Best way to connect Linux <==> Windows ADS?
 

Anyone who can help with the best method to connect Linux to Windows ADS.
So far I collected the possible ways:

Shortcut? Use Likewise Open. Though it still use Samba and kerberos.

Well there are LOTS of ways to "connect". What do you actually want to achieve? Personally I recommend installing the MS SFU AD schema extensions and the use it as your LDAP server, assuming that you want centralized user management. As for the options you suggestions, samba and winbind refer to the same thing, and is a viable alternative to using LDAP, and kerberos is only for user authentication, not user information, and also really tricky done right.

Looking at the product, it doesn't seem pr really provide anything simple gui wrapper tools on distro's like redhat don't already provide to configure winbind. It's not really too great an idea to put layers of abstraction in the way unless there's a significant benefit. Could be wrong though, but the amount of spam we've had for likewise software has predjudiced me against it somewhat.

I have tried it and found it useful at times when there is no way I can tell co-ordinates who do not know samba configurations or anything about Linux. So it is easy for noobs to just download the files and run them.
But yes, it is nothing more than an abstraction layer on samba. As I said it uses samba and kerberos that you can configure manually as well.
I have tried both ways and manual configuration seems to add the DNS entries to windows dns server but Likewise does not.

Is configuration through Winbind need kerberos and samba too?
When someone talks about Configuring Linux with ADS through Winbind..Does he mean only Winbind?
Does it need Samba or Kerberos to be installed on Linux Box?

I was going through http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/docs/DOC-3051 and found kerberos + Samba + Winbind ..All are used.

anyone who can clarify my doubts.