RSoP

RSoP

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Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) is the sum of the group policies applied to a user or computer. RSoP includes the application of filters and exceptions. Sometimes it is difficult for administrators to understand the cumulative effect of Group Policy objects (GPOs) applied on any given computer or user, or how changes to Group Policy, such as reordering the precedence of GPOs or moving a computer or user to a different organizational unit (OU) in the directory, affect the user or computer. Windows 2003 includes an RSoP query engine to report the affects of GPOs on users and computers. The query engine also checks for security groups and WMI queries used to filter the GPO scope, and checks for Software Installation for any application that is associated with a particular user or computer and reports the affects of these settings as well. The query engine gathers this information from the Common Information Management Object Model (CIMOM) database. Windows 2003 provides the following three tools for generating RSoP queries:

• Resultant Set of Policy Wizard.


• GPRESULT command line tool.


• Advanced System Information-Policy tool.

Each tool has a different interface.

Resultant Set of Policy Wizard

Administrators can use the RSoP Wizard by using the following path:

Open an empty Microsoft Management Console (MMC) > Add the RSoP snap-in to the console > Use the RSoP Wizard to collect data.

There are two modes available in the RSoP Wizard to collect data:

• Logging Mode: This mode is used to report the effect of policy on various combinations of users and computers. When an RSoP query is made in logging mode, each of the applications available for installation, the folders configured to be redirected, and each policy setting that will be applied to the user or computers are reported. Logging mode is used to find failed or overwritten policy settings, to see effects of security groups on policy settings, and to find out how local policy is affecting group policies. Logging mode in the RSoP Wizard is useful for troubleshooting Group Policy.


• Planning Mode: This mode is used to plan for growth and reorganization. The report generated in planning mode contains simulated data. The following simulated environment settings are available in the planning mode of the RSoP Wizard:
  • A slow network connection.
  
  
  • Loopback processing (merge mode and replace mode).
  
  
  • Site-based policy implementation.
  
  
  • Security group memberships for the user, the computer, or both.
  
  
  • WMI Filters that are linked to the user, the computer, or both.

GPRESULT command-line tool

The GPRESULT command-line tool is used to create and display an RSoP query through the command line.

Syntax

GPRESULT [/s computer [/u domainuser /p password]] [/user username] [/scope {user|computer}] [/v] [/z]

Following is the description of the parameters used with the GPRESULT command:

Parameter	Function
/s computer	Specifies the name/IP address of a remote computer. By default, it is set for the local computer.
/u domainuser	Runs the command with the account permissions of the user specified. By default, the permissions of the current logged on user is effective.
/p password	Specifies the password of the user account.
/user username	Specifies the user name of the user whose RSoP data is to be gathered.
/scope {user|computer}	Displays either user or computer results. Omitting scope parameter will display both user and computer settings.
/v	Displays verbose policy information.
/z	Specifies that the output displays all available information about the group policy.

Advanced System Information-Policy tool

The Advanced System Information-Policy tool is used to create an RSoP query and view the result in an HTML format. The report appears in the Help And Support window. Administrators can print and save this report to an HTML file. The results of the Advanced System Information-Policy tool query are obtained for the currently logged on user on the computer on which the query is performed. The query result is similar to the RSoP logging mode query.

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