libnsswinbind

libnsswinbind is a system library that provides Name Service Switch (NSS) functionality for integrating Linux or Unix-like systems with Windows Active Directory or other Windows NT-based domains. It allows these systems to resolve user, group, and host information from a Windows domain controller. This is achieved by leveraging the winbind daemon, which communicates with the domain controller using the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

When configured, libnsswinbind enables users and administrators to authenticate and manage users and groups defined in the Windows domain directly from the Linux/Unix system. This simplifies user management in environments that mix Windows and Unix-like systems. It allows for features like single sign-on, domain user home directory mapping, and group membership checks against the domain. The library acts as a bridge, translating NSS queries into requests that winbind can understand and process against the Windows domain. It typically works by implementing the NSS modules that the operating system uses to look up various name services, such as passwd, group, and hosts.