linux and file sharing, authentication and more.

[slacker_x]

I have been working with windows NT networking for a few months now. This is at work....all linux at home

Windows NT has domain controllers to authenticate users when they logon. I thought this was a really good idea because it meant that you didn't have to set up a user account for each machine and could administer the accounts on one box.

How would linux fit into a large network like this? Would you have to have account information on each computer, or is there a central authentication system?

The more you can tell me the better. Thanks

[PaleoKing]

Linux has some cool tools for interacting with SMB shares and printers. I believe they fall under the SAMBA client tools, but they may be installed by default with your distro. Try 'man smbclient', and 'man smbmount'. SMBclient lets you manipulate files on a Windows Network share via an FTP-like interface, whereas smbmount lets you actually mount one, like a home directory. Also, try reading /etc/samba/smb.conf, which will probably be well commented.

I think you'll still have to authenticate with a local account on yer linux box, but at least you have a way to penetrate the NT network, and I think you can automate the passing of your NT username and password when you invoke smbmount - I think I saw that in the man pages, but never had time to get into it.

Going the other direction, if you want to set up a Linux box like a domain controller, SAMBA does that too. I haven't done it personally, but it's on my to do list, and there are a ton of posts about it here, and I think an NHF too.

Good luck...

[slacker_x]

I already knew about samba. i wasn't aware that you could setup a linux box as a domain controller though.

What I was really wondering about is central authentication under linux. It seems to me that it would be WAY harder to keep accounts for each machine.

What about the root account? do you set it the same on each computer, or change it for each one? If the password was compromised and you had used the same one, it would be a huge effort to change all of the passwords.

[bugs67]

I think we have the same problem. NIS is what you use for user authentication under linux for a central authentication of passwords and usernames and allows. I'm trying to install it on my local network but hanen't been succesful as of now.