Back in the Saddle & GPO Question

genXrcist · 07-09-2009, 02:42 AM

Hey there guys & gals!

Took a long weekend trip to Denver from 6/25-6/29 and then of course enjoyed the long July 4th weekend. That was a much needed reprieve!

So, feeling refreshed I finally cracked open the Transcender 70-294 exam to see where I've been going wrong on the 70-294. Having failed twice I was interested in seeing what I had missed. I went through 10 questions on Monday, 10 on Tuesday and 20 tonight. Of these exams I've gotten anywhere from 50-70% correct. Ugh.

Some items that I've learned:

1) When using GPO's to install applications on Terminal Servers, use the Assign/Computers policy when dealing with multiple servers and multiple apps. When there's only one server involved, use Add/Remove Programs to install. The reason for this is so that the application is installed in such a way that it's not user specific. Interesting.

2) I've always known that the higher priority GPO's took precedence but I never knew the lower priority GPO's were applied first, with the higher priority taking precedence. I had it backwards. I thought the higher ones were applied first and conflicts were overridden by priority. Guess this just helps me understand what some of the questions were asking for.

3) Member servers and Wks are assigned to Site's based on the their IP address matching the Subnet(s) assigned to a Site. Domain Controllers are manually assigned of course. Never picked this up in my reading material.

4) You cannot bridge site-links in a network that is not fully routed. Otherwise, bridges are basically 'pass-through' entity's for sites.

5) Software Installation settings do not override each other when coming from multiple GPO's.

6) Domains do not 'pass-through' GPO's. They only deal with trust & hierarchical issues.

Does that all sound correct?

There are a whole ton of other things that I've learned as well but their too numerous to mention. Guess I really did deserve those 600 scores.

*Positive Note* I just purchase these two books from Amazon and I'm really looking forward to reading them!
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...1&locale=en-us
Microsoft® Windows Server? 2003 (R2) Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition

Anyone have these that would like to offer their opinions?

Finally, my GPO question:
If you need to install one application on Windows XP computers, and a different application on Windows 2000 computers as well, but they should not be installed on the wrong OS, how would you deploy this?

Answer:

Create (2) GPO's, one labeled XP GPO and the other, W2K GPO. Set a WMI filter for the XP GPO to only install on Windows XP. On the W2K GPO, set the WMI filter to ignore WIndows XP.

Assign both GPO's to the single, 2K3 DFL domain.

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I think this answer is wrong because the XP GPO would get installed on both the W2K & XP computers right? Since W2K can't read WMI filters, it too will receive the XP appliction, correct?

undomiel · 07-09-2009, 12:50 PM

Correct, WMI filtering is applied only to XP and up clients. Good to see you're getting back into things and that you're learning too!

Claymoore · 07-09-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genXrcist

Hey there guys & gals!

*Positive Note* I just purchase these two books from Amazon and I'm really looking forward to reading them!
Windows Group Policy Administrator's Pocket Consultant
Microsoft® Windows Server? 2003 (R2) Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition

Anyone have these that would like to offer their opinions?

I haven't picked up the GP Pocket Consultants, but I hope Stanek puts together a better book than the GP Resource Kit. It saddens me that trees gave up their lives for that useless tome. The best kit I could recommend would be the combination of Group Policy: Fundamentals, Security, and Troubleshooting and Creating the Secure Managed Desktop by Moskowitz. Both are written for 2008/Vista but most of the information will be useful for 2003/XP.

Just stay away from the chapters on group policy preferences so you won't be dissapointed by all the cool things you can't do with 2003 group policies.

ElwoodBlues · 02:42 PM

I started a post yesterday that I was going to title "back on the horse", however I decided not to post it. I find it even more irocnic that I have too just started to use transcenders twice since I have failed twice. Additionally, I too have learned exactly what you are saying from the Transcenders studies.

We only differ as you have scroed higher than me in the past.

However, I plan to take it again before the month is out.

genXrcist · 07-09-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by undomiel

Correct, WMI filtering is applied only to XP and up clients. Good to see you're getting back into things and that you're learning too!

Thanks for the confirmation undomiel! Yep, learning a lot and enjoying it too. I really like working in IT, more now than ever that I'm morphing into the server admin role.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claymoore

I haven't picked up the GP Pocket Consultants, but I hope Stanek puts together a better book than the GP Resource Kit. It saddens me that trees gave up their lives for that useless tome. The best kit I could recommend would be the combination of Group Policy: Fundamentals, Security, and Troubleshooting and Creating the Secure Managed Desktop by Moskowitz. Both are written for 2008/Vista but most of the information will be useful for 2003/XP.

Just stay away from the chapters on group policy preferences so you won't be dissapointed by all the cool things you can't do with 2003 group policies.

Thanks for the book suggestions Clay, I'm gonna pick em up after I read through the book I just bought. In fact, I'll post a review on it when I'm done. Already got the two you mentioned in my Amazon.com wish list.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

I started a post yesterday that I was going to title "back on the horse", however I decided not to post it. I find it even more irocnic that I have too just started to use transcenders twice since I have failed twice. Additionally, I too have learned exactly what you are saying from the Transcenders studies.

We only differ as you have scroed higher than me in the past.

However, I plan to take it again before the month is out.

Hey Elwood, hang in there bud. Mulitple failures just makes the victory all the sweeter. Plus, when you finally do pass you'll know that you really know the material. Or perhaps I'm just so cheerful cuz I took a couple of weeks off from studying, heh. When's your next test date btw? Mine is July 14th but I might back it up a week to give myself more time with Transcender.

ElwoodBlues · 07-09-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genXrcist

Hey Elwood, hang in there bud. Mulitple failures just makes the victory all the sweeter. Plus, when you finally do pass you'll know that you really know the material. Or perhaps I'm just so cheerful cuz I took a couple of weeks off from studying, heh. When's your next test date btw? Mine is July 14th but I might back it up a week to give myself more time with Transcender.

I locked in on the 29th. However I have been hitting it hard the last 2 days; I did manage an 80% on exam B this afternoon. I may be ready earlier than I expected.

genXrcist · 07-10-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

I locked in on the 29th. However I have been hitting it hard the last 2 days; I did manage an 80% on exam B this afternoon. I may be ready earlier than I expected.

Wow, nice job! I took exam B just to compare and scored 67% so well done! On the Sims, I didn't know how to prep the doman/forest for a root domain name change & I didn't know how to keep non-P2P site links from replicating to each other.

I'm gonna hit the studying hard this weekend and if I'm still scoring low by Sunday I'm pushing my test date back a week or two.

Here we go.....