Implementing Active Directory SSO For Linux Desktops And Servers

I am an advocate of centralized identity management and I think Active Directory makes a great repository for user account information. Interoperability can be a challenge, though. For example, you may work in a mixed environment of Linux/Unix and Windows and want users to take advantage of their Windows accounts when logging on at a Linux/Unix machine. This provides single sign-on for users who otherwise would need to maintain two different sets of passwords.

With this in mind, I set out to accomplish what I considered to be a fairly straightforward goal: Configure the Linux desktops and servers in my office to accept logins using accounts stored in AD. My metrics for success were relatively modest. I wanted to sit down at a Linux desktop, enter a set of Windows credentials, and get a KDE or Gnome desktop with a home directory that has appropriate access permissions.

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