What are easy/low-cost options to leverage existing AD infrastructure for use with "loosely managed" UNIX-like systems (Mac OS X, Linux)?
NIS+ is dead. NIS is ancient with architectural security issues and is deprecated. LDAP doesn't have the same authentication strength as kerberos backed AD, not to mention host management features of aD.
Looking to take full advantage of Active Directory, not just as a user authentication service (kerberos and password management and other identity management functions) but as a host management platform (as when we push out Group Policy Objects to bound windows clients).