Group Policy does not apply after migration

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

A Group Policy object often does not apply as expected after it has been migrated from another domain or forest — from a test environment to a production environment, for example.

Cause

Simply backing up and importing the GPO often does not produce the results you want because GPOs include domain-specific information such as security principals and UNC paths.

Solution

GPMC includes migration support, including a migration table editor, to address these issues. If a GPO that worked in one forest is not working as expected in the new forest, you might need a migration table. You also might need to back up and import the GPO instead of copying it.

  • Check for a trust relationship between the source domain and the target domain. It there is trust, copy the GPO; if not, import it.

  • If the GPO has references to security principles or UNC paths, use a migration table. The migration table editor that is included with GPMC provides error checking. However there is still a possibility of mistyped UNC paths.

For more information see the white paper, Migrating GPOs Across Domains with GPMC on the Microsoft Web site at (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=14321).