Geek alert...

[airshipjones]

Any Linux geeks out there that could give me some pointers? I set up my first linux box today (Red Hat 9). The install went easy, but now I am trying to do some work that is a bit more difficult. I want to integrate the linux box into my Win2k Active Directory domain. I know most linux geeks don't like to get their hands dirty, or see no reason to, but I have reasons and a desire to see how well I can integrate the new box into my existing domain. I don't need it to do too much. I want to set-up a samba share, and maybe even web services. I want to be able to access file from my AD file shares, and get to my email (that part at least is already done). I prefer to work in a GUI, tho' KDE or GNOME seem pretty nice so far.

I am having some problems with LDAP, which are mostly due to Microsoft (thanks, Bill...), and a few others little niggling details.

So any help, comments, or pointers to help would be great.

Comments

[katminnaar.livejournal.com]

I'll forward this to solri. He sounds like a Linux genius. :)

[solri.livejournal.com]

I've never used W2K and don't know what an Active Directory, but I reckon your best bet is to set up a Samba server on your Linux box, which makes it visible to Windows computers (can also be used as a printer server for networked Windows boxes). Configuring Samba is a bit of a pain, but there's a tool to let you do it via your browser which is much easier (smbconfing? sambaconf? I forget). Once you've got Samba up and running, you can set up Windows shares as mount points, and also have Linux directories show up as shares on Windows computers (in Win98 you make, say, E: drve point to /home/fred - I imagine there's some equivalent in W2K).

[airshipjones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I installed Samba and set-up a share. But I am having difficulty seeing the system from my windows domain. How do I set the domain membership for linux? And how (or where) do I find tools for determining the actual IP address of the system (it should be receiving one via DHCP)?

Thanks!

[solri.livejournal.com]

This is the reply I got from the Mandrake list:

One of the best bets for this is to setup the system using SWAT and
Webmin - this gives the linux administrator the ability to actually
setup the linux box as not only a "Windows" server, but also a "domain
controller" if need be (PDC/BDC) - once the machine is properly setup in
the AD for this particular network, the rest is relatively easy as the
AD will pick the machine and thence communicate it's IP/DNS to the rest
of the machines in the AD.

[airshipjones.livejournal.com]

So, where do I find info on how to do this? I knew it was possible, I just don't know the ins and out of linux well enough to do this without some pointers.

Sigh. I feel like I'm 12 again when I just learning about computers for the first time. I think it is because there is so much I want to do and don't know how in linux that I can do in other ways. I am comparing myself to my desires and coming up short. Blah!

Thanks for all the help so far.

[solri.livejournal.com]

Install SWAT - it's user-friendly by sysadmin standards (grin) and should have links to the documentation. Otherwise check out the Samba homepage.