Authenticating Externally

[Herman Bos]

Jeff Casimir wrote:
> Edubunters,
>
> I'm a high school teacher and Edubuntu-experimenter thanks to Jeff
> Elkner & Kevin Cole.
>
> We've got the default install up and running - the first time you see
> the thin clients come up it is pretty impressive!
>
> Now I want to get fancy.  Our Edubuntu setup is a small "writing
> lab."  Outside that lab we have an existing network and many machines
> that authenticate/connect to a central server.
>
> What I would really like to do is have the Edubuntu server "link up"
> somehow with the existing server to authenticate users and, if
> authenticated, mount their network drives.
>
> I'm not a UNIX master and not the admin of the main server.  The main
> server exposes SAMBA services for sure, and I believe exposes PAM. 
> Can either of these be used to do what I want?  What do I call this? 
> Can someone help me get started?
>
> Just in case I'm not explaining it clearly, this is what I'm envisioning:
>
> 1) User sits at an Edubuntu thin client and enters their "normal"
> username/password used on the other school machines
> 2) The client sends the info to the Edubuntu server
> 3) The Edubuntu server asks the main server if the credentials are valid
> 4A) If invalid, reject login.
> 4B) If valid, allow login.
> 5B) Mount user's SAMBA drive from the main server onto the client session
>
> Possible?  Insanely complicated?  Trivial?
>
> Thanks for your time,
> Jeff
>
If the main server is an Linux or some UNIX variant its best to mount
the homedir with NFS.

Wat kind of server is this mainserver? What OS? Which services are
running here?

Depending on the service where you can authenticate to you can configure
PAM with the right module.

goodluck,