The important enhancements were introduced with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008: Group Policy ADMX and ADML templates, Group Policy central store, Network Location Awareness, Group Policy Preferences, Group Policy Starter objects and Group Policy event logging. Some of these are absolute killer features, and should have been a good reason for many organizations to embrace Vista. Of course, Windows 7 will also come with these improvements. There are also new features in Windows 7, and as an admin you should learn about these changes even though they are not breathtaking.

It is interesting to note that Microsoft lists some of the above mentioned features as new in Windows 7. Somehow, they are expressing this way that Windows 7 is basically Windows Vista which is one of the main reasons why Windows 7 is a great operating system. But let’s see what is really new in Windows 7 Group Policy.

Windows PowerShell Cmdlets for Group Policy

I think, the new PowerShell Group Policy cmdlets are the most important enhancement in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. You could already manage Group Policy before Windows 7 with PowerShell. A more convenient option are the free cmdlets from SDM Software. You should also check out their Group Policy Automation Engine, which supports scripting of many more policy areas.

SDM Software’s cmdlets were more or less the model for those you can now find in Windows 7. The biggest advantage of this new Windows 7 feature is that the cmdlets are now integrated in the OS. Basically, you can perform all Group Policy management tasks on the command line or in a script: Create, remove, backup and import Group Policy Objects (GPOs), manage associations of GPOs with Active Directory containers, setting inheritance flags and permissions on Active Directory organizational units, configure registry-based policy settings and Group Policy Preferences Registry settings, and manage Start GPOs (pre-defined GPO templates).

I suppose, the vast majority of sys admins will continue managing Group Policy with GUI tools. However, there are certainly cases when you need a feature that your GUI tools lack. Then, you have no other choice than to write your own tool (script) and that’s where the new cmdlets come in. That’s why I consider cmdlets as some kind of API. Typically, tasks where you can use these new cmdlets involve the manipulation of multiple GPOs or links to GPOs.

Source: http://4sysops.com/archives/windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-group-policy-new-features