Using the Policies Node
DeviceLock Enterprise Server allows you to automatically distribute DeviceLock security policies to client computers on the network. If such policies are configured, client computers will always initiate connections to DeviceLock Enterprise Server and request a policy from it, thus eliminating the need to check whether the client computers are running or not. This greatly simplifies and optimizes security policy management, especially in a non-Active Directory environment or as an alternative to Group Policy.
DeviceLock Enterprise Server policies are a collection of policy objects. Each policy object contains four main elements: a name, a list of computers assigned to that policy object, configuration settings specified in a DeviceLock Service settings file (.dls), and a priority used to resolve conflicting policy settings among different policy objects. All policy objects that currently exit on the server are listed in the console tree under DeviceLock Enterprise Server > Policies.
When you select the Policies node in the console tree, the details pane lists the policy objects that currently exist on the server. The list in the details pane displays the following information on each policy object:
•Policy Object Name - The name of the policy object
•Last Update Time - The date and time that the policy object was last changed.
•Settings File - The name of the DeviceLock Service settings (.dls) file that determines the DeviceLock Service settings for the policy object.
•Author - The account of the user who created this policy object.
•Priority - The priority value of the policy object. Higher value indicates higher priority.
•Policy Object ID - A unique numeric identifier of the policy object.
The shortcut menu on the Policies node includes the following command:
•Create Policy Object - Creates a new policy object. You can specify the desired settings for the new policy object in the dialog box that appears when you select this command. For details, see
Creating a Custom Policy Object.
The shortcut menu on a policy object in the details pane includes the following commands:
•Edit Policy Object - Opens a dialog box where you can view or change the settings of the selected policy object.
•Edit Computers List - Opens a dialog box where you can view or change the list of computers assigned to this policy object.
•Load Policy - Allows you to load or replace the DeviceLock Service settings (.dls) file in the policy object. You can open the desired settings file in the dialog box that appears when you select this command.
This file saves DeviceLock Service settings. You can create a settings file by using the DeviceLock Management Console connected to a computer running DeviceLock Service. A better option would be to use the DeviceLock Service Settings Editor console for that purpose.
•Save Policy - Allows you to save the policy settings to a DeviceLock Service settings (.dls) file. You can specify a file in the dialog box that appears when you select this command.
Saving policy settings to a file might be helpful when you want to load them to another policy object. In this case, you can successively use the Save Policy and Load Policy commands.
•Delete Policy Object - Deletes the selected policy object.
•Deploy Now - Sends the policy from the selected policy object immediately to all computers assigned to that policy object. In case of multiple policy objects assigned to those computers, the command will send them the resultant policy from all objects.
•Refresh - Updates the list in the details pane with the most recent information.
Since the console does not automatically update information displayed in the details pane, you need to update the list by using the Refresh command.