Group Policy Management for Network Client

The management and configuration of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, and some legacy Windows systems can be simplified and standardized with the use of group policies. Group policies are designed to simplify and centralize the configuration and management of Windows systems and the users who log on to the systems. Group Policy management is segmented into two policy nodes including the Computer Configuration and the User Configuration nodes. The policy settings contained in the Computer Configuration node can be used to configure Registry and file system permissions, define user password policies, change network configuration and firewall settings, manage system services, define and control power profiles, and much more. The User Configuration node contains policy settings that can manage desktop environment settings, including automatically enforcing a standard screensaver and lockout duration, installing printers, running logon scripts, redirecting user folders to a network share and configuring folder synchronization, locking down the desktop environment, and much more.

Windows systems can be managed individually with local group policies, and when the systems are members of Active Directory domains, they can also be managed using domain group policies. Local group policies and domain group policies are similar in function but domain group policies provide additional functionality, as many of the settings included within the policy templates apply only to Active Directory domains. One of the reasons many organizations deploy Active Directory domains is to leverage the capabilities of domain Group Policy Objects.

This tutorial provides an overview and examples of how local and domain Group Policy Objects can be used to manage and configure Windows systems and users.