Chapter 34. Configuring eDirectory Authentication

Contents

34.1. Setting Up Workstations to Use eDirectory Authentication
34.2. Using iManager to Enable Users for eDirectory Authentication
34.3. Turning Off LUM and eDirectory Authentication

You can use Novell® Linux User Management (LUM) to configure SUSE® Linux Enterprise Desktop workstations on your network so that users can log in to them using their Novell eDirectory™ usernames and passwords instead of their local Linux workstation usernames and passwords. Using LUM and eDirectory to manage user login information eliminates the need to create local users in the /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow files on each SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation. It also simplifies user account management by consolidating user accounts into a central point of administration.

You can use eDirectory tools and technologies to manage access to Linux resources on the network. After authenticating, users have the rights and privileges specified in eDirectory. These are the same rights and privileges that are typically stored in a local account or redirected to other authentication methods, such as NIS. The user account information stored in eDirectory lets users access file and printer resources on your network.

Users can log in to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstations using access methods such as login, ftp, ssh, su, rsh, rlogin, xdm (KDE), and gdm (GNOME). They only need to enter an eDirectory username and password. They do not need to remember the full context—LUM searches out the correct user in eDirectory.

This section guides you through the steps required to set up a SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation to use eDirectory authentication, which includes configuring the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation for eDirectory authentication and enabling users on the eDirectory server. For more detailed information on LUM and on configuring your eDirectory 8.6. x, 8.7. x, or 8.8. x server to use LUM, see the Novell Linux User Management Technology Guide .

34.1. Setting Up Workstations to Use eDirectory Authentication

Before users can use their eDirectory usernames and passwords to log in, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation must be configured with Linux User Management components. You can set up eDirectory Authentication during the installation, or you can use YaST to set it up anytime after installation.

To install and configure LUM during the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop installation, select eDirectory LDAP as the authentication method in the User Authentication Method window, then complete Step 2 through Step 10 below. If it is not already installed, you will be prompted to install the yast2-linux-user-mgmt package.

Figure 34.1. User Authentication Method

User Authentication Method

To install and configure LUM on a workstation that is already running:

  1. Start YaST and select Security and Users+Linux User Management.

    If you do not see the Linux User Management entry in YaST, select Software+Software Management first and install the yast2-linux-user-mgnt package.

  2. In the Linux User Management LDAP Server Configuration window, specify whether eDirectory is running on the computer itself (Local System) or on another computer on the network (Remote System).

  3. If eDirectory is running on a remote system, specify the remote system's IP address.

  4. Optionally, provide the eDirectory Admin Name with Context, and the Admin Password.

    The admin name and context must be entered in LDAP syntax, which uses a comma instead of a period (for example: cn=admin,o=novell).

    [Important]

    If you do not have rights to create objects in the eDirectory tree, leave these fields blank. Contact your eDirectory administrator, give him the host name of your client, and ask him to create a LUM Workstation object with your host name. Ask where you can get a copy of the CA certificate for the LDAP server and place this certificate in the /var/nam directory.

    The name of the CA certificate matches the name of the preferred-server entry in the /etc/nam.conf file and has a .der extension. You can type namconfig get preferred-server to get the name. For example, if namconfig get preferred-server returns server.xyz.com, your certificate file name is .server.xyz.com.der.

  5. Click Next and specify the location of the Linux/UNIX Config object.

    The Linux/UNIX Config object stores a list of the locations (contexts) where Linux/UNIX Workstation objects reside on the network. It also controls the range of numbers to be assigned as user IDs (UIDs) and group IDs (GIDs) when User and Group objects are created. This object is created when LUM is configured on the eDirectory server, and is usually located in an upper container of the eDirectory tree (for example, o=novell). Contact your eDirectory administrator for the context.

    For more information, see Understanding eDirectory Objects and Linux in the Novell Linux User Management Technology Guide.

