This page tries to document the changes needed in lwat to use the new features available in Debian Edu after "ldapifying" DHCP and DNS services. These changes don't affect at the way the users are managed, but to the way machines must be added for the network to work properly.

This attached file has the slapcat dump of a server that has being in production using this setup since May 2008. Most of the user accounts have been removed for confidentially reasons. There still a couple of them left (with messed data) in case its setup can be useful. The hosts setup hasn't been altered.

Adding non-thin client machines

Currently, when adding a new machine, lwat asks for its host_name, MAC_address, IP_address and domain_name. Then, it adds the machine to the ou=hosts branch in the ldap tree. With the new setup, this is useless.

These are the ldap branches where the machine must be added:


DHCP setup

DHCP setup

This is the ldif for the needed new entry:

dn: cn=host_name,cn=group1,cn=INTERNAL,cn=DHCP ....
cn: host_name
objectClass: top
objectClass: dhcpHost
dhcpHWAddress: ethernet MAC_address
dhcpStatements: fixed-address host_name

Where group1 must be increased to group2, group3, etc. as the current ldap containing no more than 250 machines in every group. This is a limitation of the current use of ldap as a DHCP3 server backend. The group where the machine is added don't mind.

Obviously, this setup is not needed if the machine doesn't need a fixed hostname and address

DNS setup

Both, inverse and direct resolution must be configured. Using, as example, an ip address 172.23.36.30:

PowerDNS setup

dn: dc=30,dc=36,dc=23,dc=172,dc=in-addr,dc=arpa,ou=hosts,dc=...
changetype: add
objectclass: dnsdomain2
objectclass: domainrelatedobject
dc: 30
associateddomain: 30.36.23.172.in-addr.arpa
PTRRecord: host_name.domain_name


dn: dc=host_name,dc=domain_name,ou=hosts,dc=...
changetype: add
objectclass: dnsdomain2
objectclass: domainrelatedobject
dc: host_name
associateddomain: host_name.domain name
ARecord: 172.23.36.30

Netgroup


NetGroups view
The machine has to be added to its Netgroup too.

Adding thin client machines

Only the DHCP config is needed:

dn: cn=host_name,cn=group1,cn=THINCLIENTS,cn=DHCP Config,dc=...
cn: host_name
objectClass: top
objectClass: dhcpHost
dhcpHWAddress: ethernet MAC_address
dhcpStatements: filename "/var/lib/tftpboot/ltsp/i386/pxelinux.0"


DHCP setup for thinclients