connecting [logging] RMySQL to an external server - SOLVED

Use ssh forwarding to forward local port 3307 to remote port 3306
specifying the remote account and password.  Then if you use local port
3306 you can access your local version of MySQL and if you
use port 3307 you can access the remote version.   There is some
info on the MySQL site.  First test it out by running the mysql command
line program accessing the remote data base via port 3307 and once
that works you know its ok and you can try RMySQL or RODBC packages.

For those interested in using R with a remote MySQL database, here's the most 
simple and straightforward solution (thanks to Gabor):

On the console, forward local port 3307 to remote port 3306
ssh -L 3307:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:3306 myuser at xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

(where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP of the remote server and myuser is the login 
name). After entering the password, keep that console open.

In R:

library(RMySQL)
drv <- dbDriver("MySQL")
dbConnect(drv, user="mysqluser", password="mysqlpassword", 
dbname="anydatabase", host="127.0.0.1", port="3307")

(where mysqluser and mysqlpassword are the remote machine's MySQL username and 
password).

Another possible solution is suggested by Prof. Ripley, using stunnel to 
create a secure tunnel between the local and the remote machines, but I 
haven't explored that in detail.


Best wishes,
Adrian

Adrian Dusa
Romanian Social Data Archive
1, Schitu Magureanu Bd
050025 Bucharest sector 5
Romania
Tel./Fax: +40 21 3126618 \
          +40 21 3120210 / int.101