Re: GPO Template Versions

From: Mark Renoden [MSFT] (markreno_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 07/29/04


Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:17:54 +1000

Hi Adrian

New .adm files are generally provided in service packs. To give you some
background:

When you create a GPO, the .adm files being used are copied from the local
%windir%\inf folder to SYSVOL (inside a GUID folder for the GPO).

When you edit a GPO, the default behaviour is to update the .adm file from
the local %windir%\inf folder if the local copy has a later time stamp than
the one in SYSVOL for that GPO. This has caused issues for some in the past
because (for example) the Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 .adm files would have
a later timestamp than the Windows XP .adm files. As a result, the .adm
file in SYSVOL does not contain Windows XP specific settings. In an effort
to resolve this issue, I believe future Service Pack .adm files will contain
all policy settings regardless of operating system.

Until the next generation of Service Packs, this issue in Windows 2000
Server / Windows XP client environments, can be prevented by:

A. Creating and editing all GPO's with Windows XP.

B. Enabling the following policy setting at the Domain level:

    User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Group
Policy -> Disable automatic update of ADM files

Lastly, a complete set of current and previously shipped adm files included
by default in Windows operating system and service pack releases, beginning
with Windows 2000 can be found at:

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=92759D4B-7112-4B6C-AD4A-BBF3802A5C9B&displaylang=en

A complete reference of group policy settings for Windows Server 2003:

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=7821C32F-DA15-438D-8E48-45915CD2BC14&displaylang=en

Kind regards

-- 
Mark Renoden [MSFT]
Windows Platform Support Team
Email: markreno@online.microsoft.com
Please note you'll need to strip ".online" from my email address to email 
me; I'll post a response back to the group.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Adrian Marsh" <hidden@somewhere.com> wrote in message 
news:%23RyzL4bdEHA.1656@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> All,
>
> I've installed W2K AS from a slipstreamed SP4 CD.   I've been reading up 
> on active directory on google and these groups, and I think that there may 
> newer versions of the Administration Templates available, than the ones I 
> have. So 3 questions:
>
> 1) Are there? (> SP4?)
> 2) If there are, then how do I "upgrade" ?  Just copy the new adm files 
> over the old, or do I have to re-create all my GPO templates ?
> 3) Would they automatically include XP ?
>
> Adrian
>
> P.S.  Reading up, I've seen references where AD seems to automatically 
> "upgrade" is - say - an XP box gets added to the domain - is my 
> understanding right?? 


Relevant Pages

  • Re: GPO Template Versions
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