Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Applying Group Policies
One of the strengths of the Windows operating system is that it offers users a great deal
of power and flexibility. From installing new software to adding device drivers, users can
make many changes to their workstation configurations. However, this level of flexibility is
also a potential problem. For instance, inexperienced users might inadvertently change set-
tings, causing problems that can require many hours to fix.
In many cases (and especially in business environments), users require only a subset of
the complete functionality the operating system provides. In the past, however, the diffi-
culty associated with implementing and managing security and policy settings has led to lax
security policies. Some of the reasons for this are technical—it can be tedious and difficult
to implement and manage security restrictions. Other problems have been political—users
and management might feel that they should have full permissions on their local machines,
despite the potential problems this might cause.
That's where the idea of group policies comes in. Simply defined, group policies are col-
lections of rules that you can apply to objects within Active Directory. Specifically, Group
Policy settings are assigned at the site, domain, and OU levels, and they can apply to user
accounts and computer accounts. For example, a system administrator can use group poli-
cies to configure the following settings:
Restricting users from installing new programs
Disallowing the use of the Control Panel
Limiting choices for display and Desktop settings
Creating OUs
Now that you have looked at several different ways in which OUs can be used to bring
organization to the objects within Active Directory, it's time to look at how you can create
and manage them.
Through the use of the Active Directory Users and Computers administrative tool , also
called the MMC (Microsoft Management Console) , you can quickly and easily add, move,
and change OUs. This graphical tool makes it easy to visualize and create the various levels
of hierarchy an organization requires.
Figure 5.3 shows a geographically based OU structure that a multinational company
might use. Note that the organization is based in North America and that it has a corporate
office located there. In general, the other offices are much smaller than the corporate office
located in North America.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search