Usernames

[Daniel Robbins]

I have a question on how to set up usernames under Linux/NT so that our new
Samba setup works properly.  This is how our new system is going to work:

            DOMAIN "OB-GYN"

            "Alfred" -- Windows NT PDC (NT Server 4.0)
              User Profiles stored on this machine
              Since it's a PDC, it processes login requests
              Also WINS server and network print server

            "obgyn" -- Debian Linux Samba Server
              User home directories stored on this machine
              Also mail server, DNS server, ftp server, etc.
              SECURITY=SERVER, authenticates against Alfred's SAM

So, what is going to happen with this set-up is that people will log into the
domain OB-GYN as "username", and their login request will go to "alfred".  
"Alfred" will also provide them with their profile.  They will map to their 
home directory on samba server "obgyn", and "obgyn" will make sure they have
the right password by passing all login requests to "alfred".  So we will use 
"alfred" to manage the passwords for our domain.  People will also have a Linux
account on "obgyn", and their home directory will be /home/username, which is
also going to be their NT home directory. 

The question is: how should we set up usernames on these two systems?  We want
the Linux home directory to be the directory that is shared for their NT
home directory.  Will people need to have identical usernames under Linux and
NT for the automatic [homes] directory mapping to work?  Does this mean that
we will have to limit the usernames under NT to no more than 8 characters,
so that they can match up with their Linux counterpart?  Any comments?  Since
I'm new to linux, is there *any* way to have usernames under Linux that are 
greater than 8 characters?

Any constructive comments & suggestions on our planned setup?  BTW, we will
have 70+ NT Workstations as a part of this domain, and a couple of Win95
machines to boot.

-- 

 Daniel Robbins           "IKnowMen;AndITellYouThatJesusChristIsNotAMan.Superf
 System Administrator      icialMindsSeeAResemblanceBetweenChristAndTheFounders
 Department of OB/GYN      OfEmpires,AndTheGodsOfOtherReligions.ThatResemblance
 University of New Mexico  DoesNotExist...BetweenHimAndWhoeverElseInTheWorld
 drobbins at obgyn.unm.edu    ThereIsNoPossibleTermOfComparison." --Napoleon