Introducing the Group Policy Management Console
The Microsoft Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) is the new solution for Group Policy management that helps you manage your enterprise more cost-effectively. It consists of a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in and a set of scriptable interfaces for managing Group Policy. The GPMC is available as a separate component to Windows Server 2003.
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Purpose of GPMC
GPMC is designed to simplify the management of Group Policy by providing a single place for managing core aspects of Group Policy. You can think of the GPMC as a one-stop resource for managing your Group Policy needs.
GPMC addresses the top Group Policy deployment requirements, as requested by customers, by providing:
| • | A user interface (UI) that makes Group Policy much easier to use. |
| • | Backup/restore of Group Policy objects (GPOs). |
| • | Import/export and copy/paste of GPOs and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) filters. |
| • | Simplified management of Group Policy–related security. |
| • | HTML reporting for GPO settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) data. |
| • | Scripting of GPO operations that are exposed within this tool—but not scripting of settings with a GPO. |
Prior to GPMC, administrators were required to use several Microsoft tools to manage Group Policy. GPMC integrates the existing Group Policy functionality of those tools into a single, unified console, along with the new capabilities listed above.
Managing Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Domains
GPMC is able to manage both Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003-based domains with the Active DirectoryŽ service. In either case, the administrative computer on which the tool itself runs must be running one of the following:
| • | Windows Server 2003 |
| • | Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 (SP1), plus an additional post-SP1 hotfix, and the Microsoft .NET Framework |