Re: Important information about XP SP2 .ADM Files
From: Mark Williams [MSFT] (markwill_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 08/09/04
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Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2004 16:07:37 -0700
Hi Darren,
Yes, I plan to have these updated by the end of this week. I'll post to this
newsgroup when they are available.
Mark Williams
Program Manager, Group Policy
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/grouppolicy
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Darren Mar-Elia" <dmanonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:OyvSVTmfEHA.2896@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Hey Mark-
> Will the new SP2 ADMs be available as a separate download on the ADM
> download site
> (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=92759D4B-7112-4B6C-AD4A-BBF3802A5C9B&displaylang=en)
> soon?
>
> --
> Darren Mar-Elia
> MS-MVP-Windows Management
> http://www.gpoguy.com
>
>
>
> "Mark Williams [MSFT]" <markwill@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:%233iFY5jfEHA.596@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> As you know, Microsoft has recently announcement the pending availability
>> of Windows XP Service Pack 2. I won't describe the multitude of benefits
>> associated with this service pack, especially from a security perspective
>> (these are well documented here:
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx), but I do want to
>> bring your attention to an important issue related to Group Policy.
>>
>> Many of the central features in Windows XP Service Pack 2, such the
>> Windows Firewall and enhanced Internet Explorer functionality, can be
>> managed through Group Policy. In fact, my team has been heavily involved
>> with supporting the teams who have added the 600+ new policy settings
>> available in the XP SP2 versions of the .adm files. XP SPS2 is the most
>> policy-enabled operating system / service pack we have ever shipped.
>> Numerically, much of this increase in policy settings is attributable to
>> repeated "groups" of policy settings in IE (across the various IE zones)
>> but there is still a much richer set of policy settings that, we believe,
>> is a key factor improving the manageability of Windows XP through Group
>> Policy. By way of example, the new Windows Firewall (turned on by default
>> in XP SP2) has a broad range of policy settings to "custom fit" this
>> component to your specific needs - which ports and programs you allow,
>> management of remote administration and file/print services ports and so
>> on. All told, Group Policy represents the primary mechanism through which
>> you can manage the new features of XP SP2 in an Active Directory
>> environment.
>>
>> As well as highlighting these changes, I wanted to bring your attention
>> to an important issue around the use of the .ADM files we ship with XP
>> SP2. These files use syntax that has been available for some time but
>> which has exposed some issues with earlier versions of the Group Policy
>> Object Editor (GPEdit). In a nutshell, if you load the XP SP2 files from
>> earlier versions of GPEdit (across Windows 2000, XP or Windows Server
>> 2003), GPEdit will generate multiple "string too long" error messages.
>>
>> By default GPEdit compares the timestamps of the files stored in a GPO
>> (in Sysvol) with those on the administrative machine and, if the latter
>> are more recent, will upload the .ADM files to the GPO, in Sysvol. What
>> this means is that the act of viewing a GPO (no changes to the GPO are
>> necessary) will result in the new .ADM files being uploaded and,
>> eventually, used by other versions of GPEdit around your network that are
>> not yet running XP SP2. NOTE THAT THIS IS PURELY AN ADMINISTRATIVE
>> ISSUE - this has no implications for the actual application of Group
>> Policy to machines or users.
>>
>> To this end we are making available a number of hotfixes that will
>> resolve this issue. The Windows 2000 fix is available today and we expect
>> to be the others (for Windows Server 2003 and XP SP1) to be available
>> later this week. Initially, the fixes will be available through Microsoft
>> Product Support Services (PSS) but in due course we plan to release these
>> directly to the Microsoft Download Center.
>>
>> Further details of this can be found in KB 842933
>> (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842933). We will be
>> updating this regularly as the fixes become available through PSS and,
>> subsequently, through the Download Center.
>>
>> Please let us know if you have any questions.
>>
>> Mark Williams
>> Program Manager, Group Policy
>> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/grouppolicy
>>
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights.
>>
>>
>
>
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