Is it possible to use Apache Directory Server as a service to provide Profiles, Home Shares, Individual Configurations, etc to Windows PC's as OSX Server does not support Windows Operating System after 10.7
Any suggestions would be great!!
Thanks
Mac mini, OS X Server
Dear Gianpaolo
Sorry, I don't understand your question.
What do you mean by "OSX Server does not support Windows Operating System after 10.7" ?
Apple have steeved Samba and replaced it by they own product. This new product allow Windows users to connect to shares through smb but where's no Windows domain controller anymore.
Is this what you mean ?
If so, the answer to your question is no :
Apache is not a Windows domain controller.
But you still can install samba on Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8 :
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20120401160655922
By installing Samba, you'll have the full functionnality you had on Mac OS X 10.6
Hope it will help ...
OSX Server 10.7+ does not provide a Directory service to Windows PC's.
Is it possible to use Apache Directory Server to provide Open Directory style services to a Windows PC while maintaining the OSX Server Environment?
Ok. sorry, I don't know.
You can install "ApacheDS" on a mac, but I don't see anything that say that it's a PDC.
You should have a look at http://pgina.org/, but in this case OD is enough.
Please let us know the result, it's interesting.
Bye
So with PGINA I can have Windows users operating with Roaming Profiles, each with their own home directories, individual configurations,etc and run that over my OSX Server Environment?
In the end I want to have a setup like Active Directory where User 1 can use any computer in the Office to access his/her details and User 2 can login to any computer they like and access their files, etc.
I was under the impression I needed to use Open Directory but I have read that it does not support Windows Clients anymore so I had believed that Apache Directory Server was a good way to circumvent this restriction?
Any ideas?
Hi again
I never tried pGina.
Documentation seam to say yes, if you correctly install pGina and maybe the krb plugin you should be able to do what you'r asking for. It's not Open Directory that support windows, it's an enhenced windows that is able to use OpenDirectory.
I suppose that you'll have to solve several crunchy problems and to modify the OD LDAP schema.
Schema modification won't be handled by WGM, so you'll have to find an other ldap editor.
Windows updates should make troubles too.
Regarding this, I suppose it should be more stable and straitforward to install SAMBA on your Mac Server.
After, maybe you like chalenges so have fun and try it 🙂
Bye
Nicoas
Apache Directory Server will not help here, Lion 10.7 and Mountain Lion 10.8 also will not help here.
In theory you could install Samba4 in OS X which can act as an Active Directory compatible server and therefore fully support Windows 7 and 8 clients. However I have not heard of anyone yet doing this successfully (it is not as simple as it sounds).
I would suggest you consider doing the following, use VirtualBox to run a Linux VM on the Mac. Setup Samba4 in Linux. Link the Mac server to the 'Active Directory server' i.e. the Samba4 setup. Share the Mac storage using its built-in SMB function.
With this setup you would have an Active Directory compatible system for authenticating users, and could use the Mac side to do the sharing. Best of all the VirtualBox, Linux and Samba4 is all free of charge.
Hi John
Thanks for the correction.
For Gianpaolo, shouldn't be better if he don't have linux knowledge to keep his old 10.6 server until samba4 will be more easy for mac ?
I can't imagine that the Samba team is not interested by making a portable source ...
Bye
Active Directory requires Dynamic DNS updates which in theory the BIND included with Server.app does support this but it is not enabled via Server.app, there are some other behind the scenes issues as well I believe.
I am sure you could get Samba4 working on an OS X box but doing so would end up meaning you had to avoid using Server.app to avoid the risk of conflicts. Apple as previously discussed moved away from porting and providing Samba3 due to the change in licensing agreement. At the moment since implementing Samba4 under Linux is a proven solution with how-to documents available it would be easier to follow that route.
I do hope that at some point Apple get round to adding to their own SMBX and Server.app code the equivalent ability to Samba4. This is perfectly possible it just requires Apple's willingness to do.
Hi John,
So I have roughly looked at the Linux VM idea that you suggested, what distribution of Linux would you recommend for something like this?
Also are there any guides that you would suggest to assist me with the setup/configuration?
Thanks
I have not setup a Samba4 system myself but I have found the following how-tos for you. I have used Ubuntu Server myself. The main difference between Ubuntu Server and client is that the Server does not have a GUI interface installed as standard. This is in this case a good idea as it reduces the processor and memory requirements. I would strongly advise going this route i.e. a CLI only interface.
First here is the official Samab4 setup instructions
http://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Samba_AD_DC_HOWTO
Now some user examples of Ubuntu Server setups
http://www.matrix44.net/cms/notes/gnulinux/samba-4-ad-domain-with-ubuntu-12-04
http://paulcolfer.ie/os/linux/samba-4-domain-controller-on-ubuntu-server-12-04/
You can download a pre-built Ubuntu Server image for use with VirtualBox from here
http://virtualboxes.org/images/ubuntu-server/
You will still need to configure it and install the Samba components but at least Ubuntu Server itself will be already installed for you.
Thanks heaps for your help
I would prefer something with a GUI that would just make it a bit easier to configure and troubleshoot, etc.
Luckily when we ordered the Server I had the foresight to order the 2Ghz i7 and 8GB RAM options and as the server is only going to be used for the Directory services, etc it should be able to cope with a Linux distribution.
Any other advice you could share would be terrific 🙂
Thanks again.
All the instructions for setting up Samba4 are based on using the command-line anyway. I use Terminal.app on a Mac to login to the Ubuntu system (after getting the network settings working).
Very little in this case could be configured via a GUI, you would get a GUI for doing the network settings, maybe also for installing Ubuntu/Linux updates, but Samba, BIND, DHCP, would all be CLI.
If you really want to, you can add the GUI to Ubuntu Server, or use a standard Ubuntu Client which has the GUI already installed. Here are some articles on how to add the GUI to Ubuntu Server.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ServerGUI
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-install-gui-on-ubuntu-12-04-precise-server.html
Apache Directory on OSX Server for Windows PC's???
