Stu said:
Using Windows 2003 and the Group Policy Management Console. I created a
policy enabled it, ran the modeling wizard successfully. When logged in
with a test account, on a windows 2k and XP workstation, the machines logged
on without errors, but the policy did not apply. Any ideas?
How do you know? Does it have obvious User or
Computer settings, both?
Most problems with skipping group policy are due
to DNS and/or Authentication with the domain (by
the computer). Authentication with the domain is
mostly a DNS issue too. (See below)
The policy must be LINKED (assigned) to a container
that contains the User or the Computer (whichever you
are trying to affect with the policy.)
To which Domain, OU, or Site container did you link
the policy? Is the User or is the Computer a member of
that container?
Permissions much allow READ and Apply Policy but
those are set by default unless you mess with them.
Authentication may be a (separate) problem if the
Computer has no account, or if that account needs to
be RESET (right-click AD User/Computers).
There are also a variety of settings for overiding,
disabling (either User/Computer or entire policy)
the policy where it is linked to a container but if you
linked it these are unlikely to be wrong unless you
changed (messed with) them.
Mostly authentication problems are a failure to find
the DC in AD, or the DC being missing from DNS.
DNS for AD
1) Dynamic for the zone supporting AD
2) All internal DNS clients NIC\IP properties must specify SOLELY
that internal, dynamic DNS server (set.)
3) DCs and even DNS servers are DNS clients too -- see #2
Restart NetLogon on any DC if you change any of the above that
affects a DC and/or use:
nltest /dsregdns /server

C-ServerNameGoesHere
Ensure that DNS zones/domains are fully replicated to all DNS
servers for that (internal) zone/domain.
Also useful may be running DCDiag on each DC, sending the
output to a text file, and searching for FAIL, ERROR, WARN.
Single Lable domain zone names are a problem Google:
[ "SINGLE LABEL" domain names DNS 2000 | 2003 microsoft: ]