Always On VPN DPC Open Source

Recently, I wrote about the demise of PowerON Platforms, the company behind the popular Always On VPN Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC) software that allows administrators to deploy and manage Always On VPN client configuration settings using Active Directory Group Policy or Microsoft Intune with custom ADMX/ADML. Initially, the future of DPC was uncertain. However, I’m happy to announce that DPC will continue to be developed.

We’re on Discord! Join the conversation: https://discord.aovpndpc.com/.

DPC Open Source

The lead developer of DPC and my good friend Leo D’Arcy retained the source code for the product and has been working diligently to decommercialize the software. That work has been completed, and Always On VPN DPC is now available via open source. You can find the source code for DPC on GitHub here.

DPC Features

This initial open-source release (version 5.0.0) contains no significant new features or functionality. Most of the development efforts focused on removing references to PowerON Platforms (registry paths, binary names, etc.).

Support

Today, DPC support is community-based. You can report issues on the GitHub issues page for DPC. In addition, you can ask questions about DPC on Discord in the Microsoft Remote Access UG. Leo and I will monitor the group closely and answer any questions you might have there.

Deployment

If you’re not a DPC user today, I encourage you to have a look at its impressive feature set. Not only does DPC make Always On VPN deployment and management easier, but it also includes many advanced capabilities that will make connections more stable and reliable. Here are some links to articles outlining some of those advanced features.

Migration

If you already have a previous commercial release of Always On VPN DPC deployed, migrating to the new open-source DPC is straightforward. You will find guidance for migrating your existing DPC configuration here.

Contribute

Now that DPC is open source, we encourage everyone to contribute. If you have development skills, feel free to help. If you have feedback or feature requests, don’t hesitate to submit them!

Learn More

Are you interested in learning more about Always On VPN DPC? Would you like a personal demonstration of DPC’s features and capabilities? Do you need help migrating from a previous release to the new open-source software? Fill out the form below and I’ll contact you with more information.

Additional Information

Always On VPN DPC Open Source on GitHub

PowerON Platforms Are No More

Delete A Cloud PKI for Intune Certificate Authority

Deleting an Always On VPN Device Tunnel

When Microsoft first introduced Cloud PKI for Intune, the solution did not allow administrators to delete a CA after it was created. As you are limited to just six Cloud PKI for Intune CAs, this was quite frustrating, especially during the testing and evaluation phase, where you may need to spin up a few instances before you decide on the features you need.

Are you interested in learning more about Cloud PKI for Intune? Register for my upcoming online training course, Mastering Certificates with Microsoft Intune. This three-day comprehensive, deep-dive course covers all aspects of issuing and managing certificates with Intune, including provisioning and managing Cloud PKI for Intune. Click here to learn more.

Delete Cloud PKI

Thankfully, Microsoft eventually realized this shortcoming and added this much needed feature a few months ago. However, removing an Intune Cloud PKI CA requires administrators to follow some specific steps to remove a CA successfully. Since Cloud PKI for Intune uses a two-tier deployment model, administrators must remove the issuing CA first and then the root CA if required.

Issuing CA

Follow the steps below to delete a Cloud PKI for Intune issuing CA.

Intune Policies

Be sure to delete any Intune device configuration policies relating to Cloud PKI for Intune before decommissioning a Cloud PKI for Intune CA. This includes trusted certificate policies, Wi-Fi policies, and VPN policies.

Pause CA

The first step of deleting a Cloud PKI for Intune CA is to pause the service. Pausing the service prevents new certificates from being issued while the administrator completes the remaining retirement tasks. Open the Intune portal (https://intune.microsoft.com), navigate to Tenant Administration > Cloud PKI, and click the CA to be deleted. Next, click Pause to pause the CA.

Revoke Certificates

Administrators must revoke all issued certificates before deleting the issuing CA. Click on any issued certificate to view its properties and then click the Revoke button, as shown here.

Complete this step for each certificate issued and active on the CA.

Note: It takes some time before the certificate status shows Revoked in the management console. Be patient!

Revoke CA Certificate

Once the administrator has revoked all issued certificates, click Revoke to revoke the issuing CA’s certificate.

Delete CA

Once the issuing CA certificate has been revoked the administrator will now have the option to delete the Cloud PKI for Intune issuing CA.

Root CA

After the administrator deletes the issuing CA, the root CA can be removed if necessary. Click on the root CA and click the Delete button.

Additional Information

Delete Microsoft Cloud PKI Certification Authority

Strong Certificate Mapping for Intune PKCS and SCEP Certificates

Microsoft Cloud PKI for Intune and Certificate Templates

Microsoft Cloud PKI for Intune and Active Directory

Microsoft Cloud PKI for Intune SCEP URL

Microsoft Cloud PKI for Intune on RunAs Radio

Intune Strong Certificate Mapping Error

Microsoft recently introduced support for strong certificate mapping in Intune to support changes introduced with the May 2022 security update KB5014754. Specifically, Intune now supports adding the SID for the principal in the subject name to the certificate for PKCS and SCEP device configuration policies.

Error

A few folks have contacted me about an error they encountered when configuring strong certificate mapping for Intune device configuration profiles using PKCS. Specifically, they would receive the following error message after specifying the URI value {{OnPremisesSecurityIdentifier}} in the Subject Alternative Name section of the PKCS policy.

A value is required for Value. Value can include allowed variables combined with static text. UPN and Email address should include an @, for example: “{{AAD_Device_ID}}@contoso.com”. DNS cannot end with a symbol or contain an @ sign, e.g. “{{DeviceName}}.contoso.com“ or “{{DeviceName}}”. See support variables here: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2104597

Resolution

Administrators will receive this message when adding the {{OnPremisesSecurityIdentifier}} variable to a PKCS device configuration policy. This error is expected because PKCS does not require (or support) the use of this value in this field. The {{OnPremisesSecurityIdentifier}} value is only required for SCEP Intune device configuration profiles.

To add the SID to a PKCS certificate, administrators must only define a registry value on the Intune Certificate Connector server as described here. No changes are required on the PKCS device configuration policy in Intune.

Additional Information

Strong Certificate Mapping for Intune PKCS and SCEP Certificates

Certificate-Based Authentication Changes for Always On VPN