🏁 Introduction

This is a feature in Windows Server that allows admins to centrally manage configurations, security settings, and user environments across computers and users within an Active Directory (AD) domain. It literally involves a set of rules that can be applied to OUs or domains to control user/computer settings.

With the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), you can create, link, organise and troubleshoot Group Policy Objects (GPOs) efficiently. IT admins use GPM to enforce organisational policies, automate configurations, and maintain consistent system operations across the network.

🧠 Brief Understanding of Group Policy Management Concepts

It’s important to understand key components and concepts, to be able to effectively manage and deploy GPOs. Some of these concepts are:

• Group Policy Object (GPO) - A GPO is a collection of settings that defines how systems and users behave in an AD environment.
• Local vs Domain GPOs - Local GPOs apply only to individual computers, while Domain GPOs are managed through the domain and apply to multiple users or computers.
• Scope Of Management (SOM) - GPOs can be linked to Active Directory containers such as Sites, Domains, or Organizational Units (OUs)
• Organizational Unit (OU) - This is a container within the Active Directory used to organize users, groups, computers, and other OUs.
• Inheritance - Lower-level objects (like OUs) inherit GPOs from the parent containers unless inheritance is blocked.
• Precedence - If multiple GPOs apply to the same object, the link order determines which settings take precedence.
• Security Filtering & WMI Filtering - These determine who or what systems a GPO applies to based on group membership or system attributes.

<aside> 💡

A GPO can hold multiple settings, but it’s best to separate GPOs by function/purpose. This aids easier troubleshooting and management.

so, GPO is like a file folder that can store numerous documents (settings), but it’s cleaner to keep different GPOs.

</aside>

🧰Creating and Implementing Group Policy Objects (GPOs)

Steps to create and implement a GPO:

1. Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) via Tools in server manager.
2. Create a new GPO by right clicking on the domain or OU you want to apply it to, then select “Create a GPO in this domain and link it here”
3. Edit the GPO by right clicking on the GPO, then configure the settings under:

   • Computer Configuration - This is machine-based policies and doesn’t change per user.

   • User Configuration - This is user based. This applies to every user on the local machine (could be delegated as well)

     Under each configurations, we have Policies and Preferences.

     • policies - These can’t be changed by users, only the admin can make changes.
     • preferences - These gives admin and users the permission to make changes.