Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista : Benefits of Group Policy Preferences (part 1) - User-Friendly Interface

1. User-Friendly Interface

Group Policy Preferences are designed with administration in mind—they are not the typical Group Policy setting. Group Policy Preferences are designed with a friendly graphical user interface (GUI) that not only makes the implementation easier, but clearly identifies the purpose of each setting. All Group Policy Preferences include a dialog box with at least two tabs, and in some cases up to eight. Figure 1 shows the interface for configuring Microsoft Internet Explorer settings, which falls under the Group Policy Preferences node in the User Configuration section of the GPO.

Figure 1. The Internet Settings suite of settings provides a friendly and robust interface for controlling Internet Explorer settings.

This easy-to-use interface will reduce errors in applying settings and testing for results of vague setting descriptions, and it will also decrease the overall time required to configure GPO settings.

2. Thousands More Settings

Group Policy Preferences have over 20 new areas of configuration within a GPO. Within these areas of configuration are thousands of new settings. Figure 2 shows the Group Policy Preferences nodes for the Computer Configuration section.

Figure 2. The Computer Configuration section has settings for Group Policy Preferences under both the Windows Settings and the Control Panel Settings nodes.

Figure 3 shows the Group Policy Preferences nodes under the User Configuration section in a GPO.

Figure 3. The User Configuration section has settings for Group Policy Preferences under both the Windows Settings and the Control Panel Settings nodes.