Be Careful If You Use 2003 R2!

So far, this book has been very informative and helpful. The authors do a good job of telling you just what you need to know -- nothing more, nothing less.

However, I have run into a problem. I want to use Windows 2003 R2 as my Windows platform (besides, if you're going to download demo software from Microsoft, this is the version they'll give you!), and I want my Linux clients to authenticate to Active Directory, without using WinBind. This book runs through the process for accomplishing this using SFU 3.x and pre-R2 Windows 2003 Server. This seems fine, because the book states "not to worry" and says that there is a web appendix online at the book's website which takes you through the steps if you are using R2 and Identity Management Services for Unix.

Unfortunately, on the website, there's simply a "Coming Soon!" statement when you click the web appendix link. This feels like a bait and switch, really, because Microsoft has made schema changes in the move from SFU 3.x to ID Services for Unix, and you can't modify your ldap.conf file appropriately without knowing what schema names to map to. That this book was published in 2005, but the web appendix has yet to appear doesn't seem promising.

So, essentially, this book is already obsolete (at least with respect to Linux client authentication to AD). And I have yet to find online documentation anywhere that tells me plainly what schema objects have changed names (and to what!) in moving to R2. So you'll find yourself in a dead end if you buy this book hoping to accomplish this goal.

Given that this book explicitly states that it will provide information on authenticating Linux clients to Windows 2003 R2 servers running Identity Management Services for Unix, yet it fails to do so, is enough of a reason to rate this book only 2 stars.

Other Reviews

• Been Looking for this book
• Should be retired
• Be Careful If You Use 2003 R2!
• Good for Windows Admins