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

The GPMC is absolutely the primary tool that Active Directory administrators use to work with Group Policy settings. This console is critically important to your role as a Windows Server administrator. In addition to giving you a glance into the console where we will be spending so much time over the course of this book, I hope this chapter prompts you to start thinking outside the box about other server management duties in the future. Using the RSAT package on a regular workstation can completely change your server security stance.

Join me as we dive next into the meat and potatoes of Group Policy—the common tasks that you will be required to handle on a daily basis.