Group Policy Overview and Management

A set of rules used by Active Directory to manage and control user and computer settings on a network.

A container that holds and defines one or more policies for a user's or computer's settings.

Group Policy controls a user's work environment, including computer configuration, user environment, and account policies.

There are two main types of Group Policy settings: Computer Configuration and User Configuration.

GPOs apply to Active Directory objects such as domains, sites, and organizational units (OUs).

A location within Group Policy that holds more than 550 registry-based settings for customizing user environments.

The setting is not configured, meaning the registry is untouched and the default behavior is used.

The setting is enabled, meaning the registry is modified to reflect the selected policy.

The setting is disabled, meaning the registry is modified to reflect that the policy setting is not selected.

Policies set in Computer Configuration usually take precedence over those set in User Configuration.

Policy settings applied directly to a computer, overriding any default settings but taking precedence over AD policies of the same kind.

Policies are passed down from parent to child containers within a domain, with the child inheriting settings from both itself and its parent.

Applying Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to specific organizational units (OUs), domains, or sites within Active Directory. This determines which computers and users are affected by the GPO's settings.

A tool used to manage Group Policy settings, enabling administrators to modify default configurations for various aspects of the operating system, user profiles, and applications.

Group Policy Management Console. It's a centralized platform that allows administrators to manage and configure Group Policies within Active Directory.

The GPMC provides capabilities to manage Group Policies, including backing up, restoring, importing, copying, pasting, creating, deleting, renaming, linking, and searching GPOs.

A policy that applies only to a specific computer, providing limited configuration options compared to Active Directory Group Policies.

Policies created within Active Directory to control settings for objects like domains, sites, and organizational units, overriding local group policies.

A section within Group Policy that applies settings specifically to users, including software, Windows settings, and security configurations.

A section within Group Policy that applies settings to computers, including software, Windows settings, and security configurations.

Group Policy is a feature of Windows that lets you control the working environment of users and computers in a network. You can set rules for everything from what programs users can install to what security settings are enforced.

Group Policy settings are applied to different objects in Active Directory, like domains, sites, and organizational units (OUs). This allows you to target specific groups of users or computers.

A Group Policy Object (GPO) is a container that holds a set of rules (policies) for managing user and computer settings in a network. It defines how the Group Policy should be applied.

Group Policy settings are divided into two types: Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Computer Configuration affects the computer's settings, while User Configuration affects the user's specific settings.

Administrative templates are stored within the Group Policy Object (GPO) and contain registry-based Group Policy settings for configuring the user environment.

An administrative template setting can be in one of three states: Not Configured, Enabled, or Disabled. Not Configured means the registry is not modified, Enabled means the setting is applied, and Disabled means the setting is not applied.

Group Policies are applied in a specific order: Local GPO first, then Site GPOs, Domain GPOs, and finally Organizational Unit (OU) GPOs. Each level can override settings from the previous levels.

Cumulative inheritance means that policies are passed down from parent to child containers within a domain. Each child container inherits the settings of its parent container.

Group Policies are applied when a user logs in or when a computer starts up.

When a local setting conflicts with an Active Directory (AD) setting, the AD setting takes precedence.

Group Policy settings are organized into two categories: Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Computer Configuration settings affect the computer itself, while User Configuration settings affect the user's experience.

GPMC (Group Policy Management Console) allows administrators to link GPOs (Group Policy Objects) to specific Active Directory objects, such as sites, domains, or OUs. This determines which computers and users are affected by the GPO's settings.

GPMC enables administrators to search for specific GPOs within the Active Directory environment. This helps locate and manage policies based on names, settings, or other criteria.

Local Group Policy applies settings for a single computer, while Active Directory Group Policy controls settings for objects like domains, sites, and OUs. Active Directory policies take precedence over local policies.

When a computer is connected to a domain, the Active Directory Group Policy settings take precedence because they are enforced at a higher level within the network.

The two main nodes in Group Policy are Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Computer Configuration controls settings that affect the computer itself, while User Configuration affects individual users' experiences.

The Software Settings node within Group Policy holds settings related to software installation, updates, and management for both users and computers.

The Startup/Shutdown settings are found under Computer Configuration, while Logon/Logoff settings are under User Configuration. This reflects their different scopes of application.

User Configuration in Group Policy also includes Remote Installation Services, Folder Redirection, and Internet Explorer Maintenance, which cater to specific user-related settings.