While Windows and macOS dominate standard enterprise endpoints, specialized engineering, DevOps, and data science teams increasingly deploy Ubuntu Linux workstations. Bringing Linux under enterprise identity and compliance governance requires two distinct integrations: joining on-premises Active Directory via SSSD & Realmd for Kerberos authentication, and enrolling in Microsoft Intune for Linux for Conditional Access compliance evaluation.
Step 1: Joining Ubuntu to Active Directory with Realmd & SSSD
# 1. Install Realmd and SSSD packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y realmd sssd sssd-tools adcli krb5-user packagekit samba-common-bin
# 2. Discover Domain Controller
sudo realm -v discover corp.contoso.com
# 3. Join the Domain (Enter Domain Admin credentials)
sudo realm join -v -U admin_user corp.contoso.com --install=/
# 4. Enable automatic home directory creation on login
sudo pam-auth-update --enable mkhomedir
# 5. Allow all domain users or specific AD group
sudo realm permit -g "Domain Users"
Step 2: Enrolling Ubuntu in Microsoft Intune
To enforce Conditional Access and ensure the Linux workstation is evaluated for full-disk encryption (LUKS) and minimum OS password complexity:
# Install Microsoft Intune App for Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y curl gpg
curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg
sudo install -o root -g root -m 644 microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/prod $(lsb_release -cs) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-ubuntu-$(lsb_release -cs)-prod.list'
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y intune-portal microsoft-edge-stable
# Launch Intune Portal to complete Entra ID registration
intune-portal
