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GPOADmin 5.17 - User Guide

Introducing Quest GPOADmin Configuring GPOADmin Using GPOADmin
Connecting to the Version Control system Navigating the GPOADmin console Search folders Accessing the GPMC extension Configuring user preferences Working with 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 Merging GPOs 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 Validating GPOs Managing GPO revisions with lineage Setting when users can modify objects Working with registered objects Working with available objects Working with checked out objects Working with objects pending approval and deployment
Checking compliance Editing objects Synchronizing GPOs Exporting and importing
Creating Reports Appendix: Windows PowerShell Commands Appendix: GPOADmin Event Log Appendix: GPOADmin Backup and Recovery Procedures Appendix: Customizing your workflow Appendix: GPOADmin Silent Installation Commands Appendix: Configuring Gmail for Notifications Appendix: Registering GPOADmin for Office 365 Exchange Online Appendix: GPOADmin with SQL Replication About Us

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
•
Troubleshooting custom workflow actions

What is a custom workflow action?

You can extend GPOADmin’s version control system to incorporate customized actions based on your organizations existing workflow. This allows you to customize and control the deployment of controlled objects (such as GPOS, SOMs, and WMI filters) to meet your individual needs. For example, you can configure a pre-action to send the help desk distribution list an email each time a GPO change is requested.

Also, if you have a workflow tool in place that encompasses many different organizational tools you no longer need to use the workflow in both applications. With pre and post actions, a GPO check out, modification, and request for approval can be configured to create a ticket in an existing workflow system. Subsequent approval in the external workflow system can be configured to approve and deploy that same policy in GPOADmin. A post action can be configured to add additional ticket information about the deployment of the GPO into the customers external workflow application.

Custom actions are available on the following Version Control actions:

Action
Runs when...

Approve

A change to a version controlled object is approved.

CancelScheduledApproval

A version controlled object’s scheduled deployment has been canceled.

CheckIn

A version controlled object is checked in.

CheckOut

A version controlled object is checked out.

Cloak

A version controlled object has been cloaked.

ComplianceAction

Either a “Rollback” or “IncoporateLive“ compliance action is performed.

Create

A version controlled object has been created.

Delete

A version controlled object has been deleted.

Deploy

A version controlled object has been deployed into the live environment.

DisableWorkflow

A version controlled object has been workflow disabled.

Edit

A version controlled object has been modified.

EnableWorkflow

A version controlled object has been workflow enabled.

Label

A label has been applied to one or more version controlled objects.

Lock

A version controlled object has been locked.

ModifySecurity

The security has been modified on a version controlled object.

Move

A version controlled object is moved.

Register

An object is registered with the version control system.

Reject

A change to a version controlled object is rejected.

Rename

A version controlled object is renamed.

RequestApproval

An approval for a version controlled object is requested.

Restore

A version controlled object has been restored.

SubmitScheduledApproval

A version controlled object has been scheduled for deployment.

Synchronization

A version controlled Group Policy Object has been synchronized with another Group Policy Object.

ToggleApprovalWorkflow

Toggles a version controlled object between workflow enabled and disabled.

Uncloak

A version controlled object has been uncloaked.

UndoCheckOut

A version controlled object’s checkout is undone.

Unlock

A version controlled object has been unlocked.

Unregister

A version controlled object is unregistered.

WithdrawApproval

An approval on a version controlled object is withdrawn.

WithdrawApprovalRequest

A request for approval has been withdrawn.

Working with custom workflow actions in the Version Control system

GPOADmin provides an easy to use editor to help you set up and configure your custom actions.

Each custom workflow action has two phases; pre-actions (processed prior to the version control action being run), and post-actions (processed after the version control action has run.

Whether or not an action is processed can be controlled by the use of conditions. This must be set through the editing the xml file directly. For details see, Conditions .

GPOADmin includes a sample custom workflow to get you started that shows how to incorporate the creation of Help desk ticket with each approval request generated from the Version Control system.

To access the sample custom workflow template
1
Right-click the forest, and select Properties.
2
Select Options | General | Enable the processing of custom workflow actions, and select Launch Editor.
3
In the editor, select File \ Open and select the CustomWorkflowActions.xml file located in the installation directory. (C:\Program Files\Quest\GPOADmin\Examples)
4
Select the Request approval | Pre-Action to view the sample.
To create a new custom workflow action
1
Right-click the forest, and select Properties.
2
Select Options | General | Enable the processing of custom workflow actions, and select Launch Editor.
3
Select the required action and click the Pre-Actions option.
4
Enter a name and comment for the action.
5
If desired, select the Stop on error option. This will instruct the service to stop all processing for the current object when an error occurs.
6
Enter the location or browse to the required application to run.
7
Enter the required parameters in the Parameters window. To insert a tag, -click in the Parameters window, select Insert Tag, and choose the required tag. For details on the available options, see Predefined Tags .
8
If required, select the Post-Actions tab and configure its options.
9
Click Add.
10
Once you have entered all the required pre and post actions, save your workflow.
* 
NOTE: Because custom workflow actions are performed in the background by the GPOADmin service, they will not be visible from the interface and depending on the number and complexity of scripts defined for a given action, there may be a delay as the custom actions are being processed by the server.

When required, you can suspended custom workflow actions through the Server options.
11
When you are ready to deploy the workflow, select Enable the processing of custom workflow actions.
To edit a custom workflow action
1
-click the forest, and select Options.
2
Select Options | General | Enable the processing of custom workflow actions, and select Launch Editor.
3
Select the required action and pre or post action.
4
Edit the action as required. You can:
a
Change the name, comment, executable, and parameters.
b
Right-click and add or remove actions.
c
Right-click and adjust the order in which they are performed.
d
Copy and past actions.
5
When you have made all your changes, click Update.
To pause or stop the custom workflow action
1
Right-click the forest, and select Options.
2
Select Options | General | Enable the processing of custom workflow actions, and select Launch Editor.
3
Click to disable the custom workflow actions option.

Working with the custom workflow actions xml file

Custom workflow actions are defined in an XML file (CustomWorkflowActions.xml) which must be located in the same directory as the GPOADmin Service executable.

•
Actions
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Predefined Tags
•
Conditions
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Example of a complete pre-action
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