Interfaces and methods for group policy management

• US 20040215650A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Treit, Mike A. Jr., Gupta, Rahul, Tanner, Carey, Whalen, William J., Shaji, Ullattil, Cheng, Derek C. Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/411,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215650A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/084 Configuration by using pre-existing information, e.g. using templates or copying from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management

Abstract

A system and method for managing group policy objects in a network, including interfaces that allow access by programs or a user interface component to functions of a group policy management console that performs management tasks on group policy objects and other related objects. The interfaces abstract the underlying data storage and retrieval, thereby facilitating searching for objects, and providing the ability to delegate, view, change and permissions on those objects, and check and save those permissions. Modeling and other test simulations are facilitated by other interfaces. Other interfaces provide dynamic and interactive features, such as to convey progress and rich status messages, and allow canceling of an ongoing operation. Still other interfaces provide methods for operating on group policy related data, including group policy object backup, restore, import, copy and create methods, and methods for linking group policy objects to scope of management objects.

Claims

96-1. The system of claim 1 wherein the interfaces include a migration interface that is called to access migration information

96-2. The system of claim 1 wherein the interfaces include a map entry interface that is called to retrieve map entries.

99. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

providing a plurality of interfaces including interfaces that when called perform operations on group policy related data;

receiving a call on one of the interfaces, the call requesting a task related to management of at least one group policy object; and

communicating with at least one entity that contains data corresponding to the group policy related data to satisfy the requested management task.

100. The method of claim 99 wherein the group policy related data comprises a group policy object.

101. The method of claim 99 wherein the group policy related data comprises a scope of management object.

103. The method of claim 99 wherein communicating with at least one entity comprises communicating with a directory service.

104. The method of claim 99 wherein communicating with at least one entity comprises communicating with a domain controller.

105. The method of claim 99 further comprising, accessing files on a system volume of the domain controller to satisfy the requested management task.

106. The method of claim 99 further comprising, accessing at least one object of the directory service to satisfy the requested management task.

107. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying for group policy objects to satisfy the requested management task.

108. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying for scope of management objects to satisfy the requested management task.

109. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying for management instrumentation filters to satisfy the requested management task.

110. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying a file system to satisfy the requested management task.

111. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying a directory service to satisfy the requested management task.

112. The method of claim 99 further comprising, receiving search criteria, and searching based on the search criteria to satisfy the requested management task.

113. The method of claim 99 further comprising, restoring a group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

114. The method of claim 99 further comprising, backing up a group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

115. The method of claim 99 further comprising, importing settings to a group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

116. The method of claim 99 further comprising, copying settings from one group policy object to another group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

117. The method of claim 116 further comprising, creating the other group policy object.

118. The method of claim 99 further comprising accessing a collection of group policy object backups to satisfy the requested management task.

119. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying client-side extension properties to satisfy the requested management task.

120. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving a value of at least one group policy management console constant to satisfy the requested management task.

121. The method of claim 99 further comprising accessing a collection of client-side extension objects to satisfy the requested management task.

122. The method of claim 99 further comprising deleting an individual group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

123. The method of claim 99 further comprising generating a report on an individual group policy object to satisfy the requested management task.

124. The method of claim 99 further comprising setting security information to satisfy the requested management task.

125. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving security information to satisfy the requested management task.

126. The method of claim 99 further comprising checking for the consistency of access control data between the directory service and the system volume folder to satisfy the requested management task.

127. The method of claim 99 further comprising making access control data consistent between the directory service and the system volume folder to satisfy the requested management task.

128. The method of claim 99 further comprising accessing a collection of group policy objects to satisfy the requested management task.

129. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving status message information while performing an operation to satisfy the requested management task.

130. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving information about a specified trustee to satisfy the requested management task.

131. The method of claim 99 further retrieving permission-related properties to satisfy the requested management task.

132. The method of claim 99 further comprising establishing a set of permissions to satisfy the requested management task.

133. The method of claim 99 further comprising adding a permission to satisfy the requested management task.

134. The method of claim 99 further comprising removing a permission to satisfy the requested management task.

135. The method of claim 99 further comprising querying resultant set of policy to satisfy the requested management task.

136. The method of claim 99 further comprising creating at least one group policy object link for a scope of management object to satisfy the requested management task.

137. The method of claim 99 further comprising setting security attributes for a scope of management object to satisfy the requested management task.

138. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving security attributes for a scope of management object to satisfy the requested management task.

139. The method of claim 99 further comprising retrieving properties for a scope of management object to satisfy the requested management task.

140. The method of claim 99 further comprising canceling an operation to satisfy the requested management task.

141. The method of claim 99 further comprising returning progress data to satisfy the requested management task.

142. The method of claim 99 further comprising returning a status message to satisfy the requested management task.

143. The method of claim 99 further comprising accessing a collection of status messages to satisfy the requested management task.

144. The method of claim 99 further comprising setting security attributes for a management instrumentation filter to satisfy the requested management task.

145. The method of claim 99 further comprising accessing a migration data to satisfy the requested management task.

146. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 99.

147. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

receiving a request to manage security settings of a group policy data construct;

generating a permissions table based on security information associated with the group policy object;

and accessing the permissions table to satisfy the request.

148. The method of claim 147 wherein the group policy data construct comprises a group policy object.

149. The method of claim 147 wherein the group policy data construct comprises a scope of management object.

150. The method of claim 147 wherein the group policy data construct comprises a WMI filter.

151. The method of claim 147 wherein accessing the permissions table includes adding a permission.

152. The method of claim 147 wherein accessing the permissions table includes removing a permission.

153. The method of claim 147 further comprising, saving security settings to an object based on the permissions table.

154. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 147.