New ways to do familiar Group Policy tasks (pre-GPMC)
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
New ways to do familiar tasks
Windows NT 4.0 introduced the System Policy Editor, which you could use to create a system policy to control user actions and the work environment and to enforce system configuration settings for all computers that run Windows NT 4.0. Policy settings define the various components of the desktop environment, including the applications that are available to users, the applications that appear on users' desktops, and the options that are displayed on the Start menu.
Group Policy and its extensions, included with Windows XP Professional, Windows XP 64-bit Edition (Itanium), and the Windows Server 2003 family, replace many of the tools that you are familiar with in Windows NT 4.0.
The following table lists common tasks for configuring policy. The user interface for performing these tasks is different in this version of Windows from the way it was in Windows NT version 4.0.
Note
- There are no significant user interface differences between Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family for this component.
| If you want to | In Windows NT 4.0 use | In this version of Windows use |
|---|---|---|
Set policies on users and computers in a site |
Not applicable |
Group Policy, accessed through Active Directory Sites and Services |
Set policies on users and computers in a domain |
System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) |
Group Policy, accessed through Active Directory Users and Computers |
Set policies on users and computers in an organizational unit |
Not applicable |
Group Policy, accessed through Active Directory Users and Computers |
Link a Group Policy object to a site, domain, or organizational unit |
Not applicable |
Group Policy, accessed through Active Directory Users and Computers |
Use security groups to filter the scope of policy |
Not applicable |
Permissions on the Security tab in the Group Policy object's properties dialog box. |
Manage software |
For an administrator, Systems Management Server. For a user, Add/Remove programs in Control Panel. |
Systems Management Server and the three Group Policy Software Installation and Maintenance tools:
|
Create a safe user interface for editing the registry |
Windows NT 4.0 Administrative Templates for System Policy Editor |
Administrative Templates for Group Policy For an explanation of how the role of .adm files has changed in the Windows Server 2003 family, see The role of Administrative Templates. |
Perform general administrative tasks |
Administrative wizards, User Manager, and Server Manager |
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins: Active Directory Users and Computers, Active Directory Sites and Services, and Open Group Policy Object Editor and its extensions. |
The following table lists a common task for configuring Folder Redirection in Group Policy. The user interface for performing this task is different in this version of Windows from the way it was in Windows 2000. For more information about additional changes to Group Policy, see New Group Policy features (pre-GPMC).
| If you want to | In Windows 2000 use | In this version of Windows use |
|---|---|---|
Redirect a special folder to a shared network directory with a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path that is personalized to the user |
A UNC path that incorporates UserName, for example, \\ServerName\ShareName\UserName\My Documents |
The special folder's properties dialog box, as described in Redirect special folders to the root directory |