Easy Active Directory integration with Likewise Open
Local
The first time a domain user logs on to a client, Likewise Open uses PAM (pam_lwidentity.so) to set up local user directories. Alternatively, the pam_mount module can mount central user directories on a remote server with SMB/CIFS [5]. This guarantees all users access to their own files independent of the client they use to log in. The share is defined by a line in /etc/security/pam_mount.conf that uses the volume keyword:
volume user filesystem server share mountpoint options cipher path
Use of a wildcard * for the user parameter tells the module to insert the name of the user. The filesystem can be smbfs or cifs. The server can be an IP address or a NetBIOS name, and share can use the ampersand, &, as a wildcard for the username.
The last three parameters are not typically needed; dashes will be fine in this case:
volume * smbfs SAMBASERVER & /home/EXAMPLE/&/Documents - - -
Whether you mount the Documents subdirectory or the complete home directory is a matter of taste and will depend on how an organization arranges its central servers.
If the mount point does not exist, the PAM pam_mount module, with a setting of mkmountpoint 1, creates it. As of version 0.29, pam_mount stores the configuration in an equivalent XML format, as shown in Listing 4.
Listing 4
pam_mount Mounts Samba Shares
Before the sufficient entries in the auth section of /etc/pam.d, you can insert an entry for the module. Listing 5 shows a configuration in the common-auth and common-session files on Ubuntu. To avoid the need for users to repeatedly enter their passwords, the try_first_pass = yes entry in the /etc/security/pam_lwidentity.conf file enables the option for retrying a password entered previously.
Listing 5
Setting up pam_mount
More in the Commercial Version
Besides the open source version of Likewise, the US-based Likewise Software corporation offers a commercial version of its software, Likewise Enterprise [6]. The commercial version has support for AD group policies on top of the functionality offered by the free version; the product defines around 500 default policies. The Likewise Administrative Console can use a Linux or Unix machine to manage AD records.
On top of this, Likewise Enterprise supports Linux desktops, referring to AD to retrieve settings and restrictions. This enables the implementation of strict security policies. The Enterprise variant is available free of charge for evaluation purposes, or for US$ 250 as a server version. The company offers two levels of commercial support.
A New Face
Once configured, Likewise Open offers the same functional scope as a combination of Samba, Kerberos, PAM, and NSS. It takes many pesky setup tasks off the administrator's hands and supports centralized and platform-independent user management. The ticket-based Kerberos authentication service and single sign-on is a bonus.
If you enjoy working with Likewise Open, you might appreciate the extra features offered by the commercial version or the benefits of professional support. The only manual work left to the administrator is that of managing centralized user directories.
Infos
- Likewise Open: http://www.likewisesoftware.com/products/likewise_open/
- "Linux with Active Directory" by Walter Neu, Linux Magazine, November 2008, pg. 28
- MIT Kerberos: http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/
- File Hierarchy Standard: http://www.pathname.com/fhs/
- Mounting home directories with PAM: http://pam-mount.sourceforge.net/
- Likewise Enterprise: http://www.likewisesoftware.com/products/likewise_enterprise
« Previous 1 2 3 4
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.