Group Policy Object (GPO)

What is it?

Group Policy Object (GPO) is a collection of settings that define what a system will look like and how it will behave for a defined group of users. The Group Policy Management Console tools are installed with Active Directory, but you need Active Directory Domain Services for group policies to actually work. To control servers or workstations, they must be connected to the domain. Although local policies can be configured for individual  PCs, it’s a one-off scenario that doesn’t tap into the core value of implementing group policy to control multiple systems and users at once.

In Windows Server, group policy can be accessed easily. Group Policy rules can divide into two ways.

• User policies – applies only to user accounts
• Computer policies – applies only to the physical computer operating systems

Some examples

Share Drive Mappings:
You can map drives using Group Policy.  It is also possible to remove drive mappings for users.

What is it?

Group Policy Object (GPO) is a collection of settings that define what a system will look like and how it will behave for a defined group of users. The Group Policy Management Console tools are installed with Active Directory, but you need Active Directory Domain Services for group policies to actually work. To control servers or workstations, they must be connected to the domain. Although local policies can be configured for individual  PCs, it’s a one-off scenario that doesn’t tap into the core value of implementing group policy to control multiple systems and users at once.

In Windows Server, group policy can be accessed easily. Group Policy rules can divide into two ways.

• User policies – applies only to user accounts
• Computer policies – applies only to the physical computer operating systems

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Some examples

Share Drive Mappings:
You can map drives using Group Policy.  It is also possible to remove drive mappings for users.

Printers:
The Print Management snap-in with Group Policy can be used to automatically deploy printer connections to users or computers and install the appropriate printer drivers.

 

 

Windows Active Directory

What is Windows Active Directory?

A directory is a hierarchical structure that stores information about objects on the network. A directory service, such as Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), provides the methods for storing directory data and making this data available to network users and administrators, And enables other authorized users on the same network to access this information.

Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

This data store, also known as the directory, contains information about Active Directory objects. These objects typically include shared resources such as servers, volumes, printers, and the network user and computer accounts. For more information about the Active Directory data store.

Source: Microsoft

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Why I Need Active Directory?

If your office used Active Directory, all of the machines would be connected on a domain, which means all of the information is stored in a central location, not locally on the individual computers’ hard drives. The domain is controlled by a global catalog, which keeps track of all of the devices that are registered to the network.

Global Catalog
The global catalog stores the IP addresses, computer names, and users, so that the global administrator can oversee everything that happens on the domain. In order to access someone else’s computer, a user would just need that computer’s name, because everything is already linked on the back end.

Active Directory also provides a useful configuration management service called Group Policy, which can be used to manage computers which connect to the domain in order to install packages, configure software, and much more.