Connecting Linux server to Active Directory

Hideez Enterprise Server – Connecting Linux Server to Active Directory

This guide outlines the steps to connect a Linux server to an Active Directory (AD) domain. The process varies slightly between Ubuntu and CentOS distributions.

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1. Edit /etc/hosts File

Edit the /etc/hosts file to add or update the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) for the host:

bashCopy code127.0.1.1       <hostname>.<Domain_Name>  <hostname>

You may also need to add the FQDN for the AD server:

bashCopy code<server_ip>       <Server_Name>.<Domain_Name>  <Server_Name>

Ensure the AD server is installed as a DNS server for proper connectivity. Check the current DNS settings with:

bashCopy codecat /etc/resolv.conf

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2. Configure DNS Settings

Ubuntu 18.04

1. Install resolvconf package:

   bashCopy codesudo apt update
   sudo apt install resolvconf
   sudo systemctl enable resolvconf.service

2. Edit the /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/head file to add the line:

   bashCopy codenameserver  <server_ip>

3. Start the resolvconf service:

   bashCopy codesudo systemctl start resolvconf.service

CentOS 7

1. Add the following lines to the network interface configuration (replace ifcfg-* with your actual network interface):

   bashCopy codePEERDNS=no
   DNS1=<server_ip>

2. Restart the NetworkManager:

   bashCopy codesudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

3. Check /etc/resolv.conf again:

   bashCopy codecat /etc/resolv.conf

4. (Optional) Install bind-utils:

   bashCopy codesudo yum install bind-utils -y

5. Verify domain resolution:

   bashCopy codenslookup <Domain_Name>

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3. Install Necessary Packages

Ubuntu 18.04

bashCopy codesudo apt install realmd samba-common-bin samba-libs sssd-tools krb5-user adcli

CentOS 7

bashCopy codesudo yum install sssd realmd oddjob oddjob-mkhomedir adcli samba-common samba-common-tools krb5-workstation openldap-clients policycoreutils-python -y

During the installation of Kerberos, confirm the domain and specify the server name.

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4. Discover the Domain

Check if the domain is visible on the network:

bashCopy coderealm discover <Domain_Name>

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5. Join the Domain

To join the machine to the domain, use:

bashCopy codesudo realm --verbose join <Domain_Name> -U <YourDomainAdmin> --install=/

If there are no errors, the server should now appear in the domain controller.

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6. Update ldap.conf for Self-Signed Certificates

If the Active Directory server uses self-signed certificates, edit the ldap.conf file:

• Ubuntu: /etc/ldap/ldap.conf

• CentOS: /etc/openldap/ldap.conf

Add the following parameter at the end of the file:

bashCopy codeTLS_REQCERT never

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7. Installation Check

To retrieve all users, execute the following command (you will need to enter a password):

bashCopy codeldapsearch -x -H "ldaps://<Domain_Name>" -D "<YourDomainAdmin>@<Domain_Name>" -W -b "dc=<dc>,dc=<dc>, ..." "objectCategory=person" name

For example, if your domain is hideez.example.com and your administrator is named "administrator", the command would look like this:

bashCopy codeldapsearch -x -H "ldaps://hideez.example.com" -W -D "[e-mail]" -b "dc=hideez,dc=example,dc=com" "objectCategory=person" name

8. Troubleshooting

If you encounter an error, add the -d1 option to the command to get detailed error information.

bashCopy codeldapsearch -x -H "ldaps://hideez.example.com" -W -D "[e-mail]" -b "dc=hideez,dc=example,dc=com" "objectCategory=person" name -d1

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By following these steps, you should successfully connect your Linux server to an Active Directory environment.