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georgopanosFlag for United States of America

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Setup a linux server on a simple network with 25 Computers

I am setting up a linux server on a small network for people to access their files, each windows computer will have local login.
I will create logins on the linux server that will be for each individual on the network.
I will map each computer with the appropriate folders that belong to those users.
How can I handle it if someone else needs to use someone else's computer and would like to access their personal files?
Should I have 2 logins, one belonging to the user of that system and a guest of some sort but how can they get to their files easily without needing me to map the drive for them? I need simple because these are not very technical people.

thanks
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arnold
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the logins have to be within the samba share and not necessarily as part of the local login /etc/passwd

smbpasswd  ....
you have to decide whether access to the share/files requires the user to also be able to login onto the server....

Your time table and the existing system, (PRO version?) look at samba4 +DC setup such that the Linux box could be functioning as an AD DC...

Have you decided/look at the various linux distribution to see with which you will go?

usually, each user will have their own files. then you would setup a share that is shared between/among your users.....

make sure to setup a backup of data to cover the erroneous deletion of a file by a user...
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I will definitely be using CENTOS
See if the following helps https://imanudin.net/2014/11/16/how-to-install-samba4-active-directory-on-centos-7-part-1/

Are you looking to centralize management of systems?
No I don't want a centralized login, but I was thinking about the situation and came up with an idea. I want a local login for the person who uses the computer daily, but like I had said what if I make a guest login also with some type of script that pops up to ask for samba credentials to map that persons personal folders. Do you have any ideas how to approach this?
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arnold
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Let me ask this, I was also thinking about the script situation and that is a great idea. Understand one thing I am dealing with Stupid, and the end users want pretty and simple looking. So is there a simple GUI Dialog box that they can double click ask for credentials and map the appropriate drives for them and then auto disconnect those drive on log out? (basically a client kind of like Novell used to have back in the day)

Is there a way from windows to check what shares a person has on the server? So for example their main share would be their home folder and other shares might be the accounting department share and also a public share?
There is no record unless you create one that can be consulted for each user, which in an environment such as you've described, a centralized is optimal as it provides for simpler backup practices, I.e. If all data is stored on server/s it can be backed versus having to setup/backup each user's system.

25 workstations/server combination.
Rsync among other technologies can be used to maintain/synchronize files between/among servers as a hot copy.

.....

Twenty five computer suggests there are at least 25 people using them
Trying to maintain 25 logins on as few as two systems is nightmarish since any time any user changes their password, the two systems have to be manually updated since you never know how many such changes might pass before a user's system failed and they will try to use of the two. ....

Openldap can be setup as a replica on an older workstation for the sole purpose to provide live credentialing should the main be in accessible as well .......
Similar to old ref PRimary DC, backup DC.
...
What @arnold said, trying to maintain 25 users with different passwords + same user name across any number of computers will have you pulling your hair out in no time.

Using LDAP, as he suggested, is likely a good step.

As I recall, Windows can tie directly into LDAP also, which means all users can maintain their own user name/pass without ringing you up for some sort of manual syncing you have to do by hand.
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Get a windows server.