  6. Optionally, specify the location of the LUM Workstation object.

    The LUM Workstation object represents the actual computer a user logs in to. If you have rights to create objects in the eDirectory tree, which means you are able to specify the eDirectory administrator name, context, and password in Step 4), this object is automatically created as part of the workstation configuration and is usually placed in an Organization (O) or Organizational Unit (OU) container in the eDirectory tree. You can also create a LUM Workstation object by clicking Linux User Management+Create Linux Workstation Object in iManager.

  7. If you have disabled anonymous binds to the LDAP server, specify a Proxy User Name with Context, and a Proxy User Password that has rights to the LDAP tree.

  8. Click Next to continue.

  9. Select which login access methods should use eDirectory for authentication.

  10. Click Finish.

    Installing and configuring LUM technology sets up the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation to validate login requests against user account information stored in eDirectory. Before users can log in, they must have eDirectory user accounts created with iManager and extended for LUM, and their User objects must be associated with the workstation they will log in to. See Section 34.2, “Using iManager to Enable Users for eDirectory Authentication” for more information.

34.2. Using iManager to Enable Users for eDirectory Authentication

When Linux User Management components are properly installed, you can use eDirectory and iManager to specify which users can access SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop computers on the network. iManager is the browser-based utility for managing eDirectory objects. It runs in a network browser such as Mozilla* Firefox*, Netscape* Navigator*, or Internet Explorer.

When you create user or group accounts in iManager, you are prompted to LUM enable the User object or Group object. You can also use iManager to enable existing User or Group objects for Linux.

Each time you configure a SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation for eDirectory authentication, eDirectory users that are LUM enabled must be associated with a workstation before they can log in from that workstation.

  1. Launch iManager by entering the following in the address field of a network browser: http:// target_server/nps/iManager where target_server is the IP address or domain name of the eDirectory server. You are prompted to provide the full context of the admin user (for example, admin.novell) and password.

  2. Make sure you are in the Roles and Tasks view by clicking Roles and Tasks Icon on the top button bar, then select Linux User Management in the navigation panel on the left.

  3. Click Enable Users for Linux, select the User object you want to enable, then click Next.

    When an eDirectory User object is extended to hold Linux user-login properties, it is said to be LUM enabled or enabled for Linux. When enabled for Linux, a user can simply access the Linux computer using Telnet, SSH, or other supported methods (see Step 9) and enter a username and password. The access request is redirected to find the appropriate username and login information stored in eDirectory.

    When extended for Linux, the eDirectory User object holds Linux-related properties, such as user ID, primary group ID, primary group name, location of home directory, and preferred shell.

  4. Assign the user to a group, then click Next.

    The group and its corresponding group ID are assigned as the user's primary GID. If the selected user account already has a primary GID, this group's GID is assigned to the user as secondary. You can choose any of the following ways to assign the user to a group:

    An Existing eDirectory Group

    If the Group object has not yet been enabled for Linux, its properties are extended to include Linux login attributes. You can click the Object Selector icon to browse the tree for an existing group.

    An Existing Linux-Enabled Group

    This option lets you select an existing eDirectory Group object. If you use the Object Selector to browse, you can view and select only those Group objects already extended with Linux login attributes.

    Create a New Linux-Enabled Group

    This option lets you create a new eDirectory Group object. When created, the Group object is extended to include Linux login attributes.

  5. Select the workstations that the users in the group should have access to, then click Next.

  6. Click Finish to apply the changes, then click OK.

    Users should now be able to use their eDirectory user login credentials to log in to their SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstations.

34.3. Turning Off LUM and eDirectory Authentication

There might be times when you want to turn off a workstation's ability to accept logins from eDirectory. You can permanently turn off this ability by removing the LUM software from the workstation. You can temporarily disable eDirectory authentication by stopping the namcd daemon.

To stop namcd, open a shell window and enter rcnamcd stop.

To turn on eDirectory authentication and LUM, open a shell window and enter rcnamcd start.