Update terminology and formatting in Network Authentication Lab

- Changed "organisation" to "organization" for consistency with American English.
- Standardized the spelling of "customised" to "customized" throughout the document.
- Enhanced clarity in action links for the Active Directory and LDAP setup guides.
- Improved overall readability by ensuring consistent terminology and formatting.
This commit is contained in:
Z. Cliffe Schreuders
2026-02-05 14:19:51 +00:00
parent 75f31341d8
commit 2e4b2e4343

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@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ cybok:
# Introduction {#introduction}
In modern enterprise environments, managing user accounts and authentication across dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of computers becomes impossible without centralised systems. Imagine having to create a separate user account on every single computer for every employee in an organization not only would this be time-consuming, but it would also be a security nightmare when employees leave, passwords need to be changed, or access permissions need to be updated.
In modern enterprise environments, managing user accounts and authentication across dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of computers becomes impossible without centralised systems. Imagine having to create a separate user account on every single computer for every employee in an organisation not only would this be time-consuming, but it would also be a security nightmare when employees leave, passwords need to be changed, or access permissions need to be updated.
Directory services solve this problem by providing a centralised database of users, computers, and other network resources, along with a standardised way for systems to authenticate users and query information about them. This lab will introduce you to two major directory service technologies: **Active Directory** (Microsoft's solution) and **LDAP** (an open standard implemented by various systems).
# What are Directory Services? {#what-are-directory-services}
A **directory service** is a centralised system that stores, organizes, and provides access to information about network resources. Think of it as a specialized database optimized for reading and searching, containing information about:
A **directory service** is a centralised system that stores, organises, and provides access to information about network resources. Think of it as a specialised database optimised for reading and searching, containing information about:
- **Users**: Names, credentials, email addresses, phone numbers, group memberships
- **Computers**: Hostnames, operating systems, network addresses
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Directory services provide several critical functions:
2. **Authorisation**: Determining what authenticated users can access (what you can do)
3. **Centralised Management**: Single location to manage all users and resources
4. **Single Sign-On (SSO)**: Users authenticate once and access multiple systems
5. **Policy Enforcement**: Consistent security policies across the organization
5. **Policy Enforcement**: Consistent security policies across the organisation
# Active Directory vs LDAP {#active-directory-vs-ldap}
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Directory services provide several critical functions:
**Key characteristics:**
- Platform-independent and open standard
- Works with Linux, Unix, macOS, and Windows
- Flexible schema that can be customized
- Flexible schema that can be customised
- Uses various authentication mechanisms (simple bind, SASL)
- Hierarchical structure based on organisational units (OUs)
- Commonly used with additional tools for web-based management
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ Directory services provide several critical functions:
| **Platform** | Windows-centric | Cross-platform |
| **Authentication** | Kerberos (primary) | Various (simple, SASL, Kerberos) |
| **Management** | Native Windows tools, PowerShell | Web interfaces (phpLDAPadmin), CLI tools |
| **Schema** | Fixed Microsoft schema | Flexible, customizable schema |
| **Schema** | Fixed Microsoft schema | Flexible, customisable schema |
| **Group Policy** | Yes (extensive) | No (requires additional tools) |
| **Cost** | Requires Windows Server licenses | Free and open-source |
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ While centralised authentication offers many benefits, it also introduces consid
- **Network Dependency**: Systems may need network connectivity to authenticate
- **Complexity**: Requires careful planning and configuration
> Warning: Because directory services are security-critical, they are prime targets for attackers. Securing your directory service is essential to organizational security.
> Warning: Because directory services are security-critical, they are prime targets for attackers. Securing your directory service is essential to organisational security.
# Key Concepts {#key-concepts}
@@ -134,9 +134,9 @@ While centralised authentication offers many benefits, it also introduces consid
A **Domain Controller** is a server that responds to authentication requests and verifies users on the network. In Active Directory, DCs store a complete copy of the directory database and handle authentication. Organisations typically deploy multiple DCs for redundancy.
## Organizational Units (OUs)
## Organisational Units (OUs)
**Organizational Units** are containers within a directory that organize users, groups, computers, and other objects. They allow administrators to apply policies and delegate administrative control at different levels of the organization.
**Organisational Units** are containers within a directory that organise users, groups, computers, and other objects. They allow administrators to apply policies and delegate administrative control at different levels of the organisation.
## Groups
@@ -177,25 +177,27 @@ The Active Directory guide walks you through:
- Adding users to Active Directory
- Joining Windows clients to the domain
==action: [Click here for the Active Directory Setup Guide](3_ad_setup.md)==
==action: Complete the Active Directory guide:====
[Click here for the Active Directory Setup Guide](../3_ad_setup.md)
## LDAP Setup
The LDAP guide walks you through:
- Setting up an OpenLDAP server on Linux
- Configuring phpLDAPadmin for web-based management
- Creating organizational units and POSIX groups
- Creating organisational units and POSIX groups
- Adding user accounts with proper UID/GID management
- Configuring Linux clients to authenticate against LDAP using nslcd
- Setting up PAM for automatic home directory creation
==action: [Click here for the LDAP Authentication Setup Guide](3_ldap_setup.md)==
==action: Complete the LDAP guide:==
[Click here for the LDAP Authentication Setup Guide](../3_ldap_setup.md)
# Your Assignment {#your-assignment}
## Getting Started
==action: Work through both the Active Directory and LDAP setup guides== to understand how each directory service works and to get hands-on experience with centralized authentication.
==action: Work through both the Active Directory and LDAP setup guides== to understand how each directory service works and to get hands-on experience with centralised authentication.
Once you have completed the setup guides: