running Samba Active Directory Server on Windows desktop (for developing)

Huh, I completely confused by others editing my post... breaking all system of referencing and linking into a mess...

Bifurcating the question (1)

Can anybody share experience and/or links on running Samba Linux Active Directory Server, like in "Samba 4: Linux Active Directory Server", on Windows workstation (like XP Pro)?

What are pro and contra of using Cygwin vs. running Linux in virtual machine for this?

jscott wrote in question(1): "Windows, specifically its licensing philosophy, is quite antithetical to the ideals of the GPL".

I could not get: what are the problems of running GPL applications on Windows?

Besides, ComputerWorld tells us:

• "Bartlett said the Samba team now has a good relationship with Microsoft and the password bug was never in any of its documentation so "they never thought it existed". Microsoft has also provided a copy of its AD schema which can be worked around by the Samba team"

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Edit1 (concerning XP Eula):

I forked the issues of ethical use of Windows Xp as server to question Windows XP used as server

Solution 1:

I would certainly use samba in its native environment: a linux VM inside Virtualbox or Vmware.

It's surely more mature and tested : ample userbase, more documentation , etc. Of course one of the best starting points is samba site itsself

There are absolutley no (legal) problems on running GPL software on windows , some people object it for "ethical" reasons just becacuse it would not be a completely "Free" (as in speech) environment.

I would not recommend a Windows xp OS as a production enviroment for the domain hosted by samba but it's sureley great for testing and prototyping