Error adding an external database server: Host is not allowed to connect to this MySQL server

Symptoms

• While adding external database server, the following error is received:

  PLESK_ERROR: Host ‘server IP address’ is not allowed to connect to this MySQL server

  OR

  PLESK_ERROR: Error: Access denied for user ‘admin’@’mysql server IP’ to database

Cause

Connection to MySQL is allowed from localhost by default. If Plesk should be connected to a remote MySQL server, it is needed to grant MySQL
admin
user privileges to manage a database from specific IP address (from Plesk IP address).

Resolution

1. Log in to MySQL database on the external database server using CLI:

   # mysql -uroot -p -h 203.0.113.2

2. Check whether the admin user exists on the server:

   MYSQL_LIN: mysql> select * from user where User=’admin’;

3. If such user exists, skip this step. If such user does not exist, create it:

   MYSQL_LIN: mysql> CREATE USER ‘admin’@’plesk_server_IP’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘password’;

4. Run the following queries:

   MYSQL_LIN: mysql> GRANT all ON . TO [email protected]’plesk_server_IP’;
   mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

   Note: replace the username and password with the actual admin credentials and plesk_server_IP with actual Plesk IP address. Make sure that port 3306 is opened on the server that is running MySQL Server.