# Loading_Program

__Guns. Lots of guns.__

Loading Program is a Rust binary which makes an LDAP request to the Samba AD DC and returns information on users in the `lab-committee` group creates home directories in the Stockroom NFS for those users.

The main challenge this program aims to address is the conflict between the AutoFS daemon owning the directories `pam_mkhomedir.so` is trying to make home directories in. Since AutoFS maps the CephFS directory `/mnt/stockroom/homes` to `/homes` on configured machines, `pam_mkhomedir.so` (the pam module which creates home directories for first-time users who do not have them) fails and the user has no workspace. By using a separate program with the right capabilities to make home directories on behalf of the PAM module, it doesn't get a chance to fail.

## Process flow

Loading Program is a binary. When ran, it performs the following actions:

1. Parse the configuration file found in `/etc/loading-program/config.toml`
- This informs the program on variables such as ldap_uri, bind_dn, bind_password_file, base_dn, group_dn, homes_dir, and skel_dir.

2. Make a LDAP request to Samba AD DC and return attributes such as sAMAccountName, unixHomeDirectory, uidNumber, and gidNumber.
- These attributes are used to structure the commands to create the appropriate home directory in Stockroom.

3. Create home directory, including setting adequate directory permissions and copying in a skeleton file template.

## Automation

Systemd unit files are included in the `systemd` directory of this repository. These are used to trigger and log runs of Loading Program, as well as automate runs of the program via a timer unit file.

Privileged users may manually trigger Loading Program using systemd (recommended) or by running the binary and specifying the arguments appropriately.