Advanced methods of extending Group Policy
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
Advanced methods of extending Group Policy
The following table lists advanced methods that you can use to extend Group Policy functionality.
Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
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For administrators only: Write an .adm file |
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For software developers only: Write an extension to Group Policy |
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Creating custom .adm files
You can consider creating custom .adm files if the supplied template, System.adm, is inadequate. However, it is recommended that you use the supplied template.
Administrative Templates propagate registry settings to a large number of computers without requiring you to have detailed knowledge of the registry. In the Windows Server 2003 family, Group Policy is used to set registry-based policies. In Windows NT 4.0, the System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) was used to set System Policy.
For more information, see "Implementing Registry-based Policy" at the Microsoft Web site.
Creating Microsoft Management Console extensions
Developers can create extensions to Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins to provide program-specific user interfaces for setting Group Policy. For more information, see "Group Policy" at the Microsoft Web site and "MSDN Library" at the Microsoft Web site.