In the first implementation of Group Policies in Windows 2000, calculating effective policy for a given user or computer was challenging. | In the first implementation of Group Policies in Windows 2000 calculating effective policy for a given user or computer was challenging. This was especially true when there were many different GPOs at various levels within a given domain. At that time Microsoft did not provide helper tools that would allow administrators to model the results of policies applied to a given computer or user. Thus before undertaking a massive deployment of Group Policies within a corporate environment it was imperative to carefully test all new policies. Note Many administrators used a command-line tool called which was supplied as part of the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit. This tool generates a list of current GPO settings for a given user logged onto a given Windows 2000 computer. With Windows Server 2003 Microsoft introduced several Group Policy management improvements including Software Restriction Policies. The rapid growth of the Internet increases security threats to a network both from worms or viruses and from attacks. A network also could face internal threats such as human errors. With software restriction policies organizations can protect their networks from malicious software or even suspicious code by identifying and specifying the applications that are allowed to run. Unfortunately Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows NT are unable to process software restriction policies. To use such policies all domains must be migrated to Windows Server 2003 domains in native mode and all clients must be upgraded to Windows XP. For more information on software restriction policies refer to Chapter 9. Enhanced User Interface in the Group Policy Object Editor. Policy settings are more easily understood managed and verified with Web-view integration in the Group Policy Object Editor. Clicking on a policy instantly shows the text explaining its function and supported environments such as Windows XP or Windows 2000. Group Policy Management Console. Expected to be
