/ˌɑːr-ɛs-oʊ-ˈpiː/
n. “The snapshot of what policies are actually applied.”
RSoP, short for Resultant Set of Policy, is a Microsoft Windows feature used to determine the effective policies applied to a user or computer in an Active Directory environment. It aggregates all GPOs affecting a target object, considering inheritance, filtering, and security settings, to provide a clear picture of the resulting configuration.
Key characteristics of RSoP include:
- Policy Analysis: Shows which settings are applied, overridden, or blocked.
- Troubleshooting: Helps administrators identify why a specific setting is or isn’t active.
- Planning: Allows simulation of policy changes without affecting live systems (in “logging” and “planning” modes).
Administrators can access RSoP through the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) or the rsop.msc snap-in.
In essence, RSoP is a diagnostic tool that provides visibility into the cumulative effect of multiple group policies, helping ensure consistent and predictable configurations across a network.