Multi-Server account creation or Domain accounts

antony.booth · 01-09-2007, 10:34 AM

Hi, I was wondering if there are any applications for creating the same user accounts on several servers?

Perhaps I'm going about it the wrong way, but I want users to have 1 account and 1 password, but get various levels of access to several Linux servers, much like a Windows account having domain scope.

Is there an equivalent, by getting all Linux servers to authenticate from a single server, or do I need to create the same account/password on each Linux server?

Many thanks

bitva · 01-09-2007, 12:41 PM

NIS (or NIS+) will do this.

You could also do the cheap mans NIS by using rsync + ssh and copy the passwd and shadow files across servers from one main server (probably would be more secure and bit less of pain to do then setting up NIS).

antony.booth · 01-10-2007, 07:25 AM

Thank you bitva, much appreciated. I'll look into both solutions.

jtshaw · 01-10-2007, 12:19 PM

The other solution here would be to implement an LDAP server to control your authentication. Active Directory (in the Windows world) is just Microsoft's LDAP server.

OpenLDAP is the *nix solution.

trickykid · 01-10-2007, 02:12 PM

I second LDAP over NIS.

xjlittle · 01-17-2007, 04:58 PM

We use ldap as well with samba. Works very well.