Enabling Client-Side Targeting Through Group Policy

  • Article

2/9/2009

The following procedure shows you how to enable client-side targeting through Group Policy.

Important

MDM Group Policy extensions must be installed on a 32-bit version of a windows-based operating system or on a 64-bit version of Windows Vista that has GPMC already installed.

If the network is running Active Directory and you use Group Policy to manage the network, you can use a Group Policy setting to join one or more managed Windows Mobile devices to a device group. You can then approve a package for the device group by using Mobile Device Manager Software Distribution Console.

Note

Before you perform this task, you must create the device groups to which you want to assign managed devices. For more information, see Creating a Device Group.

After you complete the following procedure, the managed devices with the newly applied policy add themselves to the specified device groups after one of the following occurs.

  • You publish a package with no registry dependencies
  • The software update reoffer period passes (the default setting for the ReofferPeriodInDays value is seven days)
  • You publish a package with registry dependencies and the devices connect to MDM 

We recommend that you create a new Group Policy object (GPO) that contains only MDM software distribution settings, and then link this GPO to an Active Directory container that is appropriate for your environment. In a simple environment, you can link a single MDM software distribution GPO to the domain. In a more complex environment, you might link multiple GPOs to different organizational units (OUs). These procedures will apply to one managed device or many, depending on what you include in your GPO. For more information about Group Policy, see this Microsoft Web site:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66012.

Important

We recommend that you do not edit the Default Domain or Default Domain Controller GPOs.

To enable client-side targeting through Group Policy

  1. Open Group Policy Object Editor, expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Mobile Settings, and then select Software Distribution.

  2. In the details pane, double-click to open Enable client-side targeting.

  3. Choose Enabled, and then type the name of the device group in the Target group name(s) box. You can specify multiple target groups, separating the names with semicolons.

  4. Choose OK.

See Also

Tasks

Specifying the Method for Assigning Devices to Groups
Creating a Device Group
Approving Packages

Other Resources

Managing Devices and Groups