Feature Request: LDAP configuration

[Lee Braiden]

On Wednesday 12 October 2005 11:34, Zach wrote:
> We are in dire need of an integrated set of tools & configuration
> utilities, and documentation for setting up an Ubuntu server as an
> LDAP backend for network based authentication, as well as a matching
> configuration utility for setting up clients to authenticate against
> the LDAP (or other--samba, nis?) server.  The configuration utilites
> needs to be tightly integrated--not grafted on as an afterthought.
> The option of configuring the clients and the server at install time
> would be nice.  The stuff that PADL and IdealX are putting out are
> getting us by, and I'm glad it's there (and $free), but it isn't an
> enterprise-class solution.
>
> Network based authentication is something the the Windows folks have
> been doing for about 10 years.  The Mac folks have been doing it for a
> while as well.  Even Red Hat has a configuration tool to ease PAM
> configuration.  The state of network based authentication in general
> and OpenLDAP specifically on Linux, is pretty sad.  This is an
> opportunity for Ubuntu to step in and fill a need for which there is
> huge demand.

Agreed.  I'm not a Windows fan at all, but Active Directory's Security 
policies and integration with Windows Desktop OSes really makes Linux look 
bad.  Moreover, if the features that Linux does well like IDS and easy 
automation via scripts, DCOP, etc. could be combined with that, then we'd 
have something VERY competitive.

There are some more advanced options around than LDAP, though: complete 
configuration systems, to replace some or all of /etc, gconf, kde's ini files 
etc., using centralised or cascading network configuration.

-- 
Lee Braiden
http://www.DigitalUnleashed.com