Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server
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Are there any good linux substitutions for AD and Windows Server?
The client I have in mind for this is currently running about 10 workstations (Windows 7 Pro), all joined to AD domain. The server is used as a DC, DNS, file server and application server.
My thought was to replace Windows Server with a Linux distro and would smell, taste and look like a Windows AD server to the Windows clients and then split out the Application server onto it's own Windows VM (probably Windows 7, because that is all it really needs).
So what do you guys think? Is there a way to do this for free using Linux?
EDIT: Mods, can you move this into the IT Discussion section. I am not sure how I accidentally posted it here, second post today I've done that with.
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Samba4 is a drop-in replacement for Active Directory. It can manage users, group policies, etc.
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You may want to consider one of the pre-built distributions for this. There is one here in the community that posted about a new version just recently... let me see if I can dig it up.
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Is there a web front end that could used with it to make config easier? I am not shy to use the command line, but I do like to make my life easier when I can.
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Looks up Zentyal. That's one of them. Still looking for the other one.
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Pre-built is good, I am always a fan of like Pre-built!
I remember that ClearOS did this at one point, but it looks like ClearOS is no longer free, or at least the free version is limited.
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The other question to ask is how easily these resources can be hosted? Could you move this client to something like AzureAD and Office365. That would give them Onedrive for business and sharepoint to facilitate the fileshares.
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What kind of application are they running? Are there any SaaS versions of it?
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I believe NethServer was the other one recently discussed.
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@Danp said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
I believe NethServer was the other one recently discussed.
Yep that was it. Here's the link http://www.nethserver.org/
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The application is a custom (badly) build one that they have to use as per their franchise agreement. It has to be local, and it has to be on Windows.
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@jrc said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
The application is a custom (badly) build one that they have to use as per their franchise agreement. It has to be local, and it has to be on Windows.
Fair enough.
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Hmm, the problem with the pre-built ones you mentioned is that they come with a ton of things that won't be needed. There is no reason for it to handle email, or web filtering among other things. AD, DNS and File Server is all they need.
I assume the non-needed services can be turned off so that they do not consume any resources?
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@jrc said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
Are there any good linux substitutions for AD and Windows Server?
For AD definitely. Samba 4 has been around for years. For "Windows Server", that's a broad question. Depends on the service you want to provide.
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@jrc said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
Is there a web front end that could used with it to make config easier? I am not shy to use the command line, but I do like to make my life easier when I can.
NethServer is the place to look first. And they are active here in the forum.
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@jrc said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
Hmm, the problem with the pre-built ones you mentioned is that they come with a ton of things that won't be needed. There is no reason for it to handle email, or web filtering among other things. AD, DNS and File Server is all they need.
I assume the non-needed services can be turned off so that they do not consume any resources?
You can turn those things off, of course. Or just use CentOS, Fedora, openSuse, Ubuntu, etc. as your Samba 4 base OS. Even FreeBSD is an option.
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Fair enough. They just use it for AD services (users, groups, access permissions, some minor group policy stuff and as a file server).
Sounds like NethServer could do all of that, and DNS as well.
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I like the option to use a Web front end, which the pre-builts seem to have. Community support for a specific build would also be pretty critical.
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@scottalanmiller said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
You can turn those things off, of course.
Do this.
@scottalanmiller said in [Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server]
Or just use CentOS, Fedora, openSuse, Ubuntu, etc. as your Samba 4 base OS. Even FreeBSD is an option.
I would not do that. That requires more advanced knowledge of the pieces needed. Uunless the OP desires to learn those skills, doing things this way would be a waste of time when there are solid products available.
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@JaredBusch said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
@scottalanmiller said in Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server:
You can turn those things off, of course.
Do this.
@scottalanmiller said in [Substitutes for Active Directory and Windows Server]
Or just use CentOS, Fedora, openSuse, Ubuntu, etc. as your Samba 4 base OS. Even FreeBSD is an option.
I would not do that. That requires more advanced knowledge of the pieces needed. Uunless the OP desires to learn those skills, doing things this way would be a waste of time when there are solid products available.
If I could maintain it 8 hours a day 7 days a week, then I would totally build it from scratch. Something that could be fun to do.
However, I can only maintain it from a distance and fleetingly, so having something that is tried and true, offers a solid community and has a time saving front end is what I would need in order to keep them up and running smoothly.
I'll give NethServer a go, since it seems to check the boxes I need.
