Upload problem?

Question

This is the situation, let us say that you created a Visual Basic executable program that has connections with a database, let us say that your database is MS Access. Using FTP, you upload your webpages so that it can be viewable online. But what if one of your webpages need to connect to your Visual Basic executable program, how can you upload your .exe program to FTP?
Please solve my problem. The situation above is what I am experiencing today. I created a web page for submission but the problem is that FTP cannot support executable program.
A technician says that I need to have a very own server to support my .exe files and to call from the uploaded webpage to local server, but the machine must be turned on all the times. Is this true? Please suggest or give information on how to solve my problem.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Well your question goes much deeper than you think.

To connect to a database the database has to be available to the server. If it is an access database you can only have about five users connect at a time so don't expect stellar performance for your web visitors. You will need to load the database to the server or you will have to have your machine online 100% of the time to "Host" the database.

Most hosting companies do not allow .exe to be loaded. Thus the use of PHP or ASP pages to accomplish the data connections! EXE opens a real security issue for the server, how does the hosting company know what the program is doing? It will be running on their server if it is a worm etc they dont want it and can't allow it.

I would suggest you do a little research on web based databases and find a different database and method to connect. (You have a great start - you already know what is needed. You just need to do it for a live server enviornment not your local computer)

Answer 2

You're seriously confused.

You can't simply upload a desktop-type program to a Web server and have people use it. That's not the way Web servers or client / server programs work.

You have to have a publicly accessible interface that people can use with your program -- and I'm not talking about a VB.NET program form, I'm talking about either a client program on their machines, or your server needs to send out HTML or some other interface that client computers can view with Web browsers or other similar programs.

Then you need to configure your program to accept network connections, process the requests via sockets or the like, so on and so forth.

In short, you can't just upload a program you use on your computer and expect other people to be able to use it over the Internet. That's not the way it works.

The technician you spoke with was correct, so far as his statements go. But you don't even have something that would work over the Internet, even if you did what he said.

Answer 3

If your talking about just uploading the exe file as a download, your ftp/web host may not allow those file extensions for security purposes. You may need to zip the file or look for a different host that will allow exe files.