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Active Directory-joined Computers

This page describes how to configure Specops Client on multiple Active Directory-joined computers, using Administrative Templates (ADMX files) and a Central Store.

Administrative Templates and Central Store

The Administrative Templates are used with Group Policy to configure registry-based policy settings on Windows computers.

It is recommended to use a Central Store in your Active Directory domain to centrally manage the Administrative Templates. A Central Store allows you to manage registry-based policies in Windows, including both standard Windows settings and Specops Client settings, from a single location.

The Central Store is located in the SYSVOL share, which is replicated to all domain controllers, at <your domain>\sysvol\<your domain>\Policies\PolicyDefinitions.

Creating the Central Store

If there is no PolicyDefinitions folder under SYSVOL, it is recommended to download the latest Administrative Templates from Microsoft, see How to Create and Manage the Central Store for Group Policy Administrative Templates in Windows.

Once downloaded, install the Administrative Templates MSI on one client computer. Then copy the contents of C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Group Policy\<version-specific>\PolicyDefinitions, including all ADMX files and language-specific ADML folders, to the Central Store; <your domain>\sysvol\<your domain>\Policies\PolicyDefinitions.

Downloading the Specops Administrative Templates

To download the Administrative Templates associated with Specops Client, see Download Administrative Templates (ADMX).

There are two versions available. For Active Directory-joined computers, use Specops.Client.AdmxTemplates.zip.

Adding the Specops Administrative Templates to Central Store

To add the Administrative Templates associated with Specops Client to your Active Directory Domain's Central Store:

  • Copy the Specops ADMX files to:
    <your domain>\sysvol\<your domain>\Policies\PolicyDefinitions

  • Copy the Specops ADML files to:
    <your domain>\sysvol\<your domain>\Policies\PolicyDefinitions\en-us

Configuring the Specops Administrative Templates

To configure the templates:

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
  2. Right-click the Group Policy Object (GPO) and select Edit....
  3. In the Group Policy Management Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative templates > Specops Client. There you will find the policy settings provided by the Specops Client Administrative Templates.
  4. Select, for example, Specops Password Policy, and double-click the settings you want to configure.
  5. Make the desired changes, and click OK.

To use Specops Client with uReset on Active Directory-joined computers, you must configure a few registry settings on the client computers. See Configuration for Active Directory-joined Computers. We recommend using the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) to deploy these settings.