This page describes software needed to talk to the MySQL database. For workshops, the aim is to set this up before the workshop starts to save time getting started.

We will be using SSH (“secure shell”) through an intermediate gateway host to talk to the database server. We will be using SSH “key-pair” authentication, which requires that you generate a code key on your machine and send it to me to be installed on the gateway host. Once the key pair is installed on both machines they can make a secure connection without the need to enter a password each time. Thus, the connection is machine-specific…a key pair installed on your laptop will not also work on your desktop.

The first thing is a MySQL client. I am using Sequel Pro (http://www.sequelpro.com) on my Mac. I suggest starting with this one. For Linux systems, I am not sure what to use…this may require some research.

If you have a Mac or Linux machine, SSH is already installed (Mac) or most likely already installed (Linux), so you just have to generate the key pair.

If you are using a Mac (the procedure is basically the same on all Linuxes, although file locations may differ), open a terminal window and type the following at the prompt:

ssh-keygen