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GPOADmin 5.13.5 - User Guide

Table of Contents

Introducing Quest GPOADmin

GPOADmin features

Client/server architecture Multiforest support Group Policy Management Console extension Version control Change approval process Role-based delegation Notification system GPO ACL editor Reporting options Customized views Offline GPO testing Custom workflow actions GPOADmin Dashboard

Configuring GPOADmin

Configuring the Version Control server Setting permissions on AD LDS Setting permissions when using SQL as the configuration store Port requirements Editing the Version Control server properties Editing the Version Control server configuration store Migrating from AD/AD LDS to a SQL configuration store Changing the Service Account Root container assignment Restricting GPO management for specific domains Configuring role-based delegation

Creating roles Editing roles Delegating roles

Restricting access to objects Adding notifications for users Selecting events on which to be notified Creating email templates Working with Protected Settings policies

Rights and role for Protected Settings for GPOs Create a Protected Settings policy Protecting policy settings based on extensions Generating Protected Settings policies reports Using Protected Settings policies Checking a GPO against a Protected Settings policies and blocked extensions Validating a GPO against a Protected Settings policies and blocked extensions before a check-in

Connecting to the Version Control system

Working with multiple connections

Navigating the GPOADmin console Search folders

Creating custom search folders

Accessing the GPMC extension Configuring user preferences Working with the live environment

Registering objects Registered status Removing registered objects Viewing the live environment

Working with controlled objects (version control root)

Creating a custom container hierarchy Selecting security, levels of approval, and notification options Viewing the differences between objects Copying/pasting objects Proposing the creation of controlled objects

Creating Group Policy Objects (GPOs) Creating starter GPOs Creating WMI filters Creating scripts Creating Desired State Configuration (DSC) PowerShell scripts

Restoring an object to a previous version Restoring links to a previous version Managing your links with search and replace Linking GPOs to multiple Scopes of Management Managing compliance issues automatically with remediation rules Managing GPO revisions with lineage Working with registered objects

Creating labels Cloaking a GPO Locking a GPO Establishing Management for an Object Viewing history Deleting version history Clearing account names in version history Viewing and editing object properties Creating a report

Working with available objects

Enabling/disabling workflow Checking out objects Requesting the deletion of an object Requesting approval

Working with checked out objects

Undoing a check out Checking in controlled objects

Working with objects pending approval and deployment

Withdrawing an approval request Enhanced workflow approval Changing the approval workflow Withdrawing approval Approving and rejecting edits Deploying objects (scheduling and associated items)

Checking compliance Editing objects

Removing persistent registry settings

Editing WMI filters Editing scripts Linking GPOs

Synchronizing GPOs

Enabling synchronization Working with GPO synchronizations Generating Synchronized GPO report

Exporting and importing

Export objects Exporting GPO registry settings as a Desired State Configuration resource file Import objects

Creating Reports

Available reports

Controlled object reports

Settings Report Difference Report Group Policy Object Settings Search Report History Report User Activity Report Compliance Report Change Auditor Report Change Auditor Working Copies Report Deployment Report Protected Settings Assignment Report Creating Controlled Object Reports

Diagnostic and troubleshooting reports

Group Policy Object Consistency Report Software Installation Package Report Linked/Unlinked Report Inactive Policy Settings Report Group Policy Object Security Report Policy Analysis Report GPO Synchronization Report Group Policy Results Group Policy Results Difference Report Group Policy Modeling Report Creating Diagnostic and Troubleshooting Reports

Live, working copy, latest version, and differences reports

Creating live, working copy, latest version, and differences reports

Historical Settings Reports

Creating historical settings reports

Exporting registry settings Working with report folders

Managing report folders

Working with the GPOADmin Dashboard

Overview and installation notes Working within the Dashboard

Accessing and configuring the dashboard Connections view Unauthorized Modifications view Checked Out view Pending Approvals view Deployments view

Appendix: Windows PowerShell Commands

Introduction GPOADmin scripts Available commands

GPOADmin PowerShell provider extensions

Using the GPOADmin PowerShell commands (Examples)

Loading the GPOADmin modules Extracting help for GPOADmin commands Managing objects

