3.2.5.1.1 Deleted GPO List Processing

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For each GPO in the Deleted GPO list (as specified in [MS-GPOL] section 3.2.4.1), each preferences policy message is read from the Group Policy server, as specified in the following sequence. Preference types are processed in the ascending order of the CSE GUID assignment. For the purposes of protocol processing, the CSE GUID values can be treated as text values for the purpose of deriving the sort order. If any message cannot be read, the message sequence MUST be continued at the next instruction. The following Preference types MUST be skipped if defined in a Deleted GPO: FolderOptions (GlobalFolderOptions, GlobalFolderOptionsVista, FolderOptions), all InternetSettings, all Regional Options, Scheduled Tasks (ImmediateTask, ImmediateTaskV2), all Start Menu and all Services.

The following message sequence MUST occur for each "<gpo path>" that the Group Policy: Core Protocol has determined contains preferences settings. This sequence attempts to retrieve a preferences policy message for a given "<gpo path>":

  1. SMB file open from client to server:

    For user policy mode, the "<gpo path>\User\Preferences\{preference type specific}" file MUST be used; for computer policy mode, the "<gpo path>\Machine\Preferences\{preference type specific}" MUST be used. {preference type specific} is a Path value shown in the table in section 2.2.1, Preferences Policy Message Syntax. The SMB file open MUST request read permission.

    If the open request returns a failure status, the Group Policy: Preferences Extension sequence MUST be terminated.

  2. SMB file read sequences:

    The client MUST then perform a series of SMB file reads until either the entire contents of the opened file are obtained or an error occurs.

    If an error occurs, the Group Policy: Preferences Extension sequence MUST be terminated.

  3. File close:

    The client MUST then issue an SMB file close operation.

After all messages have been retrieved, the client MUST process its preferences according to the following rules. Any errors in updating this database MAY be ignored, although if an error occurs, the error SHOULD<23> be logged.

  1. For each instruction found in the file, if the removePolicy attribute as defined in section 2.2.1.1.3 is set to 1, undo the preferences entry using the XML in the instruction. If the removePolicy attribute is not found or is set to 0, the extension MUST continue to the next instruction.

  2. The instruction elements MUST be processed sequentially in the order in which they occur from the start of the preferences policy message.

Applications that query this database for behavior after the Group Policy: Preferences Extension invocation can then conform to the specified settings.