The account you use to install GPA must have the following Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Windows administrator permissions:
Database administrator permissions on Microsoft SQL Server
Domain administrator permissions in the domain where you create the GPA service accounts
Local administrator permissions on the computers where you install the GPA Server and GPA Console
GPA supports both 32‑bit and 64‑bit platforms, including Itanium, ensuring you can run GPA in any Microsoft Windows environment.
Ensure the computers on which you install GPA meet the minimum hardware and software requirements for each GPA component you plan to install. The following sections list these requirements for each GPA component. You can also run the prerequisite checker included in your installation kit to verify that you meet the minimum requirements for each component you plan to install.
To check for GPA requirements on the target computer:
Log on to a computer where you want to install GPA components.
Run SETUP.EXE from the GPA installation kit.
Select the components you plan to install on that computer, and then click Check.
If the prerequisite checker identifies missing software, install and configure the software before you begin installing GPA. For example, you may need to install Microsoft SQL Server.
If you are installing GPA components on different computers, run the prerequisite checker on each computer to verify you meet the requirements for a given component.
For more information about the prerequisite checker, see Section 2.2, Confirming GPA Installation Requirements. The following table lists the hardware and software requirements for the GP Repository computer.
|
Element |
Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Disk space |
1 GB (able to expand to 5 GB) |
|
Database |
One of the following versions of Microsoft SQL Server:
|
|
Other software |
Other prerequisites are:
|
|
Microsoft SQL Server |
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Standard or Enterprise Edition |
GPA requires the following Microsoft SQL Server configurations:
Default collation order for US English, Case Insensitive SQL Server installation. For more information about supported collation orders, contact Technical Support.
Mixed-mode authentication for managing GPOs in untrusted domains
Windows authentication for trusted domains
GPA supports the following Microsoft SQL Server configurations:
Default or named instances
Microsoft SQL Server clusters
The Repository Authorization Code is a unique identifier for every GP Repository that GPA Consoles must use to communicate with the GP Repository. You specify the Repository Authorization Code when you install the GP Repository. Although you have the option to accept a default value, defining your own Repository Authorization Code ensures a higher level of security for your GPA installation. Follow best practices for creating strong passwords, such as using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
NOTE:Record the Repository Authorization Code you define for later use. You must provide the Repository Authorization Code whenever you install a GPA Console to enable communication between the GP Repository and the GPA Console.
If you are setting up an environment with more than one GP Repository, you can use the same Repository Authorization Code for each one. Using the same code greatly simplifies your administration of GPA Consoles and ensures that each GPA Console can communicate with any GP Repository.
GPA requires you to specify a user group during the GP Repository installation. You can specify an existing group or accept the default group GPA_REPOSITORY_MANAGEMENT, which GPA creates if you do not specify an existing group. Any users you add to the GPA_REPOSITORY_MANAGEMENT group or the group you specify have full permissions to perform all GPA‑related tasks and manage all levels of GPA Security. For more information about GPA security, see Section 4.1, Understanding the GPA User Security Model.
For more information about the prerequisite checker, see Section 2.2, Confirming GPA Installation Requirements. The following table lists the hardware and software requirements for the GPA Server computer.
|
Element |
Requirements |
|---|---|
|
CPU |
1 GHz (x86 processor) or 1.4 GHz (x64 processor) |
|
RAM |
1 GB |
|
Disk space |
2 GB |
|
Operating system |
One of the following operating systems:
|
|
Group Policy Management Tools |
Dependant upon operating system.Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012 and 2012 R2 – No action required. |
|
Other software |
Other prerequisites are:
|
For more information about the prerequisite checker, see Section 2.2, Confirming GPA Installation Requirements. The following table lists the hardware and software requirements for the GPA Console computer.
|
Element |
Requirements |
|---|---|
|
CPU |
Pentium 4, 1 GHz |
|
RAM |
2 GB |
|
Drive space |
1 GB |
|
Operating system |
One of the following operating systems:
If you are installing the GPA Console on a computer running Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or 2, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (including R2), or Microsoft Windows 7, configure the central store on the domain controller to manage ADMX files. For more information about ADMX files and configuring the central store, see Section 5.11, Managing Administrative Template Files. |
|
Group Policy Management Tools |
Depending on the version of Windows, install Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) or install Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), and then enable Group Policy Management Tools:
You can download these tools from the Microsoft Download Center at www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx. |
|
Web browser |
|
|
Languages (Reports) |
All reports are generated in American English. The following reports can also be generated in German:
|
|
Other software |
Other prerequisites are:
|
If you are installing the GPA Console on a computer running Microsoft Windows Vista or later, install Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), and then enable Group Policy Management Tools.
To install RSAT and enable GPMC:
Download and install RSAT for the version of Microsoft Windows installed on the GPA Console computer.
Start the Programs application in Control Panel.
Under Programs and Features, select Turn Windows features on or off.
In the Windows Features window, expand Remote Server Administration Tools > Feature Administration Tools, select Group Policy Management Tools, and then click OK.
GPA can create a global group whose members have full access to manage node visibilty on the GPA Console. To create this account, GPA must use a domain administration account or an account with the following permissions:
On the CN=Users AD container, add the Create Group Objects permission to this object and all descendant objects.
On the CN=System AD container, add the following permissions to this object and all descendant objects:
Create Container Objects
Modify Permissions
Modify Owner
Read All Properties
Write All Properties
You can name this group yourself, select an existing group name, or accept the default group name of GPA-CONSOLE-NODES-VISIBILITY-MANAGEMENT. You must also provide a domain administration account user name and password. The owner of the domain administration account will have the power to add users or groups to the GPA-CONSOLE-NODES-VISIBILITY-MANAGEMENT group. For more information about managing node visibility, see Section 3.3.5, Managing Node Visibility on the GPA Console.