Active Directory Domain Services 2008 : Comment Group Policy Objects and Starter GPOs, View, Print, and Save a Report for Group Policy Objects, Back Up Group Policy Objects and Starter GPOs

Comment Group Policy Objects and Starter GPOs

Scenario/Problem: You need to add text to GPOs so that other administrators know who needs to approve changes to each GPO.

Solution: Comment a GPO.

To comment a GPO or a starter GPO, perform the following tasks:

Tip

These steps can be applied to a GPO and a starter GPO.

1.	Log on to a domain controller or a member computer that has Windows Server 2008 RSAT installed.
2.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Group Policy Management.
3.	In the console tree, navigate to the domain that contains the GPO or starter GPO you want to comment.
4.	If you want to comment a GPO, select the Group Policy Objects node. If you want to comment a starter GPO, select the Starter GPOs node.
5.	Right-click the GPO you want to comment, and select Edit.
6.	In the Group Policy Management Editor, right-click the name of the GPO or starter GPO in the console tree; then select Properties.
7.	On the properties page for the GPO or starter GPO, click the Comment tab, shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Commenting a GPO.
8.	Type a comment in the Comment field, and then click OK.

View, Print, and Save a Report for Group Policy Objects

Scenario/Problem: You need to produce a report of the settings defined by a GPO.

Solution: View a report for a GPO and save the report.

To view, print, and save a report for a GPO or a starter GPO, perform the following tasks:

Tip

These steps can be applied to a GPO and a starter GPO.

1.	Log on to a domain controller or a member computer that has Windows Server 2008 RSAT installed.
2.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Group Policy Management.
3.	In the console tree, navigate to the domain that contains the GPO or starter GPO you want to produce the report for.
4.	If you want to produce a report for a GPO, select the Group Policy Objects node. If you want to produce a report for a starter GPO, select the Starter GPOs node.
5.	Click the GPO or starter GPO for which you want to produce a report, and click the Settings tab. If you are presented with an Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration Error, click Add.
6.	To save the report, right-click the details pane, select Save Report, and browse to the location in which you want to store the saved report, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Saving a GPO report.
7.	To print the report, right-click the details pane and select Print.

Back Up Group Policy Objects and Starter GPOs

Scenario/Problem: You plan to modify the settings in a GPO. You want to ensure you can reverse the changes you make in case something goes wrong.

Solution: Back up a GPO.

To backup a GPO or a starter GPO, perform the following steps:

Tip

These steps can be applied to a GPO and a starter GPO.

1.	Log on to a domain controller or a member computer that has Windows Server 2008 RSAT installed.
2.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Group Policy Management.
3.	In the console tree, navigate to the domain that contains the GPO or starter GPO you want to back up.
4.	If you want to back up all GPOs, right-click the Group Policy Objects node and then select Back Up All. If you want to back up all starter GPOs, right-click the Starter GPOs node and then select Back Up All. Proceed to Step 7.
5.	If you want to back up a single GPO, select the Group Policy Objects node. If you want to back up a single starter GPO, select the Starter GPOs node.
6.	Right-click the GPO you want to back up, and select Backup.
7.	On the Back Up Group Policy Object window, shown in Figure 3, type or browse to a location to which you want to store the backup in the Location field, enter a description for the backup, and click Back Up. Figure 3. The Back Up Group Policy Object window.
8.	Verify that the backup progress bar shows that it succeeded, as shown in Figure 4, and click OK. Figure 4. Backing up a GPO.