Summary

The RH-ldc project is designed to function as a Windows NT 4.0+ equivalent Primary Domain Controller with roaming Profiles. Installs on top of RedHat 8.0 in under 10 minutes by running one script (./setup.sh).

Installation of OS

While RH-ldc might install and run fine on other OS's, it was tested and is being developed on RedHat 8.0. 

The RHSD projects are currently based using the latest version of the Red Hat Linux Distribution, Red Hat 8.0. To Utilize the projects, it is necessary to download or purchase the operating system.

Download

In a web browser, go to http://www.redhat.com/download/mirror.html and select a mirror local to you geographically. Select the Distribution link to connect. You may be prompted for a password if the remote site is an ftp server. If you are, use the login anonymous and use your email address for a password. (If you have issues, select another link that does not have ftp in the site name.)

Once connected to a site, navigate to find a folder with Red Hat 8.0 in the name. This may be under a Red Hat or Linux folder. Once you've navigated through the folders, look for files with an extension of .ISO These may be under subfolder marked ISO or I386 . There maybe more than 2 files, but you want particularly disc 1 and disc 2. 

After both files are downloaded, burn them to CD-ROM. Most modern computers come with writable CD-ROM drives. If you are unfortunate enough not to have one, purchase may be your only option. Provided that you do have a writable CD drive, most systems allow you to simply right-click on the ISO and select Burn to CD .

Purchasing

Red Hat 8.0 can be purchased from most computer / software stores such as Comp-USA, Circuit City, etc. Current Price (typically) $40.00 Red Hat 8.0 may also be purchased on-line, either from Red Hat directly (http://www.redhat.com/software/linux/personal/) Current Price $39.95 (Includes manuals, stickers, support, etc.) or from Linux Central (http://www.linuxcentral.com/catalog/index.php3?prod_code=P000-033&id=DByxOqbrBtzLI) where it is available without the box set books, etc. Current Price $11.95.

Installation

Installing Linux isn't much harder than installing a Windows Operating System at this point and should be easily achieved by most anyone. For best results, use newer hardware and a hard drive that can be totally dedicated to the installation. (If you re intending to use this server software, it would be really a bad idea to run a server in a dual-boot configuration anyway. Servers are intended to be operational continually.) Linux is capable of running on anything from a 486 on up, but it s generally a good idea to have decently fast machines for running as servers.

At the bottom end for a small workgroup use server:

• 200 Mhz Processor or better

• 128 Mg RAM or better

• 2 GB Hard Drive or better

• CD-ROM Drive

For a sizeable network:

• 1 Ghz Processor or better

• 256 Mg RAM or better

• 5 GB Hard Drive or better

• CD-ROM Drive

It comes down to if you need a fast server then buy fast hardware. Don t blame the OS, be it Windows or Linux.

Start the Installation by placing the Red Hat 8.0 Disc 1 into your CD drive and rebooting the server. A welcome screen will come up giving you options to boot as a rescue disk, use a text install, etc. Just hit enter at the Boot: prompt and the installation will begin.

The Linux install will detect machine settings and then bring up a screen asking you to select your language. Select your language then click "next ".

The keyboard configuration comes next; chances are that it is correct. Type in the test area to make sure and then click "next ".

Mouse configuration follows, click "next".

Red Hat splash screen, click "next".

Next is the "Red Hat Install Option" screen. Click on the "Custom" radio button, then click on the "next" button.

After the Installation Type selection comes the Disk Partitioning set-up menu. Select for to have the installer automatically partition for you. If you have another OS on the drive or you feel the need to do something special, it is possible to manually partition the drive; this is a little more advance and is beyond the scope of these directions. Click "next".

If the drive is new or without any partitions you will be asked to initialize the drive. Select yes and then click "next".

Next, the Automatic Partitioning program will ask you if you want to remove all partitions. Most likely you will chose to Remove all Linux Partitions on this system. If you are installing on a machine with another OS and you have enough space to install Linux, you may select Keep all partitions and use existing free space. This will keep the old OS intact and the Linux Installation is even intelligent enough to create a boot menu so that you may decide which OS to access. If you have another OS currently installed and you want to remove the partitions (and thus lose any data on the drives) select Remove all partitions on this system . Click "next".

A warning screen will pop up. Are you sure you want to do this? Of course you are. Click "next".

Next, you will see a screen that displays the partition lay out. If you re a Windows NT administrator, you will find that the hard drive configuration tool looks very similar to its Microsoft cousin. In any case, there is nothing to do in this screen, Click "next".

The boot-up configuration comes next. This is particularly important if you have multiple Operating Systems, so just click next The Grub Boot loader. This allows for you to set a boot-up password for additional security. This is probably not required, so click "next".

Network Configuration is next. If you re on a network with a DHCP server, you can leave it selected for DHCP. If you don t know what a DHCP server is, chances are you haven't got one.

Next is the firewall configuration. For just a test installation, No Firewall is fine, but for a production system, click at least Medium , click to allow email and in the space for additional ports, add in 110 and 143. Click "next".

Following firewall selection, select the languages for the system to use. Click "next".

Next is time zone. Select your time zone. Click "next".

Now comes a very important page. You are asked to specify your "root" password. This account is comparable to the Administrator account. Pick as password and don t forget it. It s also a good idea to create an account for yourself at this time as well only use root for administrative functions don t use it for day-to-day logins.

Next comes "Authentication Options". You should not have to change anything here. Click "next".

Next comes "Select Packaging Groups". Here, you must select:

• Network

• XFree86 (X Windows)

• KDE

• Samba (SMB)

You may select additional packages, but for the server application these are all that are required. This configuration is also the tested configuration with the server setup. Click "next".

The installation will check what you have selected and indicate if any additional software is needed to support what you have chosen. If you have chosen the default packages as above, no dependencies will be unfulfilled. The installation will go on to the About to install splash screen. Click "next".

The installation will now begin. The drives will be formatted and the software installation will commence. The installation can be as little as 5 to 10 minutes depending on the hardware and the additional packages selected.

After the installation has copied and installed all the required files from Disc 1 and 2, the installation will give you a chance to create a boot disk. Insert a blank disk into the drive and click next to create a boot disk. This is recommended, but not mandatory.

Finally, you will receive the "Congratulations" splash screen indicating that installation is complete. Click "Exit" and allow the machine to reboot. Once rebooted you should be test your installation by attempting to log in as root with the password that you set during the installation. Provided that you can successfully do this, the installation should have been successful.

Installation of RH-ldc

Downloading The Packages

In order to install the desktop workstation, you need to download the installer package:

(http://rhems.sourceforge.net/)

Starting the Installation

Installing the RH Linux Domain Controller is easy. Start with a fresh installation, as indicated above. At a minimum, the installation must have the packages installed as indicated above.

Open the files by typing:

tar  -zxf {filename} 

This will create a new directory with the name RHldc. Type:

cd RHldc

This file will display any last-minute changes that may not be included in these directions. When done reading the INSTALL file, press 'q'. And type the following:

./setup.sh 

The initial information screen will appear.  This screen details license information.  (GPL)  Press ENTER to continue.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



     RHSD-RHldc version 2.1, Copyright (C) 2003 Chris Campbell, Elmo Recio

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     RHLDC comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software, and
     you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.

     Select 'View License Details' from the Main Menu for more information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press ENTER to continue.

The primary installation menu will now appear.

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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[1]  Install RHldc-2.1 STANDARD

[2]  Install RHldc-2.1 TNG

[3]  Install RHldc-2.1 TNG [RHems Compatable]

[4]  More Information (Which should I chose?)

[5]  View License Details

[X]  Exit/Stop

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enter your menu choice:

Select 1 "Install RHldc -2.1 STANDARD" (Chose TNG or TNG RHems, if Domain Trusts are required.) This will begin the Email Server Set-up script. This script will ask questions as to how you'd like to configure your server. We will go through them here.

Note: From here on in, anything in a 'text box' which is in bold refers to text which we have typed in for purposes of this documentation. Also note that your domain, aliases, and IP's referenced here may be invalid as per your network configuration. Please refer to your Network Operations center for more information on your server's appropriate DNS, IP, Gateway and other information.

Media Selection

The installation will begin.  The screen will say "Preparing Installation" for several seconds and then will prompt for the Red Hat 8.0 CD's.  As each CD is requested, place the CD into the CD drive and hit ENTER.

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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Preparing installation:

Red Hat 8.0:

Please Insert Red Hat 8.0, Disk 1:

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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Red Hat 8.0:

Copying files from Red Hat 8.0, Disk 1:

/mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/openldap-2.0.25-1.i386.rpm
/mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/openldap-devel-2.0.25-1.i386.rpm
/mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/nss_ldap-198-3.i386.rpm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press ENTER to continue.

