Windows® Group Policy Resource Kit: Windows Server® 2008 and Windows Vista® (Perfect Paperback)

by Derek Melber (Author)
Key Phrases: default domain policy, terminal services, session broker, Active Directory, Windows Server, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Get the in-depth information you need to use Group Policy to administer Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista direct from a leading Group Policy MVP and the Microsoft® Group Policy team. With Group Policy and Active Directory® directory service, administrators can take advantage of policy-based management to streamline the administration of users and computers throughout the enterprise from servers running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server, to workstations running Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2000 Professional. This essential resource provides in-depth technical information and expert insights for simplifying and automating administrative tasks, including policy enforcement, system updates, and software installations, as well as how to centralize the management of network resources. The CD provides essential utilities, job aids, and more. It s everything you need to help increase your efficiency while bolstering user productivity, security services, and system reliability.

Key Book Benefits:

Delivers definitive product information with expert insights straight from a leading Microsoft MVP on Group Policy and the Microsoft Group Policy team at Microsoft

Details the critical information you need to centrally manage your enterprise using Group Policy

Learn how to administer Group Policy to improve network reliability, implement security services, and save time and money

Features a CD with a fully searchable eBook, essential utilities, and job aids.

About the Author
Derek Melber, Group Policy MVP, MCSE, CISM, is a leading expert and trainer on Windows Group Policy, Active Directory, and Security. Derek is a contributing editor to Redmond Magazine, RIAG Journal, and IT Audit newsletter and was a co-author of the Microsoft Windows Group Policy Guide by Microsoft Press. He is a frequent speaker at TechMentor, MISTI, and other conferences, and has conducted training and development events for numerous Fortune 500 clients.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (March 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073562514X
• ISBN-13: 978-0735625143
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very factual read, but I feel not so resourceful..., June 16, 2008

By	Jeremiah E. Greco (Norfolk, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great addition to your collection of Microsoft Publications, when it comes to understanding the new technology. Unfortunately, that is not really the point of a resource kit. I can log onto Microsoft's Technet and gather all of the same information that this volume has to offer. In my opinion, the resource kits are suppose to be there for the common administrator, providing him with tools to help in his administration. This is where the book falls short.

The author spends a lot of time explaining how group policy is applied, what built-in tools you use to modify the settings, where the technology originated from, and how it came to be in Microsoft's Server 2008. He never gets into the specific settings, or establishes a best practice, or gives tips to make your life as an administrator easier. I felt very disappointed to learn that he just blew by the environmental portion of Group Policy preferences. I would've really loved to learn more on that.

There are a few points in the book that provide a step by step for enrolling different features, which is helpful. The troubleshooting section at the end might prove useful in a break-fix situation.

Another review mentions scripting in the book. The scripts review how to create, delete and import GPO's. I don't find any value in that, as most administration is done in the GPMC. This is due to the fact that it would take longer to write a script to create a GPO, than it would to just create one. The only benefit I could see with this, is if someone were to deploy several forests at the same time, which is highly unlikely.

Overall, I would only recommend this book to new administrators, to give an understanding of group policy, and to stimulate creative thought on the different features offered out there by this massively updated technology. Otherwise, please, consider other avenues. Your time would be better spent just using the Group Policy Management Console, and deploying policies in a test environment, than reading this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, August 12, 2008

By	JCB (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I just got this book to help clean up my Group Policy environment, which is still Windows Server 2003. The book helped with all aspects of what I needed to do, which is optimize GPOs, settings, and now I have faster logons. I plan on moving to Windows Server 2008 and Vista , so I started to implement Group Policy Preferences to eliminate my logon scripts. I was able to do that for all of my existing clients too, which are all Windows XP! After using the book to clean up what I had and implement new technology, I would suggest this book to everyone, from novice to advanced GP guru.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new Best GPO Reference!, July 16, 2008

By	Michael Nixon (Topeka, Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well I was referred to this book and I am glad that I was. There are a TON of new features to the GPO's in W2K8 and Vista and this book goes over them. It's written in a way that explains the new features and then expands into them, very good index and a format that is easy to find what your looking for as it's laid out like the GPO's are. For instance, if your looking for Group Policy Preferences, and you open the book you can easily turn to the section headers and find it, or turn to the Table of contents, or turn to the index. But for me, I tend to be a flipper, I look at the page headers and flip till I get close. Additionally the book is written in the style where the author talks to you, person to person style, for instance, 'You can control the settings as if you were controlling the computer itself' Page 319, Group Policy Preferences. I have had the book for 3 days now and I have it booked marked with several yellow stickies and many page references memorized. Lastly I'd say this book is a much needed companion to the Windows Server 2008 Administrator Companion or the Configuring Windows Server 2008 Book. Best $$ I have spent on a Book this year.

Michael Nixon
Technology Support Consultant III