Get information on all GPOs Get information for all managed objects Get unregistered objects Register an object Check out an object Check in an object Undo the check out of an object Request approval for changes Withdraw an approval request Approve changes Reject changes Withdraw approval on an object Deploy an object Deploy an object at a future time and date Check for pending deployments Cancel pending deployment

Gathering object and GPOADmin information

Identify which objects are checked out Identify which objects are checked out to me What are the properties of an object What objects are available What objects are checked out

Utility commands

Gather GPOADmin license information Install a GPOADmin license Get logging options Set logging options Get notifications Set notifications on objects

Administrative commands

Approval workflow information Set the approval workflow Identify user account s Identify user roles Modify a role Add a role Get an object's security Set an object's security Overwrite a GPOs security filter

Protected Settings commands

Gather Protected Settings information Enable and disable Protected Settings Get a list of Protected Settings Add Protected Settings

Appendix: GPOADmin Event Log

What is the GPOADmin event log? Interpreting the GPOADmin event log

Example GPOADmin events

Appendix: GPOADmin Backup and Recovery Procedures

GPOADmin Backup Requirements Restoring GPOADmin

Appendix: Customizing your workflow

What is a custom workflow action? Working with custom workflow actions in the Version Control system Working with the custom workflow actions xml file

Actions Predefined Tags Conditions Example of a complete pre-action

Troubleshooting custom workflow actions

Appendix: GPOADmin Silent Installation Commands

Installing GPOADmin with msiexec.exe

All components (Complete GPOADmin installation) Client and components

Server and client Client only Client and PowerShell provider (Client Only button on Installation dialog) PowerShell provider only

Watcher Service

Watcher Service on localhost Watcher Service on another computer Watcher Service and GPMC Extension on another computer Watcher Service and Client only on another computer Watcher Service, Client, and GPMC Extension on another computer

GPMC Extension on a localhost GPMC Extension on another computer

GPOADmin Dashboard

Dashboard Service and Client Dashboard Client only Dashboard Service only Client, Dashboard (no service), and GPMC Extension

Notification system

GPOADmin contains a rich notification system that allows users to control a wide variety of Version Control events, sending details by email as the events occur.

Users can subscribe to the notification service, which is based on a granular defined event trigger such as Register, Check In, Create, and Delete for each object under the Version Control system. For approve and reject notifications, the email includes information on who was the last to approve any changes and the date of the last approved change.

Reports are included in notification emails when more details are required. For example, check-in notifications come with a settings report (to show the settings that were checked in) and a difference report (to show the differences between this version and the last version).

In addition, Administrators can delegate notifications to users who do not use GPOADmin, but who for business reasons, must be notified when an object is created, modified, or deleted.

For detailed information, see Selecting events on which to be notified , Adding notifications for users , and Configuring user preferences .

GPO ACL editor

A security group, user, or computer must have both Read and Apply Group Policy permissions for a policy to be applied. By default, all users and computers have these permissions for all new GPOs. They inherit these permissions from their membership in the group Authenticated Users. In GPOADmin, aside from changing the Security Filter, you can also manage the permissions of a particular group. For example, if you do not want a GPO applied to a group of users you can easily configure the permission on a particular GPO (“Deny Apply Group Policy”) so that it is not applied to the group of users.

For more information, see Selecting security, levels of approval, and notification options .

Reporting options

GPOADmin allows you to configure real time (for quick regeneration of live data) and historical snapshot report templates. All reports now run asynchronously; therefore, you no longer have to wait until one report has rendered before initiating a new report.

For detailed reporting options, see Creating Reports .

Customized views

Customized views

You can organize controlled objects into a user-defined container hierarchy. Each container has its own security descriptor in which trustees can be granted (delegated) roles to define access to the container, subcontainer, or simply a specific GPO within these containers.

Version Control Root Hierarchy should be used for administrator management as a means to organize many objects into a logical view based on their enterprise structure.

The Search folders allow you to quickly view controlled objects based on their state within the Version Control system. Search folders are used as an easy way for users to view the status of objects within the Version Control system.

For more information, see Creating a custom container hierarchy .

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