Group Policy
Windows Vista includes over 2400 options for Group Policy, many of which relate to its new features, and which allow administrators to specify configuration for connected groups of computers, especially in a . Windows Vista supports Multiple Local Group Policy Objects which allows setting different levels of Local Group Policy for individual users. A new XML based policy definition file format, known as ADMX has been introduced. ADMX files contain the configuration settings for individual Group Policy Objects (GPO). For domain based GPOs, the ADMX files can be centrally stored, and all computers on the domain will retrieve them to configure themselves, using the File Replication Service, which is used to replicate files on a configured system from a remote location. The Group Policy service is no longer attached with the Winlogon service, rather it runs as a service on its own. Group Policy event messages are now logged in the system event log. Group Policy uses "Network Location Awareness" to refresh the policy configuration as soon as a network configuration change is detected.