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Key Changes in Group Policy Architecture in WS 2008

By Glenn Weadock on Mon, 02/11/08 - 8:59am.

Now that new Windows technology (in the dual garb of Windows Vista and the Windows 2008 Server) has arrived on the scene, many network planners are taking a closer look at some of the architectural changes that Microsoft has made to the Group Policy structure.

The underlying concept of Group Policy hasn't changed - it's still fundamentally a Great Big Network Registry Editor. Make a setting, and Group Policy enforces it for you from that point forward.

Having said that, the implementation of Group Policy has evolved in several useful and interesting ways:

• New status as an operating system Service
• Network Location Awareness
• Improved log file viewing
• New source file format (ADMX)
• New migration/editing utility
• Central-store management
• Dynamic source file loading
• Multi-language support
• Multiple local Group Policy Objects (GPOs)

I'll explore each of these key changes in future blog posts. 

See recent blog posts:

The Look and Feel of Server 2008

Meet Windows Server 2008 'Server Manager' -- your new management cockpit

Server Core - A minimalist approach to managing WS2008

How to get started with Server Core in WS2008

About Glenn Weadock on Windows Server 2008

Glenn Weadock is a longtime instructor for Global Knowledge and teaches Windows 7, Server 2008, and Active Directory. He has recently co-developed with Mark Wilkins two advanced Server 2008 classes in the Microsoft Official Curriculum. Glenn also consults through his Colorado-based company Independent Software, Inc. and is technical director of MarketCoach Investment Education Software LLC.

Global Knowledge

 

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