User authentication - Windows to UNIX

[MasterofNone]

Have a windows 2000 domain. Some users will be accessing unix based servers. What I need to know is does windows authenticate using upper or lower case when talking to unix based servers?? Tried to google but was going around in circles

 

[MoobyCow]

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking for. So let me know if this answers your question.

Unix usernames are case sensative, but it will check Windows logon requests in this way:
(Note this is for Samba, which is the most common way to share Unix file systems with Windows)

1. Check for a user account with the exact name sent by the client.

2. Test the username in all lowercase letters

3. Test the username in lowercase letters with only the first letter capitalized

 

[MasterofNone]

In preplanning at the moment. Trying to pre-epmt any issues by finding out whether windows will authenticate a username in upper or lower case. I know its a case of trial and error once we are installed, was trying to get a jump on the situation. Fully aware unix is case sensitive, thus why the question was posed. Windows not case sensitive but will obviously pass information permanently one way or the other. Personally wouldn't believe it will capitalise on the 1st letter

 

[penauroth]

Windows cares less if the username contains upper or lower case letters however, UNIX does. In the overall scheme of things, Windows will pass the credentials to the UNIX system as is and await for the UNIX system to authorize or deny access. Therefore, usernames will have to be case-sensitive when authenticating to a UNIX system. Hope this helps.

Paul

Work on Windows, play on Linux.

 

[MoobyCow]

Well you don't have to believe it will try authenticating with the first letter capitalized it will do it anyway
(

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/samba/chapter/book/ch06_02.html)

Your best bet will be to simply add the users to Unix with all lowercase usernames.

If you have long usernames (over 8 characters) you will probably have to implement user name mapping, which is basically a text file that maps the long user names to simpler usernames of less than 8 characters so that the users can log on.

It's also possible to get Samba 3.0 to authenticate using Active Directory, but I have a small usergroup and never found it necessary to play with it. It also depends upon the flavor of Unix, Solaris can do this, but I don't think HP-Unix can.

Here's a good place to start if you're interested in that:

http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1563