Preface

After many years of hard work, coding, and testing, the open source community was presented with the Samba software Version 4 at the end of 2012. Whoever was involved in the Samba project or had participated in the community knows how much this version was awaited. Besides all the new features that the Samba Server Version 4 brings in this important release, the one that stands out unanimously is the Active Directory capabilities. Microsoft Active Directory Services is a very popular technology among different companies, from small or medium size organizations to big enterprises.

With the new Samba 4 software version, users and system administrators will be able to implement an Active Directory Server, file and print services, and deliver a broad range of network services using open source technology. Samba 4 has main built-in capabilities needed for the server side of the Active Directory services, such as the LDAP server, the Kerberos Key Distribution Center, and a simple DNS server.

This book is a practical guide intended to provide easy-to-use, step-by-step procedures to help users and system administrators implement Active Directory services on their networks using the freedom of open source software. We will learn how to use the Samba 4 Server as an Active Directory server, as well as understand the other roles this software can play in the organization environment.