The installer will show the packages that are copied from each CD.  If you fail to put the correct CD into the drive, you will see failures messages and you will need to start the install again.

Server Name

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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PHASE I   - Pre-Installation:

                Clearing temp files . . . Done!
                Collecting Information. . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SERVER INFORMATION:

What name would you like the SERVER to be called?
[SERVER.domain.ext]                             :

First thing the installation will ask will be what name would you like for your server.

Server Name

What name would you like the SERVER to be called?
[SERVER.domain.ext]                             :

Specify name that you'd like the Windows machines on the network to see this server as.  This does NOT have to be the same as the qualified domain name (internet name). (But it's a good idea. ;)  )

Domain Name

What name would you like the DOMAIN to be called?
[myserver.DOMAIN.ext]                           :

Specify the name for the domain that you'd like to create.

Ext Name

What name would you like the EXT to be called?
[myserver.mydomain.EXT]                         :

Specify the ext of the domain that you'd like to use.  Generally this doesn't require a fully qualified domain name and thus the install assumes there to be one.  If you don't have one, you can just use .org.

IP Address

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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PHASE I   - Pre-Installation:

                Clearing temp files . . . Done!
                Collecting Information. . . Done!
                Collecting Information. . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NETWORK INFORMATION:

What IP ADDRESS for myserver.mydomain.myext?
[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]                             :

The installation will ask for the IP of the server that RHldc is being installed on.  

LDAP Passcode:

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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The LDAP Directory will need an initial passcode for setup.

What passcode would you like to use for the Directory?
[One word only]                                        :

Default Drive Letter:

Lastly, the installation will ask for the default drive letter for new users.

 Finally, Select the default drive letter for new users.
[Letter only]                                        :

Installation

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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PHASE I   - Pre-Installation: COMPLETE
PHASE II  - Installation:

                Uninstalling Existing Packages. . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Uninstalling openldap:
                        Uninstalling openldap-clients:
                        Uninstalling openldap-servers:

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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PHASE I   - Pre-Installation: COMPLETE
PHASE II  - Installation:

                Uninstalling Existing Packages. . . Done!
                Installing Server Packages. . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Please Wait:

Next, the installation will install the server packages.  This may take several minutes.

Importing Default Users and Groups

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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cat: progress.txt: No such file or directory
                        Installing Domain Groups. . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Confirm Directory Passcode to import Domain Groups
Enter LDAP Password:

Completing the Installation: Adding the Windows "Administrator" and Unix "Root" users.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                              RH Domain Controller 2.1

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Changing password for administrator
New password :

Administrating the Domain:

A web-based administration tool is being developed.  In the interim, use the text-based menu by either selecting Option 2 in setup or executing:

[root@localhost root]# admin.sh

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                          RH Domain Controller 2.0 - STANDARD

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[1]  Domain User Administration

[2]  Domain Group Administration

[3]  Workstation Administration

[4]  Advanced Administration

[X]  Exit/Stop

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Enter your menu choice:

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                          RH Domain Controller 2.0 - STANDARD

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[1]  Configure Backup Domain Controller

[2]  MS-DFS Administration

[3]  Create / Restore R-Disk

[4]  Migration Administration

[5]  Misc Admin

[X]  Main Menu:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your menu choice:

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                          RHSD: RH Server Development Project

                          RH Domain Controller 2.0 - STANDARD

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[1]  Check Domain Controller Services Status

[2]  Reset Domain Services

[3]  Force Domain Controller Synchronization

[4]  Shutdown Domain Controller

[5]  Reboot Domain Controller

[6]  Check Logon Log

[X]  Main Menu:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enter your menu choice:

Web-Based Domain Administration Tools

Be sure to check your new server on the web ( http://servername ) to check out the beginning of the portal.  We're looking to add additional functions for both the user and the administrator.  Webmin has been installed and can be used for some functions in the meantime.  (The Idealx 3rd party module should work for user administration.)

Microsoft Domain Administration Tools

Some of the Microsoft Tools will work to a limited degree with the current Domain Controller set up.  The samba project in development currently aims to allow full functionality in the next version.

As always, the goals of the RHSD projects are not to fully reproduce the administrator tools from other systems, but to aid administrators new to the Linux platform to migrate and acclimate to the new environment.  For best results, read the documentation on the various projects to unleash the more complex functionality.

New in LDC 2.1:

New in LDC 2.0:

Question, Comments and Feedback

cbcampbell@users.sourceforge.net

http://www.rhsd.net