Windows / Linux password interplay

I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
Linux Lab. Is there an easy
way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
recognize those same
users?

It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
solution, if possible.

thanks,
kenny

Hello kenbo!

14 Dec 07 02:36, kenbo wrote to All:

k> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
k> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
k> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
k> recognize those same
k> users?

k> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
k> solution, if possible.

Install samba on one of the linux boxes. set it up to use common user names
and passwords and set up the windows box to access the samba box as a master
browser.

Vince

kenbo wrote:
> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
> recognize those same
> users?
>
> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
> solution, if possible.
>
> thanks,
> kenny

If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users to
the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an LDAP
server so that your network can share user logins, groups and whatever
else you might want to share over the network.

If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.

Robert

On Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:36:29 -0800, kenbo wrote:

> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
> recognize those same
> users?
>
> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
> solution, if possible.
>
> thanks,
> kenny

You might want to read up on NIS - used to be yellow pages.

On 2007-12-15, ray <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:36:29 -0800, kenbo wrote:
>
>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>> recognize those same
>> users?
>
> You might want to read up on NIS - used to be yellow pages.

NIS is probably the least helpful of the already-suggested options.
Samba or LDAP will be much easier to configure for Windows<->linux
shared authentication.

--keith

--
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(try just my userid to email me)
AOLSFAQ=http://www.therockgarden.ca/aolsfaq.txt
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Robert Harris wrote:
> kenbo wrote:
>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>> recognize those same
>> users?
>>
>> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
>> solution, if possible.
>>
>> thanks,
>> kenny
>
> If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
> passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users to
> the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an LDAP
> server so that your network can share user logins, groups and whatever
> else you might want to share over the network.
>
> If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
> package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
> provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.
>
> Robert

Do you have any good pointers to how to do this, especially the Windows
part? I've sort of stumbled through getting the username and password
setup of LDAP on Linux, but not on the Samba or Windows side. I've
already set up Samba as a Domain controller, but I'd love to have my
passwords centrally managed.

One VERY neat trick is that, if you have the user's home directory
defined in the domain controller, if they use Cygwin to create a command
line shell, the domain automatically uses that for the user's Cygwin
home directory.

(Samba will actually do a reasonable job of managing the Linux passwords
of users, but that's with a standard flat password/shadow file, not with
any kind of NIS/LDAP server.)

One other question I've already posted in another thread (but not seen
an answer yet) is how you inform the Linux automounter where to find the
NFS server with the user's home directory. NIS does this very nicely,
but I'm trying to get away from NIS. (Need to integrate with Active
Directory in a mixed environment.)

Robert Harris wrote:
> kenbo wrote:
>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>> recognize those same
>> users?
>>
>> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
>> solution, if possible.
>>
>> thanks,
>> kenny
>
> If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
> passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users to
> the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an LDAP
> server so that your network can share user logins, groups and whatever
> else you might want to share over the network.
>
> If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
> package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
> provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.
>
> Robert

Do you have any good pointers to how to do this, especially the Windows
part? I've sort of stumbled through getting the username and password
setup of LDAP on Linux, but not on the Samba or Windows side. I've
already set up Samba as a Domain controller, but I'd love to have my
passwords centrally managed.

One VERY neat trick is that, if you have the user's home directory
defined in the domain controller, if they use Cygwin to create a command
line shell, the domain automatically uses that for the user's Cygwin
home directory.

(Samba will actually do a reasonable job of managing the Linux passwords
of users, but that's with a standard flat password/shadow file, not with
any kind of NIS/LDAP server.)

One other question I've already posted in another thread (but not seen
an answer yet) is how you inform the Linux automounter where to find the
NFS server with the user's home directory. NIS does this very nicely,
but I'm trying to get away from NIS. (Need to integrate with Active
Directory in a mixed environment.)

Charles Tryon wrote:
> Robert Harris wrote:
>> kenbo wrote:
>>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>>> recognize those same
>>> users?
>>>
>>> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
>>> solution, if possible.
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> kenny
>>
>> If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
>> passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users
>> to the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an
>> LDAP server so that your network can share user logins, groups and
>> whatever else you might want to share over the network.
>>
>> If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
>> package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
>> provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.
>>
>> Robert
>
> Do you have any good pointers to how to do this, especially the Windows
> part? I've sort of stumbled through getting the username and password
> setup of LDAP on Linux, but not on the Samba or Windows side. I've
> already set up Samba as a Domain controller, but I'd love to have my
> passwords centrally managed.
>
> One VERY neat trick is that, if you have the user's home directory
> defined in the domain controller, if they use Cygwin to create a command
> line shell, the domain automatically uses that for the user's Cygwin
> home directory.
>
> (Samba will actually do a reasonable job of managing the Linux passwords
> of users, but that's with a standard flat password/shadow file, not with
> any kind of NIS/LDAP server.)
>
> One other question I've already posted in another thread (but not seen
> an answer yet) is how you inform the Linux automounter where to find the
> NFS server with the user's home directory. NIS does this very nicely,
> but I'm trying to get away from NIS. (Need to integrate with Active
> Directory in a mixed environment.)
>

The best tutorial I have come across is "OpenLDAP Everywhere Revisited"
at: <http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8119>

The software you will probably use to keep Linux and Samba passwords
etc. in step is from: <http://www.padl.com/Contents/OpenSourceSoftware.html>

Most Linux distributions support it.

