(OT) Re: Unity ROCKS!!!

[Liam Proven]

On 3 May 2011 22:19, Tom H <tomh0665 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 12:47 PM, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> For Linux, it's an ssh session or VNC if you're lucky and that's about
>> it. There is no standard Linux equivalent to domains or Active
>> Directory. No, LDAP is not a replacement, any more than a pair of
>> roller skates is a replacement for the Shinkansen bullet train.
>
> Aren't you exaggerating a little? :)

Actually, no, I'm not. I am learning ActiveDirectory for a new job and
it is so far away from anything I've seen on FOSS systems it's untrue.
It's like a copy of vi from 1985 up against Adobe InDesign.

> We've got LDAP running for a few thousand Solaris and Linux boxes.
> We've had NIS and NIS+ in the past...

That's great for you. Really. I'd quite like to know how to do it.

Now, tell me, how can I use LDAP to deploy IE8, Office 2010 and 46
other apps to 15,000 heterogenous machines running 3 OSs across 5
countries? By the way, while you're at it, I'd like a full inventory
of all those machines, detailing the OS versions, patch levels, how
much RAM and what make & model of CPU they have, and I'd like to be
able to tell who is logged in and set their login scripts, and I'd
like to take control of their desktops. I'd also like to filter their
email and redirect it to their mobile phones and set access controls
on the phones.

Can you do that with LDAP? :¬)

>> Linux needs more and better ready-to-use server distros, as opposed to
>> a DIY toolkit to built your own server from scratch such as Ubuntu
>> Server, and then it needs some compelling management tools for running
>> a whole network of Linux clients attached to said server in an easy,
>> point-and-click fashion.
>
> I agree that LDAP's a pain to set up but I don't run any server with a
> GUI so point-n-click wouldn't be of any use to me or to any company
> where I'm working or have worked.

>From choice, I wouldn't, but actually, in practice, I think businesses
need something that just works, which every software vendor supports
without question and for which they can hire cheap, untrained staff to
manage.

> Likewise and Centrify offer LDAP solutions but I've never used them so
> I neither know whether they're GUI- or CLI-based nor whether they're
> ready-to-go out of the box.
>
> Apple has a very good and easy LDAP setup on OS X Server so it should
> be possible to create something similar on Linux.

I am not sure LDAP is relevant at all, actually. I think it's more a
question of: "look, here is an all-in-one ready-to-run server distro."

[Think SME Server here. Install, set hostname and user names, it's
working. *No* configuration. *That* is what's needed. Like Ubuntu
Desktop, in other words. You put it on, enter a password, you're in
business.]

"Now, we need to add a second server in our branch office. All emails
must be able to be set to go to either and anyone can log in at either
office. We don't care how it works, we point Server #2 at Server #1
and it Just Works, end of story."

No talking what technology - it has to just plug in and go, in 2min,
with no more setup and config than putting the FQDN of Server #1 into
Server #2.

>> Active Directory is extremely complex and quite hard to learn - I
>> speak from experience as someone who is currently studying it. It
>> should not be impossible to come up with something easier and more
>> accessible to offer as an alternative to it to manage a company full
>> of Linux workstations.
>
> AD's not that difficult! (I speak as a former Win sysadmin who,
> thankfully, hasn't had to be even a part-time Win sysadmin since
> 2003.) It has very extensive options - and probably far more now than
> when I admin'd it - but a basic setup is a simple enough endeavour.

It's grown. A lot. Windows Server is now on 2008 R2 and Exchange on
2010. Some stuff is easier, some, sadly, is harder.

After 22y of server admin experience across a dozen platforms, and a
month's hard study, I failed the basic exam in W2K8 server
infrastructure with 60% of the pass mark. It's complicated, believe
me.

-- 
Liam Proven • Info & profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/lproven
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lproven at gmail.com
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