Question

Windows 7 Preparation - Should I update my Windows Server 2003 Schema to Windows Server 2008 R2

Asked by: mszal101

Should I update my schema using ADPREP even if we are not updating to windows server 2008 R2 for quite some time, but do plan to implement Windows 7?

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Asked On
2009-10-28 at 07:15:00ID24850943
Tags

Windows Server 2003

,

Windows Server 2008 R2

,

Windows 7

,

Active Directory

Topics

Windows 7

,

Windows 2003 Server

Participating Experts
3
Points
250
Comments
14

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Answers

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:20:22ID: 25683479

There is no need to upgrade the Schema for Windows 7 to work.

Unless you are going to be implementing Windows 2008 R2 then I wouldn't upgrade the Schema until you are.

 

by: mszal101Posted on 2009-10-28 at 07:23:28ID: 25683521

Is there anything I can do to allow use of any new Group Policies for Windows 7 or would I have to have Windows server 2008 to allow for that?

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:24:28ID: 25683532

Are you talking about Group Policy Preferences?

If so these are built in to Windows 7/Vista and available through client side extensions on Windows XP

 

by: mszal101Posted on 2009-10-28 at 07:26:11ID: 25683549

I am referring more specifically to the ability to control newer features of Windows 7 and Vista through Group Policy from Windows Server 2003.  

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:28:07ID: 25683572

As long as you have the RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) installed on a Windows 7 machine then this will allow you to create Group Policies that are compatible with Windows 7

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:29:05ID: 25683584

Sorry forgot to add the link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7D2F6AD7-656B-4313-A005-4E344E43997D&displaylang=en
You can download the RSAT tools for Windows 7 from here.

 

by: mszal101Posted on 2009-10-28 at 07:37:24ID: 25683692

I am not looking to set group policies from a windows 7 machine - I was just looking to make sure there is no way to expand the group policy objects in windows server 2003 to include some of the new ones that are introduced in server 2008 and allow me to set some more features via group policy in Windows Vista and Windows 7 at the server level.

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:39:49ID: 25683728

The Group Policies are created at server level, it's the interface you are using that sets the scope of the policy.

For example you can download the Group Policy management Console onto a Windows XP machine and create/edit Group Policies that you use with all your Windows XP machines.
You can do the same with Vista and Windows 7 using the Remote Server Administration tools.  Because you are using a Windows 7 client it will provide the settings you need and then store the GPO in the normal location on your server.

 

by: mszal101Posted on 2009-10-28 at 07:40:51ID: 25683740

I'll give it a try - thanks

 

by: tigermattPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:41:25ID: 25683750

mszal101,

There is no easy way to expand the policies you can control from a Windows 2003 machine to include the new Windows 7 settings. Windows Vista and 7 use ADMX files, rather than ADM files, to display the policies via the policy editor, so to add the WIndows 7 policies to your Server 2003 machine would require you to convert the ADMX files to ADM files and manually import them.

It can be done, but it would be much easier to use the RSAT on a Windows 7 machine to control your policies.

However, the information demazter provided you with above regarding the schema is correct. Extending the schema is *not* going to add the extra entries to Group Policy on the Server 2003 machine at all.

-Matt

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-28 at 07:42:08ID: 25683759

Thanks Matt!

 

by: mszal101Posted on 2009-10-28 at 07:43:11ID: 25683769

Thanks Matt for the elaboration - much appreciated, both of you.

 

by: chrizdavisPosted on 2011-05-02 at 13:26:27ID: 35508000

Demazter are your suggestions on this still valid today?

We have a 2003 DC forest with 51 seperate 2003 DC domains and I want to utilize some of the windows 7 GPO features so, loading the RSMT onto a WIN 7 machine will allow me to add/edit the new 2008 features and it will apply them to the object on the server that I make the change to?

Thanks,

Matt

 

by: tigermattPosted on 2011-05-03 at 15:52:07ID: 35517728


>> loading the RSMT onto a WIN 7 machine will allow me to add/edit the new 2008 features and it will apply them to the object on the server that I make the change to?

Yes.

Extending the schema will not affect this behaviour in any way. It will work without a schema extension. All you need is the ADMX files and the newer Group Policy Management Console in Windows 7 which is capable of reading them and writing the proper settings to the SYSVOL directory.

The only time you need to think about extending the schema is when you need to introduce Domain Controllers which run an Operating System newer than those currently on your network.

-Matt

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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