i would like to host an access backend database on my computer and allow remote connections. every client will have their own access front end. is this a common practice? what would the connection string look like? ip address/localhost ??
would it be better to have a mysql backend? i need it over the internet?
Is this on a LAN or over the Internet? On a LAN, you can share the folder with your Access file on your pc and give users permission. They would need to link to your tables from their Access file. Over the Internet, you're going to have to find a solution to get through your file-wall and a lot of other security & connection issues.
I explain in details how and why a WAN (wide area network over the internet) will not work with a JET based back end with ms-access. The following article thus explains some choices and workarounds:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal//Wan/Wans.html
In a nutshell when you open a access database, you are opening a windows file, like word, or Excel, or whatever. So, there not really a concept of a connection string and even really anything more then a concept of opening a file. I outline some solutions in the above article, and you are most free to continue to use Access as the front end (forms/reports/code) etc, but over the internet, you need to use different technology then that of a standard windows file open.
You can share an Access database over the Internet using EQL Data: http://eqldata.com. There's a free 30-day trial.
(Full disclosure: I work for EQL Data.)