Authentication Server Advantages

[stickyfly19]

My question is fairly simple. Are or is there a benefit to have just an authentication server for a fairly large and growing company upon a system install? I understand that os x server encompasses all services together so you don't have to separate all services to individual servers. But for security or performance issues doesn't this make sense?

My idea is to have one authentication server, one services server (dhcp, dns, windows, etc.), and the promise raid solution. Any ideas about setup or a different way to configure it, that I am missing?

thanks,

-r

 

[ChrisA]

I don't understand what you are asking. Are you thinking about having multiple servers each running one service? If so you must be coming from an MS Windows environment. Only Windows users do that . You never see that done on UNIX based servers. So my answer is to base your decision on performance, CPU utilization and any possible a need for a "hot spare" machine.

 

[DHagan4755]

I am the network administrator for a school district, and I have one of my Xserves dedicated to authentication and it is also serving DHCP and acts as a Windows Primary Domain Controller. I have approximately 2,200 users in my Open Directory Master. A few of the dedicated home directory servers are running as Open Directory Replicas.

 

[pismobrat]

authentication

Hi,

The fellow posting above me has a sounds point for a sence of "load balance"

Since his environment is of a capacity, having one server authenticating users and doing multiple services would be rather streneous on one server.

The thrashing of network data going to the server loading authentication and user settings could be too much.

My experience is based on these factors.

If the environment is under 200 Users on a gigabit network and the server houses the account profiles, you might be fine if you've got home folders set to mobile sync ever so often (then the account files are saved on the workstation as well as on the server, thus reducing network congestion)

Your best way to balance out your solution is to look at these factors.

1) Does your server have home folders. If so, is there a lot of data, and/or are they running realtime from the server or did you setup mobile sync.
2) Asses the side of the user folders. If people have too much data and it is running accross the network - slow logins etc will be affected.

I can talk for ages on this, but these are some good starting points.