Red Hat Enterprise IPA

Red Hat Enterprise IPA is an open source identity and access management solution that centrally manages identity, policy, and audits for users, machines, and services in your Linux and Unix environment.

Based upon open technologies and standards including LDAP and Kerberos, Red Hat Enterprise IPA provides single sign-on services, high availability directory service, an access control framework and auditing of user activities in an easy to install and manage package. It is built with interoperability in mind which means easy integration with existing tools including Active Directory, easy migration off of NIS, and elimination of vendor lock in.

Advantages of Enterprise IPA include:

• Single sign-on using Kerberos and LDAP
• Basic host-based access control
• Services mutually authenticate and encrpt leveraging Kerberos
• Support for open standards, an access control framework

Featuring Multi-master directory replication

Authentication services are critical to any enterprise and centralising those services could lead to a single point of failure. By incorporating technologies from Red Hat's robust Directory Server product, Red Hat Enterprise IPA can be deployed in the most mission-critical environments.

Features like multi-master replication and support for online backups, updates, and configuration changes ensure that the services are available 24x7.

Integration with your existing environment

While Enterprise IPA is optimised for your Linux and Unix environments, it also fits well with other technologies. Synchronisation with Active Directory for users, groups, and passwords is available.

Many organisations are looking to migrate off of NIS a directory based solution for efficiency and compliance. Red Hat provides a robust tool in the Penroe virtual directory that aids in migration from NIS to IPA. This tool helps identify conflicts, aids the administrator in resolving them, and enables a slow migration instead of a big bang, flip the switch approach.