LDAP Integration in Ubuntu
This wiki page will be used to discuss how we can use openldap in the Ubuntu server-desktop combination. To explain this the easy way, this is the Active Directory for Ubuntu.
In order for Ubuntu (and Linux in general) to make a decent chance in the enterprise market, a central management system is needed. By using ldap we can create a central dictionary that contains various properties, policies and access rights for users and workstations.
This is a work in progress, please add your thoughts and comments!
A large amount of information regarding LDAP integration can already be found here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OpenLDAPServer
Use cases
- John is a system administrator for a company and needs to create a user for a new employee. He opens the management console on his Ubuntu server and creates a new user object, Julia. He sets the various properties for the user and saves the object. Now Julia can login to any workstation that authenticates with the openldap server.
- John also creates a new computer object in the ldap directory. He gives it the necessary properties and saves the object.
- Now John adds the newly created computer object to Julia's list of allow workstations. When Julia tries to authenticate her on a workstation, the ldap server verifies that the computer she's using is in her list of allowed workstations.
Ubuntu server
- Management software, web based to avoid any desktop environment on the server
- Integration with:
- Samba
- CUPS
Ubuntu desktop
- Integration of Gnome configuration and LDAP policies.
- Easy way of authentication PAM with LDAP.
- Automatic printer creation (CUPS)
- Automatic mounting of shares (Samba)
Directory objects
User object
- username
- fullname
- emailaddress
Computer object
- computername
- description