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Appendix B: Resources for Learning About Group Policy for Windows Server 2008

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

In This Appendix

Installing the Group Policy Management Console on a Server Running Windows Server 2008

Viewing Help for the Group Policy Management Console

Using the Group Policy Management Console to View or Change Settings

Additional References

Note

The Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) unifies the management of all aspects of Group Policy. Using the GPMC, you can manage Group Policy objects (GPOs), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) filters, and permissions on your network.

Installing the Group Policy Management Console on a Server Running Windows Server 2008

The following procedure tells how to install the GPMC on Windows Server 2008.

To Install the GPMC on a Server Running Windows Server 2008

  1. If you recently installed Windows Server 2008, and the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is displayed, under Customize This Server, click Add features. Then skip to step 3.

  2. If the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is not displayed and Server Manager is not running, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.)

    Then, in Server Manager, under Features Summary, click Add Features.

  3. In the Add Features Wizard, select the check box for Group Policy Management.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the installation.

Viewing Help for the Group Policy Management Console

The following procedures tell how to view Help for the GPMC for Windows Server 2008.

To View Help for the GPMC on the Web

To View Help for the GPMC from a Server Running Windows Server 2008

  1. Log on to a computer running Windows Server 2008:

    • If you only want to view Help for the GPMC, log on with an account in the local Administrators group.

    • If you want to view Help but also want to view or change Group Policy settings for Windows Server 2008, make sure that the GPMC is installed, as described earlier in this section, and then log on using an account with membership in Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, or an equivalent administrator group.

  2. Open a Group Policy interface:

    • If you only want to view Help for the GPMC, click Start, and in the Search box type:

      gpedit.msc

    • If you want to view Help but also want to view or change Group Policy settings for Windows Server 2008, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Group Policy Management.

      As an alternative, you can click Start, and in the Search box type:

      gpmc.msc

  3. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  4. After the interface opens, press F1. In Help, make sure the Contents tab is selected and then, under Contents, expand Group Policy Management Console.

Using the Group Policy Management Console to View or Change Settings

Some settings in Group Policy were added in Windows Server 2008, some existed previously and continue to work for Windows Server 2008, and some settings that you see in Group Policy in Windows Server 2008 have an effect on previous operating systems but not on Windows Server 2008. To change settings that were added in Windows Server 2008, use the following procedure. As a best practice, once you use this procedure, continue using the software listed in the first step when changing Group Policy settings. Do not return to running a Group Policy interface from different software.

To View or Change Group Policy Settings, Including Settings that Were Added in Windows Server 2008

  1. Using an account with membership in Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, or an equivalent group, log on to a computer on which either of the following is installed:

    • Windows Server 2008 and the GPMC. (Installing GPMC on Windows Server 2008 is described earlier in this section.)

    • Windows Vista with SP1 and the GPMC that is included in Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT).

      As part of installing the GPMC that is included in RSAT, you must turn it on by opening Control Panel, clicking Programs, and clicking Turn Windows features on or off. In the resulting dialog box, expand the list for Remote Server Administration Tools and the list for Feature Tools, and then select Group Policy Management Tools.

  2. Open the GPMC using one of the following methods:

    • On Windows Server 2008, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Group Policy Management.

    • On Windows Vista with SP1, click Start, click Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Group Policy Management.

    • On either operating system, click Start, and in the Search box type:

      gpmc.msc

  3. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  4. In the GPMC console tree, double-click Group Policy Objects in the forest and domain containing the Group Policy object (GPO) that you want to edit.

  5. Edit an appropriate GPO, or create and link a new GPO and then edit it.

    For information about how to work with Group Policy objects, in Group Policy Management, press F1, and then search Help for an appropriate topic, such as Link a Group Policy Object or Edit a Group Policy Object.

  6. In the Group Policy Management Editor (which opens when you edit a GPO), view or change settings as appropriate.

Note

We recommend that when viewing an individual setting, you click the Extended tab and view the Requirements (operating system requirements) listed for the setting.

As a best practice, once you use the preceding procedure, continue using the software listed in the first step when changing Group Policy settings. Do not return to running a Group Policy interface from different software.

Additional References

To learn about using Group Policy and the GPMC, see the following resources.

To learn about Group Policy settings that can be used with Windows Server 2008, see the following resources.