When configuring Always On VPN for Windows 10 and Windows 11 clients, administrators may encounter a scenario where an IPv4 route defined in Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune or custom XML is not reachable over an established Always On VPN connection. Further investigation indicates the route is added to the configuration on the endpoint but does not appear in the routing table when the connection is active.
Routing Configuration
When split tunneling is enabled, administrators must define routes to IP networks that are reachable over the Always On VPN connection. The method of defining these routes depends on the client configuration deployment method.
Endpoint Manager
Using Microsoft Endpoint Manager, administrators define IP routes in the Split Tunneling section of the configuration settings for the Always On VPN device configuration profile. Routes are defined by entering the destination prefix and prefix size. In this example, the 10.0.0.0/8 and 172.21.12.0/21 IPv4 networks are defined for routing over the Always On VPN tunnel.
Custom XML
Using custom XML deployed using Microsoft Endpoint Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), or PowerShell, routes are defined in the XML file using the following syntax.
Client Configuration
Validate the routing configuration has been implemented on the endpoint successfully by running the following PowerShell command.
Get-VpnConnection -Name <Connection Name> | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Routes
As you can see here, the IPv4 routes 10.0.0.0/8 and 172.21.12.0/21 are included in the client’s Always On VPN configuration, as shown below.
Missing Route
However, after establishing an Always On VPN connection, the 172.21.12.0/21 network is not reachable. To continue troubleshooting, run the following PowerShell command to view the active routing table.
Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4
As you can see above, the only IPv4 route in the VPN configuration added to the routing table is the 10.0.0.0/8 network. The 172.21.12.0/21 IPv4 route is missing.
Network Prefix Definition
IPv4 routes missing from the Always On VPN client’s routing table result from incorrect network prefix definition. Specifically, the IPv4 route 172.21.12.0/21 used in the example here is not a valid network address. Rather, it is a host address in the 172.21.8.0/21 network, as shown below.
The Get-Subnet PowerShell cmdlet is part of the Subnet PowerShell module. To install this module, run the following PowerShell command.
Install-Module Subnet
Resolution
Using the example above, enabling access to the 172.21.12.0/21 subnet would require defining the IPv4 prefix in the routing configuration as 172.21.8.0/21. The moral of this story is always validate routing prefixes to ensure they are, in fact, network addresses and not host addresses.
Additional Information
Always On VPN Routing Configuration
Always On VPN Default Class-based Route and Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune