Designing a Group Policy Infrastructure

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 Group Policy enables administrators to manage configurations for groups of computers and users, including options for registry-based policy settings, security settings, software deployment, scripts, folder redirection, Remote Installation Services, and Microsoft® Internet Explorer maintenance. By using Group Policy, you can significantly reduce an organization’s total cost of ownership. Because of factors such as the large number of policy settings available, the interaction between multiple policies, and inheritance options, Group Policy design can be complex. By carefully planning, designing, and testing a solution based on your organization’s business requirements, you can provide the standardized functionality, security, and management control that your organization needs.

In This Chapter

Overview of Group Policy

Planning Your Group Policy Design

Designing Your Group Policy Model

Deploying Group Policy

Maintaining Group Policy

Additional Resources for Group Policy Infrastructure