Authentication Servers (LDAP or What?)

[Tamer Shaalan]

Dear All,

I have multiple servers (Linux and windows based) in my network. I want to make one authentication server (platform) to make only one username and password for each user. This includes Active directory windows network, Linux SLES 9.0 servers, Bugzilla server and may have additional servers in the future. I heard LDAP server may be good for me, but really I don’t know what is it, how to configure and are there other best solutions or not. Any ideas???

Thanks,

Tamer Shaalan

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom Tamer,

LDAP is a good possible solution, since it is supported on both Windows and Linux.

It will permit you to have your main domain controller be windows or Linux, whichever works best for your company.

Other ideas:
Windows Active Directory as single sign on server. This can now support Linux, even NIS clients.

What is LDAP:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&hs=fby&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&pwst=1&defl=en&q=define:LDAP&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gracion.com%2Fserver%2Fwhatldap.html&ei=3o15RMTUDL3OQafYgMYO&sig2=lyRW0ehvGS8fqIrryUezkg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDAP

Good Luck,

SEP

[Sung Oh]

Hi Tamer,

here is LDAP configuration web link.

http://www.openldap.org/doc/admin23/quickstart.html

http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/LDAP-HOWTO/

Regards,
Sung

[Ivan Ferreira]

It's more easy to authenticate Linux and others agains Windows Active Directory using SAMBA and winbind. You will have problems to use another LDAP server to authenticate Windows because MS uses a LDAP+Kerberos implementation that is not easy to reproduce.

So, for your environment, probably the best option is to use only MS Active Directory as Authentication Server.

Then, check the documentation of SAMBA and WINBIND to authenticate Linux and Services against AD.