Group Policy Management (GPM) and Group Policy Editor (GPE) are tools used in Windows environments to manage and configure Group Policy settings, which are a set of rules and configurations applied to users and computers within an Active Directory domain. While Group Policy Editor is used to create and modify Group Policy Objects (GPOs), Group Policy Management provides a comprehensive interface for managing GPOs across the network. -source  ChatGTP.



 

What this basically means is that GPM is the way how you would set system settings, scheduled updates, preferences, and app installations or updates across your network.

For instance, if you have 50 workstations and you need to install a new software version it would take you a whole day to make installation on every workstation individually.

But with GPO you can execute all workstations without actually working on them physically. This is kinda dope, is it not?


So let us see how we would create GPO and install a new app on our client workstation.


First, we will need to open Group Policy Management, you can do so by typing it into the Start menu search bar on your Windows server.

Then find your domain and right-click on it, select "Create GPO in this domain..."








It will open this pop-up window, now just name your new policy object., and save it.




 

On the right side, you will see your new GPO, you will need to right-click on it and select Edit. 
 

This will open GPE where you can install applications for computers or for specific users.

 

Please note that the install file should be on a shared location, so we will map the disk to a shared folder where you have saved the install file. The install file needs to be a .msi type of file to allow a silent install. You can repack .exe to a .msi or for practice just download some apps with the .msi download option.

Map drive at My Computer to your install file folder that has to be shared, click properties of the folder in the Public location or one of the sub-locations of Public, and select the group which should have access. You can adjust  Security privileges too, otherwise, the installation will not be executed.

Add the installation file to the mapped drive.

Now, go back to GPE, click on Software Installation, and right-click on New -> Package. Select the VLC file from the mapped network drive and click OK.

Now the app will be in GPE's left sidebar, right-click on it and select Properties. Check the Install application at login and click on Advanced at the bottom, it will open a new window where you will check Ignore language when deploying this package. Add the user or group in the Security tab of users or computers you want to be affected if you did not do that. Save everything. 

Now when the user login into his system again the  VLC will be auto-installed on his own system. 

If software is not installed after login or restart check sharing and security settings. Check if can you manually reach the installation file in the Networks location in File Explorer from the client's workstation.