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)

Group Policy loopback processing

There is quite a bit of information to keep track of in the Group Policy world. You have the four tiers of GP processing (local/site/domain/OU), then the two different sets of policy settings available inside GPME (User Configuration settings versus Computer Configuration settings)—we haven't even discussed Group Policy Preferences yet—and then all of our Scopes, Links, Security Filters, WMI Filters—the list goes on and on. So, we may as well throw one more wrench into the mix, this thing called Group Policy Loopback Processing.

Loopback Processing is essentially the act of getting User Configuration settings to apply to Computer accounts. Wait a minute, that goes against everything we have learned so far, doesn't it?! Yes. To this point, we have spoken over and over about keeping User settings inside GPOs that are...