I know nothing about automounting, I'm afraid!

Robert

Charles Tryon wrote:
> Robert Harris wrote:
>> kenbo wrote:
>>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>>> recognize those same
>>> users?
>>>
>>> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
>>> solution, if possible.
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> kenny
>>
>> If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
>> passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users
>> to the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an
>> LDAP server so that your network can share user logins, groups and
>> whatever else you might want to share over the network.
>>
>> If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
>> package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
>> provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.
>>
>> Robert
>
> Do you have any good pointers to how to do this, especially the Windows
> part? I've sort of stumbled through getting the username and password
> setup of LDAP on Linux, but not on the Samba or Windows side. I've
> already set up Samba as a Domain controller, but I'd love to have my
> passwords centrally managed.
>
> One VERY neat trick is that, if you have the user's home directory
> defined in the domain controller, if they use Cygwin to create a command
> line shell, the domain automatically uses that for the user's Cygwin
> home directory.
>
> (Samba will actually do a reasonable job of managing the Linux passwords
> of users, but that's with a standard flat password/shadow file, not with
> any kind of NIS/LDAP server.)
>
> One other question I've already posted in another thread (but not seen
> an answer yet) is how you inform the Linux automounter where to find the
> NFS server with the user's home directory. NIS does this very nicely,
> but I'm trying to get away from NIS. (Need to integrate with Active
> Directory in a mixed environment.)
>

If samba is set up as a domain controller, you've got central password
management provided you join all your linux and wondows machines to the
samba domain. Your windows boxes would have to be Windows 2000, XP Pro
(not "Home"), or vista "business" or "ultimate".

Robert Harris wrote:
> Charles Tryon wrote:
>> Robert Harris wrote:
>>> kenbo wrote:
>>>> I have a Windows Vista machine that I am integrating into an existing
>>>> Linux Lab. Is there an easy
>>>> way to take a Linux passwd file and set up the Windows machines to
>>>> recognize those same
>>>> users?
>>>>
>>>> It's a small lab (17 machines), so I am looking for an easy and simple
>>>> solution, if possible.
>>>>
>>>> thanks,
>>>> kenny
>>> If you have an existing Linux network, you already need more than a
>>> passwd file to recognise (i.e. authenticate and authorize) your users
>>> to the network. So, if you haven't done so already, set yourself up an
>>> LDAP server so that your network can share user logins, groups and
>>> whatever else you might want to share over the network.
>>>
>>> If you want Windows machines to share the same logins, you also need a
>>> package which on my (Debian) system is called smbldap-tools which
>>> provides tools to keep Linux and Samba accounts in sync.
>>>
>>> Robert
>> Do you have any good pointers to how to do this, especially the Windows
>> part? I've sort of stumbled through getting the username and password
>> setup of LDAP on Linux, but not on the Samba or Windows side. I've
>> already set up Samba as a Domain controller, but I'd love to have my
>> passwords centrally managed.
>>
>> One VERY neat trick is that, if you have the user's home directory
>> defined in the domain controller, if they use Cygwin to create a command
>> line shell, the domain automatically uses that for the user's Cygwin
>> home directory.
>>
>> (Samba will actually do a reasonable job of managing the Linux passwords
>> of users, but that's with a standard flat password/shadow file, not with
>> any kind of NIS/LDAP server.)
>>
>> One other question I've already posted in another thread (but not seen
>> an answer yet) is how you inform the Linux automounter where to find the
>> NFS server with the user's home directory. NIS does this very nicely,
>> but I'm trying to get away from NIS. (Need to integrate with Active
>> Directory in a mixed environment.)
>>
>
> The best tutorial I have come across is "OpenLDAP Everywhere Revisited"
> at: <http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8119>
>
> The software you will probably use to keep Linux and Samba passwords
> etc. in step is from: <http://www.padl.com/Contents/OpenSourceSoftware.html>
>
> Most Linux distributions support it.
>
> I know nothing about automounting, I'm afraid!
>
> Robert

Thanks! I'd seen that page before but hadn't gone all the way through
it. It looks like it should have the information necessary to set up my
home directories, as well as tying into my Samba Windows domain.

--
Chuck Tryon