how do I create a backup of GP

[Sherry]

Hi all,
Recently I had a group policy corrupted when a switch
went out. Is there an easy way to create a backup copy
of a gp that I can save so that I can run it if the
orginial is corrupted? or can I just restore the gp
folder from a backup tape? The error I recieved had
something to do with a corrupt registry entry, that's why
I did NOT restore the gp folder.
Thanks in advance for any help
Sherry

 

[Jcarr MSFT]

Hello Sherry,

In Windows 2000 the only way to restore a GP is via a backup. Not sure
about the corrupt registry entry, but Registry settings are stored in a
file called Registry.pol under the policy folder. The security settings
are stored in the GPTtmpl.inf file located under the policy folder.

Thanks,

james

 

[Joe Stern]

http://www2.fullarmor.com/solutions/group/ provides a third-party solution.
I think there's a lite version on the Windows 2000 Server CD.

 

[Dennis Arvidson]

Sherry,

If you have a Windows XP Professional Computer or Windows Server 2003
Computer in your environment, you can download Microsoft's Group Policy
Management Console (GPMC). It has a built-in Backup function. GPOs are a
combination of many files and a directory structure for each. It's more than
the GptTmpl.inf file mentioned.

What I have seen get corrupted is the Registry.Pol file. This is usually
caused by an invalid setting in one of the ADM Templates. The only way to
repair that is to delete the file out of the GPO folder, then reselect the
ADM Template settings. The GptTmpl.inf is in a readable format and processed
in the readable format. You could look at this with a text editor and see if
it is indeed corrupted.

Best regards,
Dennis Arvidson