Hello,
This related to Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP4.
While I was able to fully resolve my issue, I am not certain why it was an issue in the first place and would appreciate community feedback.
A misspelled ValueName existed ONLY in the GptTmpl.inf file (not any Policy). Two files by that name live: C:\WINNT\SYSVOL\domain\Policies\{POLICY GUID}\MACHINE\Microsoft\Windows NT\SecEdit\GptTmpl.inf
as well as C:\WINNT\SYSVOL\sysvol\{DOMAIN}\Policies\{POLICY GUID}\MACHINE\Microsoft\Windows NT\SecEdit\GptTmpl.inf
The INF setting with the typo was:
MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\TcpMaxHalfOpenRetired=4,160
The particular setting could be seen in the registry as:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"tcpmaxhalfopenretired"=dword:000000a0
... where "tcpmaxhalfopenretired" should have been "tcpmaxhalfopenretried".
Once I changed the typo in the FIRST GptTmpl.inf file mentioned above, it no longer propagated to the Registry. I merely deleted the wrong entry in the Registy and then forced Group Policy to update on the DC using commands:
secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy /enforce
secedit /refreshpolicy user_policy /enforce
My question is: How did that setting get into GptTmpl.inf file in the first place? I could find no reference of it any any policy; default or otherwise. I even used Group Policy Management Console GPMC 3.0 from a WinXP client to gather a Settings report, just to be certain. I would offer a guess that, at one time, a custom ADM admin template introduced that typo into the Default Domain Controller Policy ... then the ADM was later removed. Thus, the typo persisted, albeit unrelated to anything, in the GptTempl.inf file. Yet, if that was true, I would have expected to see an error in the GPMC Settings report.
As a follow-up question, what is the "flowchart" for Group Policy settings? I previously believed they originate from a Policy (default or otherwise) and then make their way to the registry or associated placeholder ... and are recorded in the .INF file(s) for later management using a Policy editor GUI.
Thanks in advance,
Paulie D
TechGuru1
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