I think there's some basics we need to understand first.
For any Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) products, be it SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Informix, DB/2, we do not use files as per. Rather we communicate with a daemon which then fulfills our requests. This is why they usually refer to such as server-client architecture.
In case of Access as a front-end client, we would use technology named Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to enable Access to communicate with the daemon running the server. We have to then pass into parameters so Access know where the daemon is (e.g. the location and/or the name of server, the database name) as well the credentials (e.g. username and password) before Access can even initate any requests.
To use the tables from any RDBMS, we would use 'Linked Tables', which can be done by File -> Get External Data -> Link Tables, and select "ODBC Databases" as the file types (be sure to scroll all way to the very bottom of the long list of possible file extensions). This will then present you with DSN administrator where you can create new Data Source Name with the information Access needs to connect to any server with the appropriate ODBC driver. In case of SQL Server, ODBC driver is already installed. For any other RDBMS such as Oracle or MySQL, you have to go to their own website and download their ODBC driver.
Finally, do a google search for Doug J. Steele's DSN-less connection, which is the answer to doing the connection via VBA.
The question "without any installed server" is strange; you cannot have communication with a server if no such server exists. It must be installed. But maybe you mean not installed on the client machine? If so, then all you need is the ODBC driver mentioned above and the information to connect to the server wherever it is at.
