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Who says you can't use Active Directory with Linux?
Jan. 15, 2008

Like it or lump it, Microsoft's Active Directory is the heart of many corporate networks. That, however, doesn't mean that Linux and Mac systems can't work and play with Active Directory. With Samba, they can. And, with Likewise, Linux and Mac can work and play well with Active Directory.

That's not just a theory. I've been integrating Linux and Mac systems with AD (Active Directory) for years now. Some of it I've done natively with Samba and AD, which requires a fair amount of technical expertise. Sometimes, I've used tools like Centrify.

With Likewise, formerly Centeris, it's become even easier and you get even more control over your Linux and Mac systems. Over at eWEEK Labs, Jason Brooks described in detail his experiences with Ubuntu 7.10, AD and Server 2003. In short: He liked it.

I've been using the open-source version, Likewise Open, myself with Kubuntu 7.10 and OpenSUSE 10.3 desktops and a Server 2003 SP2-based AD forest myself, and it's worked quite well for me. It's hard for me to judge--because I've spent so much time on more hands-on approaches to AD/Linux integration--just how much control you get over your systems with the Likewise approach. One thing I do know though: It's much, much easier to get excellent AD/Linux integration with Likewise than doing it by hand.

So, if your office network is built around AD and you're considering upgrading your PCs, but Vista leaves you less than thrilled, consider Likewise. With it, there's no good network management reason not to switch to Linux or Mac OS for your office desktops.

If you can wait before upgrading, you should keep in mind that since Microsoft has been forced to reveal AD's secret sauce, completely open-source programs may soon provide full AD compatibility to any system using Samba.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols


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