By Mark Burnett
Although I have seen links to virtual labs on TechNet for some time now, I never felt like I had the patience to actually do one. It turns out I was wrong—a virtual lab is perfect for someone like me. The lab I tried out was Managing Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 and Windows Vista using Group Policy.
The best thing about the virtual lab format is that you essentially work in one or more remote terminals that you can just exit out of and restart if things get too messed up. The instructions are on the right side to follow as you configure the machines.
In this particular lab, you walk through the process of configuring and testing Group Policy. It shows you how to use multiple local policies, a new feature in Windows Vista.
In Vista and Windows 2008, you can create different policies for different users. In this case, we create a new policy that applies only to non-administrative users.
TIP: Use multiple local policies to tightly lock down machines without limiting any capabilities for Administrators.
Another Group Policy feature the lab demonstrates is the new Administrative Templates XML file format, referred to as ADMX. One nice feature with ADMX files is that you can have separate ADML files for different languages.
The Virtual Lab then goes on to demonstrate how to set some of the new desktop management policies, such as device restriction, printers, and power settings.
While whitepapers and webcasts can be useful, sometimes you can just learn more by jumping right in and doing it yourself. The Virtual Lab format is perfect for doing that and is a very cool way to play around with software without ever having to install it.
I definitely recommend running through this particular lab, which you can find at Managing Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 and Windows Vista using Group Policy.