, the firewall creates an exception so that the firewall will not bother you when that program needs to receive information in the future.

Windows XP (Service Pack 2) comes with its own firewall enabled as default. You may also have installed onto your machine or network one of many firewall products from other software manufacturers such as Norton or Zonealarm (see figures 1 and 2 below).

MetriQ and a Firewall: When up and running MetriQ will send/receive data to and from a database. Both MetriQ and the database manager use a communication protocol to talk with each other and ensure that data sent from one, is received intact by the other.

However, if a firewall software exists on your computer or a remote computer with whom MetriQ wishes to communicate, then permission from that firewall software must be sought before it can allow for MetriQ or the database manager to communicate with each other. No permission, no database connection and it doesn't matter if MetriQ is connected in localhost mode (MetriQ and the database manager reside on the same machine) or if MetriQ is communicating with a database manager across a local area network.

The following tables show the software that the firewall should allow to communicate with each other.

Note: In LocalHost mode, three different software packages are required, while in Server or Client mode there are two.

Figure 1. Zone Alarm Asking to Allow MetriQ access through the Firewall

Figure 2. MetriQ listed as a trusted software package in Zonealarms Program Control.

See also MetriQ Applet, Database Security, Connection Issues, Installing MetriQ, Firewalls, System Requirements, Troubleshooting, Multi-User Environment

©Copyright 2004-2007 MetriQ Limited All Rights Reserved. MetriQ Software is Patent Pending

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