[K12OSN] NEW HOWTO - Setup a Simple Application Server - PART V

[Jim Kronebusch]

> For real cool admin stuff, collect all your users in a LDAP 
> db server (we populated 1100 users in de dbase with al little 
> AWK scripting) Give them with apg generated passwords and let 
> all servers authenticate to that LDAP server.
> 
> Next use pam_mkhomedir module and the aforementioned auto ssh 
> keygeneration trick in the x init.d  map and your users will 
> automatically be setup with there first login.

Sounds like this suggestion coupled with the last few would make a great
addition to the How To site of Gavin's!  This could really bring
everything together.  I wish I knew more about this stuff because I
would love to help.  For me central authentication is a big mystery yet,
so I am just running every thing off of a single quad processor box.
But splitting them up would be great.  

My idea that I want to get figured out is to have a central
authentication server running from sort of database backend (mysql
maybe, or LDAP but not sure how to tie to a database), then I could tie
our desktop database for managing students and families right into it.
So I when a new student enters the school and Admissions enters them
into the database, the random alphanumeric password is generated with a
unique username, which updates the server backend automatically, then
all other server receive their updates from the main auth server, home
folders generate with keys and mail accounts automatically setup, the
web portal which is also tied to the auth server would update, and all I
have to do is.....oh yea...nothing :-)

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