How to set up MySQL database to connect to from another computer?

Hi,

I am have tremendous trouble with this.

What I want to do is:

I want to create a system (in LabWindows/CVI) that will (amongst other things) allow users to send simple messages to each other. So I want to create a MySQL database which will rest on a server. Other computers running the system will then have to connect remotely to this database and read a certain table to see if they have any new messages. I want the client computer to connect via the LAN to the database on the server.

But how do I do this?

1. How do I create a database that can be connected to through the LAN?
2. How should my connection string look like on the client computer?
3. What configurations do I need to do on both client and server computers?

Any assistance is deeply appreciated, and if you could suggest how I can go about achieving my objective. I am a quite competent programmer, but HATE these network things!

Thanks

Umer