Understanding Foreground and Background GPO Processing

Overview

Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are processed by computer and user objects in AD. This processing occurs in two different ways. Specifically, GPOs are processed in the foreground during specific events and in the background on a periodic basis. Table 1 describes when each processing mode is triggered.

Trigger	Policy Processing Type	What is Processed
Computer Restart	Foreground	Computer-specific Group Policy
Computer Shutdown	Foreground	Computer-specific Group Policy (specifically, shutdown scripts)
User Logon	Foreground	User-specific Group Policy
User Logoff	Foreground	User-specific Group Policy (specifically, logoff scripts)
On Domain Conrollers: every 5 mins	Background	User (if user is logged on) and computer-specific policy
On Member Servers and Workstations: every 90 mins	Background	User (if user is logged on) and computer-specific policy

Table 1: GPO Processing Events