Hi all,
I hope someone has the information I am looking for. I am the assistant tech coordinator for a small rural school district. We are receiving some computers that have been donated but do not have an operating system with them. I have suggested using linux not only so we don't have to pay for new clients, but also so we don't have to worry about all the window problems and to expose the students to some of the different operating systems.
Anyway our problem lies in the fact that each student has a unique log in and password which is autheniticated on a windows 2003 server. When they log in, a drive on the server is also mapped to that machine for that specific student so they can save files that they work on and then access them from any machine in the school district.
Is there a way that can be done from a linux client? We have figured out how to get a linux client to authenticate to the 2003 server, but can't figure out how to get the students folder on the server to automatically map to the linux machine.
We are using Mandrake 10.1 public release and KDE as the desktop.

Thanks for all the help in advance.
Brian Schneider
Oak Hill Schools

You can add lines to /etc/fstab. Filesystem is smbfs, with options put credentials=/some/file. The file should have format:
username = <value>
password = <value>
You need one line for every user using this method. Also, the files with passwords are unencrypted, so they should be protected (for example kept in user home dir or in a special dir with very limited access).

You can read more about possible options in smbmount manual.

Thanks for the info, but that method could prove to be a little time consuming since we have over 600 students in our building alone. Is there any way that a script can be written and placed on the server like it is for the windows machines to automatically map each student's folder to that computer?
Thanks

I haven't set it up yet, but take a look at KDE Control Center -> Networking -> Samba, Advanced
There are selections for Login, LDAP and some other stuff, maybe it can help you.
A script is probably better, especially if you want to push it out to several computers, but if you can set it up using kde you might be able to read the configs then to create the script manually.
I am just going to start with that, do you have some tips, know some good doc about how to set it up?

pingu,
there is a thread @ http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...windows+domain
that addresses this issue.
It references a article in Redmondmagazine http://www.redmondmagazine.com/colum...itorialsID=858

I followed the directions from the article and it worked just fine.
If you have any other questions I might be able to help let me know.
If you have any ideas as to how to map that drive please let me know also.
Thanks

After doing considerable searching on google and so forth I cannot find any info about how to do what I am trying to do. Our whole idea is to have a central place for user administration. I don't think we are locked in to using AD or any specific method. We have 1200 students and we allow them to change their passwords when they want to and each is given a certian amount of server space to save their files. Only a small amount of our computers are going to be linux at this point. Is there any way... I mean any way that we can make it to where linux and windows users can log on from any computer windows or linux and be authenticated and attached to the server at their folder on the server that is for them and have all of this take place with one log in and have it centrally administered?
If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let me know. I don't mind doing the leg work and experimentation if someone could get me pointed in the right direction...
PLEASE PLEASE let me know. I have told them that it is possible because we are getting some free computers and want to load linux since it is less expensive...but now I beginning to think that what I want to do is not possible....
Thanks
Brian Schneider

Ok,
I have run into another problem. I have my computer being authenticating on the AD. I am trying to get things to use the kerberos credentials and have read some information stating that pam_mount will work. If I issue the the pam_mount command, it tells me command not found no matter if I do it as the user or su. How do you install or what is necessary to get the pam_mount module working. I am running Mandrake 10.1.
Any help is appreicated
Thanks

Is there a way to do this with smb mount or cifs mount commands? If so, where does one place the commands and what needs to be placed in fstab for this to work. Could someone please let me know or at least point me in the right direction. I would do more looking, but I am not sure how to word the question to get the results that I am looking for.
Thanks
Brian

Is this what you're lookin for? This is how I mount my home-dir on Windowsserver on my Linux-box:
The file /etc/me contains the lines
username = <value>
password = <value>

Edit: that line is in rc.local, not in /etc/fstab.

Sorry it has been so long since I posted to this thread. I have still been trying to get some system to work like we want it. I have tried xandros, which seemed like it might work, but you have to have the business 2.5 edition to get all of the gui to make it work.
I am now using suse 9.3 pro and have it to where it will see the ad and can join the domain.
I just wish I could find what I am looking for, I just don't know how to enter it in to a search engine to get the results I am looking for.
I want the linux boxes to act like a windows box at login. I want them to check the ad and verify the login credentials and if they are valid, find the user's space on the hard drive then map it to the machine they are on. Anyone have any thoughts as to what that is called in the linux world or how to do it easily. It has to be on the server not on each local machine due to the administration problems. In windows world there is a login script that is executed when the user logs in that maps the drives to the right points such as H: and in some cases another drive is mapped to S:. I know that linux doesn't use map but mount but I still have no idea how to get it to do it.
Hoping for some positive responses.
Thanks

Ok new problem in this quest.
Since switching to suse 9.3 cannot get the users to appear or authenticate in the kde login window.
Any suggestions as to how to make this happen?

Are you able to type both username and password? Does it log you in? In not, look into KDE Control Centre System administration->Login manager->Users. You should be able to set it all up correctly (don't forget to choose the 'Root/Administrator Mode' button!) using help. If not, write how it looks like now.

Well I figured out that the problem was not with kde, but the way I had things set up to authenticate against the Active directory. Now the problem it it won't let me log in without using the domain name as part of the user name ex: oakhillschools\<username>. This works logging in, but it causes problems using pam_mount since it is looking for the user space on the server as <server>/oakhillschools\<username>, which of course doesn't exist. As soon as I get all of the working consistantly, I plan on posting all of the steps required. If anyone has any clues as to how to get rid of the domain name in the user name or a work around so pam_mount will work it would be really appreciated.

Thanks
Brian Schneider
Oak Hill Schools

Can you post what you've done so far , i am having the same problem you started out with lol