How to allow specific IP access in Nginx?

IP address alter ego

• Hello all. Perhaps someone more clever/knowledgable than myself can help out with an access problem. My computers at work allow me to use several databases that allow access based on the range of IP addresses used by my company. Recently, I've begun doing a lot of work at home. I can log into the company system from my home computer, gaining access to email, calendars, etc. They have considerable firewalls, but recognize my username and password and let me in. But I can't get access to the databases, since they don't recognize my home IP address as belonging to the right range of addresses. My system administrator has no real interest in trying to add my IP address to the recognized list, especially since it's a dynamic address. Is there a way to mask my real IP address, and use my work machine IP (or any IP in the acceptable range) in order to access the databases? I want to log on from home, but have the system "see" my work IP address. Thanks, all.

• Answer:

  Hi there pafalafa! Considering your situation, your best approach would be to get a piece of software called VNC. This software lets you use your desktop from another computer, and thus would overcome the IP address limitations you're experiencing. I've used this software for a while, and am delighted with it. VNC works by having two programs running: a server and a client. You would install the server on your machine at work, leave that running, and make a note of the IP address of that machine. Then, when you get home you would install the client software, enter into it the IP address of your machine at work, and.... you're done already! You can access your work machine's desktop as if you were sitting at it. You can even access the server through a java applet client in your web browser, if you like (though this is inferior to the client software provided normally). The reason I asked about DSL, was that receiving the desktop image takes up a fair amount of bandwidth, and a modem connection would make this solution unwieldy. VNC is, unbelievably, free software provided by AT&T, and is available for all modern computers. It performs the same functions as commercial services such as GoToMyPC. Also, please note that the VNC download contains both the server and client, so you'll only need to download one package. VNC: http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/download.html GoToMyPC: https://www.gotomypc.com/ (not a recommendation, merely for contrast) The only difficulty I can foresee is if your work's firewall blocks the port that VNC uses, which is 5800. I doubt this will be a problem, but if it is, there are two ways around this. 1) Request that your system administrator enables access to this port. 2) Change the port that VNC runs on. To do this in Windows, run RegEdit and navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ORL\WinVNC3 Make sure that AutoPortSelect is 0 (zero) Type in a new number in PortNumber (make sure you type it in decimal, not hexadecimal). I hope this answers your question. If I have over or under-used technical terms, or you require further explanation of a particular point, then please do not hesitate to request clarification before rating this answer. Good luck! --seizer-ga Search strategy: free remote administration software free remote desktop software change VNC default port