Drupal: Access to external database

[Elehas]

I can't find information on this anywhere online.

I am building a site using drupal. As you may know drupal installs its own database and runs on Apache.

I have a backend mysql database that must be read and written from a vb.net app. I had to purchase a hosting account that runs IIS to support the vb.net app, but because it's windows I can't install and run Drupal on that same account.

My question is if it's possible to have Drupal read from that database?

Drupal will be hosted on asmallorange linux server
Backend mysql database hosted on godaddy Windows server.

thanks!

[smantscheff]

Since you can code your own plugins/extensions in Drupal, you're completely free to access any accessible MySQL DB using PHP.
Or do you mean: Can Drupal be installed using this database on which also your vb app runs? AFAIK it can. Using its own table prefixes it can install in any database you point at.

[Elehas]

Since you can code your own plugins/extensions in Drupal, you're completely free to access any accessible MySQL DB using PHP.
Or do you mean: Can Drupal be installed using this database on which also your vb app runs? AFAIK it can. Using its own table prefixes it can install in any database you point at.

more so, can i connect to another mysql database on a different server. I know that drupal allows you to connect to multiple databases, but it's unclear whether or not they have to be on the same server.

[smantscheff]

How does Drupal allow for "multiple databases"? How does Drupal make use of different databases? Or do you mean that the Drupal database does not have to be on the same server as the PHP scripts? (Which is undoubtely true.)

[Elehas]

no, I know that is possible.

what i failed to specify in my previous post was server OS.

So my question is can drupal, installed on Server A(Linux), connect and query a database on Server B(Windows).

[smantscheff]

Yes of course. MySQL is not aware of the OS it's running on.

[Elehas]

thanks for the response!