Authenticating Externally

[Jeff Casimir]

Herman et al,

I should have mentioned that - the "main" server is SUSE PPC.  If it is 
possible to "authenticate" with SAMBA (obviously that isn't the services 
purpose)? I am getting VERY little cooperation from my boss/admin and if 
I can work with the existing setup (avoiding changes, opening ports on 
the main server, etc) that would be ideal

Thanks,
Jeff C

Herman Bos wrote:

>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.
>