🚀 go-pugleaf

An introduction before the question:

(used hardware/software is IBM-Compatible, Windows 3.11, Win95)

I recently completed a project-tracking-system for a  large company in
Berlin. I used Guptabase 6.0 as the server database and MS Access as
frontends. The company has several branches spread over Germany which
are all connected via ISDN and they use the database to adjust the
collection of invitations to bid, offers and contracts (orders). It's
a central based system, the headquarter is crosschecking the inputs at
later stages and release the following stages for further input. It's
completed for now, but the controlling department likes to have an
extention for their needs, so my tasks as a database administrator
will grow even more. But I am living in London, and the company is
based in Berlin. An easy solution would be to ask British Telecom to
install an ISDN-line from which I could (with the help of an TA-card)
directly login to the companies server. A quite costful solution, esp.
when regarding the even higher international phone costs/unit when
using ISDN.

So here's my question:
Is it possible to login to a remote server without establishing a
direct connection, e.g. with the help of the internet. I know some
basics of TCP/IP and winsock and I am thinking of the following
scenario:
Before logging in I would give the company a short call so that they
could establish a connection with their internet-provider. I would
connect to the internet and so we both would have an online IP-Adress.
I recognized an WinSock(TCP/IP) interface option in the setup for
SQLBase, so it shouldn't be a big deal then? Or as a test, what do I
need to connect generally to a remote server/workstation over the
internet with TCP/IP, for directly copying files from the workstations
harddrive for example.


Any suggestions are very welcome,

Andi