samba - Nov 2011 - Introducing a Linux Client in PDC: Best practice?

Hello dear Samba fellows,

My past configuration:
========================1. Samba PDC with non-roaming Profiles
2. A Windows 7/64 Workstation
3. A netlogon script which maps the User's home directory and diverse 
other samba shares as network drives

My new configuration:
========================In addition to the above:
1. Laptop with "Linux Mint 11"

My questions:
========================1. I want to integrate the laptop in the above mentioned
setup- The
laptop should become a member of the PDC so that all users of the domain 
can log onto the laptop and reach their home directory. How do I do that?
2. I want something similar to my netlogon script to happen on the Linux 
Notebook (i.e. mapping my network shares as network drives/links). Is 
that possible?

Bonus question:
========================In my quest of gradually changing everything to FLOSS,
at some later
point I will want to eliminate the Windows 7/64 box and change it to 
some flavor of Linux, too. Doing so, I would be 100% Linux powered.
Will I be wanting to continue using my Samba PDC as directory and for my 
shares? Or will I be wanting to migrate to some native linux protocols 
such as NFS/NIS or even Kerberos/LDAP, etc.?

Thank you for any input, help, hints, opinions!!

Tom