About Group Policy API

Centralized policy-based administration enables an administrator to control the following settings.

Setting	Description
Registry-based policy	Specify registry-based settings using the Administrative Templates node of the Group Policy Object Editor.
Security	Define security settings for the local computer, domain, and network.
Software installation	Deploy applications as either assigned (you mandate the installation) or published (you provide applications that users can choose to install). Update or remove applications.
Scripts	Specify scripts to run at computer startup and operating system shutdown, or when a user logs on or logs off.
Remote Installation Services	Control the behavior of the remote installation feature, as displayed to client computers.
Internet Explorer maintenance	Manage and customize Microsoft Internet Explorer for computers running on Windows.
Folder redirection	Redirect Shell special folders to the network.

 

The administrator can apply these settings to groups of computers or users using the infrastructure provided by the Microsoft Active Directory. The administrator can manage these settings from a single central location. For more information, see Group Policy Architecture.

Application developers should adhere to system-level policy settings. In addition, they can provide policy settings that are specific to their applications. For more information, see Providing Policy for Your Applications.