Kerberos

Nicholas is a RHEL engineer at NASA. He wants to configure his RHEL-based system to authentice using Kerberos. What steps should Nicholas perform?

To configure a RHEL-based system to authenticate using Kerberos, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Install the necessary packages: yum install krb5-workstation krb5-libs

2. Edit the /etc/krb5.conf file to include the Kerberos realm information. The configuration file should contain the following information:

   • [libdefaults]
     default_realm = EXAMPLE.COM
     dns_lookup_realm = false
     dns_lookup_kdc = false
     ticket_lifetime = 24h
     renew_lifetime = 7d
     forwardable = true
     
     [realms]
     EXAMPLE.COM = {
     kdc = kerberos.example.com
     admin_server = kerberos.example.com
     }
     
     [domain_realm]
     .example.com = EXAMPLE.COM
     example.com = EXAMPLE.COM
3. Verify that the Kerberos configuration is correct by using the kinit command to obtain a Kerberos ticket. For example:
   • kinit user@EXAMPLE.COM
4. Configure the system to use Kerberos for authentication. Edit the /etc/sssd/sssd.conf file and add the following lines to the [sssd] section:
   • [sssd]
     ...
     auth_provider = krb5
     krb5_server = kerberos.example.com
     krb5_realm = EXAMPLE.COM

5. Restart the SSSD service: systemctl restart sssd

6. Test Kerberos authentication by logging in to the system with a user account that is managed by Kerberos.

Note that these steps are a simplified overview and may vary depending on your specific environment and requirements. It's recommended to consult the official RHEL documentation and best practices for more detailed instructions.