Windows Server 2012 : Planning, implementing, and managing Group Policy (part 8) - Managing GPO links, Configuring security filtering

Managing GPO links

GPOs can be linked to OUs, sites, or domains. Figure 7 shows the HQ-Desktops GPO selected in the console tree of the GPMC. The Links section of the Scope tab in the details pane indicates the following:

• The GPO is linked to the Desktops OU, which is in the Computers OU beneath the HQ-NYC OU of the corp.fabrikam.com domain.

• The link is currently enabled. If you disable the link, the settings in the GPO will not be applied to the users or computers targeted by the GPO.

• The GPO’s settings can be blocked by settings inherited from a GPO linked to a parent OU or to the domain. This is indicated by Enforced being set to No.

Figure 7. Viewing information about the links for a GPO.

Configuring security filtering

You can configure security filtering on a GPO to refine which users and computers will receive and apply the settings in the GPO. For example, you can use security filtering to specify that only certain security groups within the OU where the GPO is linked apply the GPO.

To configure security filtering on a GPO, perform the following steps:

1. Select the GPO beneath the Group Policy Objects node in the GPMC.

2. Select the Scope tab in the details pane, and click Add in the Security Filtering section of this tab.

3. Browse the directory to select the security group to filter on.

4. Once the group you selected is displayed in the Security Filtering section of the Scope tab, select Authenticated Users and click Remove. This ensures that the settings in the GPO will apply only to users and computers that belong to the group you specified.