How to start a revolution?

[Byron Sonne]

> Finally, one question that seems to keep coming up for me is how do you handle user
> authentication and "roaming profiles" in this type of a set-up? I can think of a few
> ways ... but I've never used Un*x in a true multi-user/desktop environment and wonder
> how this is done easily? Kerberos? LDAP? Or just basic Un*x authentication?

If the option presents itself, some type of diskless (NICs with boot 
ROMs) workstation setup sounds like it might work out for you. Depending 
on who logs in, the appropriate image gets executed and then personal 
dirs get mounted, either via NFS or SMB. It's easier to manage and 
probably more cost effective, and if you don't use thin clients you 
still have chassis' around so you can play with hardware. Speaking as a 
31 year old 'kid', I know I love playing with hardware ;)

As for what mechanism you'd use to do this, I don't know. I'm not a fan 
of kerberos but I know that the hospital I used to work at was 
implementing a single sign-on LDAP project across unix and windows 
envionments, but I've never implemented LDAP and don't know enough about 
it to hold an educated opinion. I've seen NIS/NIS+ and NFS used to 
accomplish just what it is you're after, though, and it is the classic 
unix method of doing it :)


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