Welcome to this hands-on lab on Group Policy In this lab, you will learn how to use Group Policy to manage and configure Windows systems. You will gain hands-on experience with creating and applying Group Policy Objects (GPOs), managing user and computer settings, and troubleshooting Group Policy issues.

Through this lab, you will learn how to use Group Policy to enforce security settings, install software, and customize the user experience. You will also learn how to use the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and other tools to manage and visualize Group Policy.

By the end of this lab, you will have a solid understanding of Group Policy and how to use it to streamline and simplify the management of Windows systems. So, let's get started

Lab Questions and Answers: 1.1 Core Concepts

1. Which of the following best describes the purpose of Group Policy in Windows?

A. Group Policy is used to manage user accounts and passwords.

B. Group Policy is used to control server and client settings.

C. Group Policy is used to remotely monitor users and devices.

D. Group Policy is used to track software installations.

Answer: B

2. What is the correct bottom-up hierarchy for applying Group Policy Objects (GPOs) in Windows, in the event of a conflict?

A. Site Group Policy, Organizational Unit Group Policy, Local Group Policy, Domain Group Policy

B. Organizational Unit Group Policy, Domain Group Policy, Site Group Policy, Local Group Policy

C. Domain Group Policy, Organizational Unit Group Policy, Site Group Policy, Local Group Policy

D. Local Group Policy, Site Group Policy, Domain Group Policy, Organizational Unit Group Policy

Answer: D

3. When are User policies applied in a Windows domain?

A. User policies are applied at system startup.

B. User policies are applied every 90 minutes by default.

C. User policies are applied when a user logs on.

D. User policies are applied when a user logs off.

Answer: C

4. Which tool is used for managing centralized domain-level Group Policies in Windows?

A. Local Group Policy Editor

B. Group Policy Modeling

C. Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP)

D. Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)

Answer: D

Lab Questions and Answers: 1.2 Guided Exercise

1. According to the Local Group Policy Editor, what is the default maximum password age? (in days)

Answer: 42

2. With the Prevent access to registry editing tools policy applied, what message did you see when running regedit.msc?
A. Registry editing has been blocked by your administrator.
B. Registry editing has been blocked by your group policy.
C. Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator.
D. Registry editing has been disabled by group policy.

Answer: C

3. At the end of Part 2, the Local GPO allows access to the Control Panel, but the Default Domain Policy denies it. Which policy takes precedence?
A. Local GPO
B. Default Domain Policy

Answer: B

4. What is the name of the container for the Engineering OU in the Group Policy Modeling Wizard?

Answer: OU=Engineering,OU=Cybrary,DC=cybrary,DC=local

Lab Questions and Answers: 1.3 Challenge Exercise

1. What is the flag for this challenge?

Answer: GroupPolicySuccess!

Conclusion

This hands-on lab exercise provided a comprehensive exploration of Group Policy in a Windows environment. We began by exploring Local Group Policy settings, applying and testing basic restrictions on a lab workstation. We then promoted the lab server to a Domain Controller and explored Domain-level Group Policy settings using the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). We created an OU structure and applied GPOs to it, demonstrating the inheritance of policies and the use of granular policies for exceptions and special cases. Throughout the exercise, we used various tools, including the Local Group Policy Editor, GPMC, and Group Policy Modeling, to visualize and troubleshoot Group Policy applications. By completing this exercise, we have gained a deeper understanding of Group Policy and its role in managing and configuring Windows systems.