Targeting and timing Group Policy: filtering, loopback and refresh

Skills you'll practise

• Scope a GPO to a group with security filtering while keeping the Read permission computers need since MS16-072
• Write a WMI filter on Win32_OperatingSystem using ProductType, and link one filter to the GPOs that need it
• Choose loopback Merge or Replace for a shared computer and predict which user settings win
• Predict when a change reaches clients from the refresh interval, DC polling, replication and which extensions run in the background
• Plan a filtering change so it is tested on a pilot group before it reaches production

Course outline

1. 1.Targeting and timing Group PolicyVideo · 2 min
2. 2.Security filtering after MS16-072Lesson · 22 min
3. 3.WMI filters and loopback designLesson · 24 min
4. 4.When a change actually landsLesson · 20 min
5. 5.Targeting and timing Group Policy: filtering, loopback and refresh: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 20 questions
6. 6.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• Microsoft Learn: Group Policy processing for Windows (filtering, loopback, refresh intervals, replication)
• Microsoft Learn: Loopback processing of Group Policy (KB 231287)
• Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-072 (Group Policy, June 2016)
• Microsoft Support KB 3163622: MS16-072 security update for Group Policy (user policies retrieved with the computer's security context; Read permission fix)
• Microsoft Learn: Create WMI Filters for the GPO (Windows Server 2008 R2 documentation, archived; ProductType values)