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