Active Directory and LDAP server

[Guest]

If we have an LDAP server that stores user names/pwds, etc.
If we can validate users against LDAP server, is this sufficient or
we still need to maintain Active Directory?

'cause we have various systems we are thinking of considering the possibility
of having LDAP server to do authentication at a single point and then
be able to logon to various systems like windows/Novell/Unix.

Is it possible and how can it be done?

Thank you,
-Me

 

[Enkidu]

If we have an LDAP server that stores user names/pwds, etc.
If we can validate users against LDAP server, is this sufficient or
we still need to maintain Active Directory?

'cause we have various systems we are thinking of considering the possibility
of having LDAP server to do authentication at a single point and then
be able to logon to various systems like windows/Novell/Unix.

Is it possible and how can it be done?

I'd say a qualified no. You might be able to get other services to use
the LDAP in AD, but it is unlikely that you'd be able to get Win2k to
use another LDAP. If you do that you'd need massive changes to the
foreign LDAP. If you have other services using AD's LDAP, you'd also
likely need to make major changes to the AD schema. And that's without
considering the possibility of conflicts between the scemas.

But it may be theoretically possible.

Cheers,

Cliff