HELP !!!! Group policy !

Hi guys ...
we are on a unix network but all our client pcs are windows boxes.. Win98 and up.
I need to implement new security and user policies on the pcs (around 200).
I really dont know from where to start and above all how to start..... :shock:
Any software or utility to make my life easy ??
regards
nitish

I don't think there is any easy answer considering you are running a UNIX backbone with mixed windows clients. If a majority of your clients are NT, 2000 or XP, than AD is probably gonna save you some headaches (although it can create a lot too).

I am fighting with the same problem as you. I have about 200 XP clients, 40 Solaris 8 clients, and 10 Fedora Linux clients. My server environment is a mix of Fedora, NT 4, Solaris, Server 2000 and Server 2003.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has taken the beauty of LDAP and turned it into a mess (proprietary). I can not get any of my *nix boxes to authenticate with AD. I am working with OpenLDAP right now as a replacement for my NIS domain but I always run into the same problem: two serparate networks.

I know there are white papers out there that prove otherwise but I have had no success.

I too have had a lot of security policies pushed onto my desk and I was able to fulfill all of them on the windows clients using Active Directory and Group Policy. However, my windows client base is all XP.

What kind of policies do you need to implement? How are your clients authenticating currently? What kind of budget do you have?

now to complicate things ... my manager does not want to hear any microsoft solution.. so no AD for the time being !!|

i do agree that this would have solved a number of my problems ..

The users authenticate using their local accounts and we use PC netlink for network resources ...

our users are all sotware engineers ( always doing some R&D on their pc) and i need to strenghen the policies.

euhhh fink the manager is a cool dude and he always gives me the softwares i need ...

so budget is no problem .. all i want is to find a way to manage the policies on a unix backbone !!!!

A IT Manager who talks sense!!

lol a rare breed in todays world..

AD will never work as its intended without the whole network being pure m$ based. You will come in to so many problems otherwise.

Good move tell ure boss!!

Unfortuantly Unix is not my thing!! post something in the unix forum, maybe there is someone who can help.

:lol:

Take a look at this: www.autoprof.com/profile/index.html

Personally, I think AD is going to be your best bet for you MS clients. It is really not that difficult or expensive to set up or administer. We have *nix doing everything (DNS, DHCP, Samba) except User Authentication and Group Policy. If you want to centrally manage your windows clients, AD is going to be the easiest route.

Of course you could always go to every MS client and configure each one of them. AD lets you push the changes out immediately to all your MS clients (except 9x).

Whether you are a MS lover or hater, if you have MS clients in your organization, you have to find the best solution for your users. Unfortunately, MS makes its a pain to use any third party or open source solutions.

Good luck!