View source for Centralized Authentication Proposal

While implementing the BCFG2 configuration management system on the build farm, the prospect of having a passwd, shadow and group file controlled by the utility was brought up several times.   While this is one method of managing a consistent set of users and groups across the build farm, I feel that there is other software available that would be better suited for this task.


===Arguments For===
* More easily managed users
* consistent home directories over NFS
** SSH keys always there
** Test builds stored on network drive/doesn't take up space on builders
* More modern approach to user management
* Less inconsistencies throughout builders
* Ability to document centralized logon performance in ARM space
** valuable research for enterprise hardware

===Arguments Against===
* Additonal services running on Hongkong/Ireland
* Increased network traffic
* additonal point of failure
** Can have backup/slave servers


===Means and methods===

====NIS/NIS+====
* Pros
** Quick and easy
**
* Cons
** Not the most scalable system
*** Mitigated by the fact that our farm is less than 100 machines

====OpenLDAP/389 Directory====
* Pros
** LDAP is an industry standard
** Extensible
** Fine Grained
** Lots of nice and easy to use management tools
* Cons
** Perhaps too complex
**

====Kerberos/Heimdall====

====Other====