[plug] making linux desktops consistent

[raven at themaw.net]

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004, Mark O'Shea wrote:

> On Tue, 27 Apr 2004, Sol Hanna wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm getting two new PCs to be installed with Suse Linux which will add
> > to two existing Linux clients. They are all connected to a Linux server
> > running NFS server. I've copied over /etc/passwd, /etc/hosts/ &
> > /etc/shadow from the server so that they all have the same users,
> > password and vital information. But the desktops are starting to get
> > inconsistent (because users, for instance, add an icon to the desktop on
> > one machine, and then get upset when they can't find it on another -
> > ditto for browser bookmarks). There are several users, and they just use
> > which ever machine is available, generally speaking.
> >
> > I want to make the desktops consistent for each user, but I don't really
> > want to use VNC because I've got good machines and want to take
> > advantage of the power/speed, etc. I've been checking the web for ideas
> > but haven't found anything inspiring yet. And the KDE Admin Guide
> > doesn't have an answer to quite what I'm looking for.
> >
> > I was thinking of using NFS to mount /srv/home on the server as /home on
> > the clients, but I've got a feeling that this would lead to very nasty
> > consequences (apart from if the connection between server and client is
> > broken). Is this safe? Has anyone done anything like this?

This is standard practice if you have a decent number of users and 
machines.

So it really depends on whether you trust your network.

> >
> > Or is there another, possibly safer and/or simpler method of making
> > desktop logins consistent from PC to the next?
> >
> > (NB: I'm using KDE ATM, but am prepared to look into GNOME if it has
> > anything special to offer in this department.)
> >
> 
> Mounting home directories over NFS has been a pretty standard way of doing
> things in the UNIX world.  There is no reason why you shouldn't do this
> with Linux (providing no NFS traffic can leave or enter your network, it's
> not the most secure thing around).
> 
> If you don't want to be copying config files like passwd, hosts etc.
> around then you could use NIS to store this config on the server and have
> the clients use them for configuration (or fall back on local files when
> the network is unavailable).  There is a how-to at
> http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/NIS-HOWTO/index.html.  I don't know how good it
> is, but this system has been around for a while, there is loads of stuff
> on the net about it.

NIS is heavily used at sites that have a decent number of users. It's well 
extablished. As far as I'm aware the there are quite a few people using 
Linux NIS, including myself.

You can store automount maps there as well.

Ian