MCITP 70-640: Group Policy Preferences

Group Policy Preferences is a technology that was added with Windows Server 2008 which greatly expands what can be achieved with Group Policy. Group Policy Preferences allows the administrator to configure options that would normally be configured using login scripts. This video looks at how to configure and use Group Policy Preferences.

Group Policy Preferences
Group Policy Preferences was originally a 3rd party party product called PolicyMaker. Microsoft purchased this technology and added it to Windows Server 2008. Preferences can be used to configure settings like map network drives, install printers and update files. A lot of this functionality was previously done with login scripts. Unlike Group Policy, the user can change the preferences after they have been applied. For example, if a network share is connected they can disconnect it and connect to a different share.

Preferences are included in the operating system in Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and newer operating systems. In older operating systems like Windows Vista and Windows XP the Client Side Extension (CSE) needs to be added to the operating system in order to user Group Policy Preferences. This can be added to the operating system using Windows Update.

Demonstration
Group Policy Preferences are part of any Group Policy Object. Thus to configure Group Policy Preferences in the Domain, Open Group Policy Management Editor and edit a Group Policy Object. Preferences are found in their own folder under Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Even through Group Policy Preferences was introduced in Windows Server 2008, you do not require a Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller on your network in order to use group Policy Preferences. In order to configure Group Policy Preferences you only require an up to date copy of Group Policy Management Editor.

There are a large number of settings that can be configured in preferences. All the settings have a common tab with a number of options. If you only want setting to be applied once you can tick the option "Apply once and do not reapply." For example, if you configure a map drive to a server and the user removed the map drive, the mapped drive would be reestablished when the next Group Policy refresh is performed. Using this option means that use can delete the mapped drive and not have it connected again. There is also an option called "Item-level targeting". This option gives the administrator a lot of control over how the settings are applied. Options like which OS, hardware, IP address can be selected just to mention a small amount of the available settings.

References
"MCTS 70-640 Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Second Edition" pg 253

[itfreetraining]

Glad you like the videos. We will have started releasing videos on Windows Server 2012. We are unlikely to release videos on Exchange.

[atif]

In my opinion, Youtube should partner with you/your company to promote such free training courses. This is a great resource and thank you very much for sharing the knowledge.

[nizarsurche]

thank you v much for the great efforts .... you became my only resource on youtube for all your published topics

[joelrowley]

Well scripted and very informative. I don't feel like there was any part of this video that was wasted time. Thank you!

[itfreetraining]

Hi, we are working on Certificate videos at present, hopefully they will be released soon.

[itfreetraining]

We are already a YouTube Partner so I guess YouTube much like our training. :)

[itfreetraining]

Depends what you are studying for. MCTS refers to the single certification exam while MCITP refers to the certification. In later videos we dropped all the codes as these videos are more generalised and can be relevant to multiple courses and certifications. On the thumb nail we have been placing which exam it is relevant to or which operating system. Since this video is part of MCITP course which contains multiple certification we use the MCITP code.

[fengdeng]

Better than most of video tutorial(include CBT or trainsignal) on the market from my point of view. Are you guys going to do video on Server2012 or Exchange as well? Please try to finish all the videos quickly, becasue everyone is moving to new MCSE soon.

[Aaron_dodd]

Been going through these, this was extremely useful information

[itfreetraining]

Sorry for the delay. We have released all the videos for part 3 now.

[gadgetproblemnoproblem]

thank you for the well explained training have learnt a lot from your only classess

[magser]

Thank you for a great video. I learned a lot.

[mattwo]

explained very well! thanks for that.
btw, i noticed in your example that you use Computer & User settings under the same policy. is it a good practice to have those two mixed up or better keep users and computers settings under separate GPOs?
Thanks, Matt 

[mikhosamy]

So Still no new Videos regarding 70-640

[staj]

Thanks a lot, Great precise quality video as ever.

[staj]

please, is there going to be a video on Certificate Authorities soon? thanks