About Group Policy

Centralized policy-based administration enables an administrator to control the following settings:

• Registry-based policy settings. Specify registry-based settings using the Administrative Templates node of the Group Policy snap-in.
• Security settings. Define security settings for the local computer, domain, and network.
• Software installation. Deploy applications as either assigned (you mandate the installation) or published (you provide applications that users can choose to install). Update or remove applications.
• Scripts. Specify scripts to run at computer startup and operating system shutdown, and when a user logs or logs off.
• Redirect. Special folders to the network.

The administrator can apply these settings to groups of computers or users using the infrastructure provided by the Active Directory and security groups. The administrator can manage these settings from a single location, without physically touching the computers in the organization. For more information, see Group Policy Architecture.

Application developers can provide policy settings that are specific to their applications. For more information, see Providing Policy for Your Applications.

Application developers should adhere to system-level policy settings. For more information, see Adhering to System Policy Settings.