You must be a member of Domain Admins, or equivalent to perform these procedures.

To create a Group Policy Object and configure BranchCache modes

1. On a computer upon which the Active Directory Domain Services server role is installed, in Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Group Policy Management. The Group Policy Management console opens.

2. In the Group Policy Management console, expand the following path: Forest:example.com, Domains, example.com, Group Policy Objects, where example.com is the name of the domain where the BranchCache client computer accounts that you want to configure are located.

3. Right-click Group Policy Objects, and then click New. The New GPO dialog box opens. In Name, type a name for the new Group Policy Object (GPO). For example, if you want to name the object BranchCache Client Computers, type BranchCache Client Computers. Click OK.

4. In the Group Policy Management console, ensure that Group Policy Objects is selected, and in the details pane right-click the GPO that you just created. For example, if you named your GPO BranchCache Client Computers, right-click BranchCache Client Computers. Click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor console opens.

5. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, expand the following path: Computer Configuration, Policies, Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local computer, Network, BranchCache.

6. Click BranchCache, and then in the details pane, double-click Turn on BranchCache. The policy setting dialog box opens.

7. In the Turn on BranchCache dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

8. To enable BranchCache distributed cache mode, in the details pane, double-click Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode. The policy setting dialog box opens.

9. In the Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

10. If you have one or more branch offices where you are deploying BranchCache in hosted cache mode, and you have deployed hosted cache servers in those offices, double-click Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point. The policy setting dialog box opens.

11. In the Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

12. Note

13. When you enable both the Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode and the Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Pointpolicy settings, client computers operate in BranchCache distributed cache mode unless they find a hosted cache server in the branch office, at which point they operate in hosted cache mode.

14. Use the procedures below to configure firewall settings on client computers by using Group Policy.

To configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Inbound Traffic Rules

1. In the Group Policy Management console, expand the following path: Forest:example.com, Domains, example.com, Group Policy Objects, where example.com is the name of the domain where the BranchCache client computer accounts that you want to configure are located.

2. In the Group Policy Management console, ensure that Group Policy Objects is selected, and in the details pane right-click the BranchCache client computers GPO that you created previously. For example, if you named your GPO BranchCache Client Computers, right-click BranchCache Client Computers. Click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor console opens.

3. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, expand the following path: Computer Configuration, Policies, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – LDAP, Inbound Rules.

4. Right-click Inbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.

5. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Content Retrieval (Uses HTTP). Click Next.

6. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

7. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

8. Important

9. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to receive traffic on this port.

10. To create the WS-Discovery firewall exception, again right-click Inbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.

11. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Peer Discovery (Uses WSD). Click Next.

12. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

13. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

14. Important

15. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to receive traffic on this port.

To configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Outbound Traffic Rules

1. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, right-click Outbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard opens.

2. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Content Retrieval (Uses HTTP). Click Next.

3. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

4. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

5. Important

6. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to send traffic on this port.

7. To create the WS-Discovery firewall exception, again right-click Outbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard opens.

8. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Peer Discovery (Uses WSD). Click Next.

9. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

10. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

11. Important

12. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to send traffic on this port.