R - Connect to MySQL using VPN in R

Question

I want to run an R script on a remote server that depends on a MySQL connection that requires VPN. I do this on my local machine using a Cisco VPN client.

Is there any way to facilitate a MySQL connection for an R application where VPN is required?

More specifically, I'm interested in facilitating either a knitr script to produce html on the remote server or to deploy my shiny app on the remote server, but for both I would need the MySQL queries to run against a server via VPN. Any thoughts on this process or work-arounds would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Time has passed since asked but I found a solution to this or a similar problem. To connect to my database I need to do it via a VPN that I don't need to be connected 24/7.

cmd <- unname(Sys.which("rasdial"))
cmd_args <- c('"VPN NAME"', userID, pass)
system2(command = cmd, args= cmd_args)

con <- dbConnect(odbc::odbc(), ... )
# Do your stuff

# Close the connection
cmd_args <- c('"VPN NAME"', '/DISCONNECT')
system2(command = cmd, args= cmd_args)

In this way I can automate the script in the task scheduler