Book Image

Mastering Windows Group Policy

By : Jordan Krause
5 (1)
Book Image

Mastering Windows Group Policy

5 (1)
By: Jordan Krause

Overview of this book

This book begins with a discussion of the core material any administrator needs to know in order to start working with Group Policy. Moving on, we will also walk through the process of building a lab environment to start testing Group Policy today. Next we will explore the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and start using the powerful features available for us within that interface. Once you are well versed with using GPMC, you will learn to perform and manage the traditional core tasks inside Group Policy. Included in the book are many examples and walk-throughs of the different filtering options available for the application of Group Policy settings, as this is the real power that Group Policy holds within your network. You will also learn how you can use Group Policy to secure your Active Directory environment, and also understand how Group Policy preferences are different than policies, with the help of real-world examples. Finally we will spend some time on maintenance and troubleshooting common Group Policy-related issues so that you, as a directory administrator, will understand the diagnosing process for policy settings. By the end of the book, you will be able to jump right in and use Group Policy to its full potential.
Table of Contents (12 chapters)

Summary

PowerShell is the ultimate Windows administration tool, capable of reaching into even the deepest, darkest parts of our computer and server operating systems. Group Policy administration can be made more efficient by defining your common, everyday tasks, and building out PowerShell commands in order to perform those actions. This enables you to do the daily chores without having to log into a Domain Controller, and without having to open GPMC in any way. These cmdlets can then be saved to be run very quickly in the future, or even set to run automatically at scheduled intervals, such as with GPO Backups.

There are many ways to dig deeper into GPOs by using the PowerShell cmdlets inside the Group Policy module, allowing you to accomplish anything via PowerShell that you would otherwise be able to do with GPMC, including modifying the settings inside GPOs.

Do I expect all...