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10 PowerShell Commands Always On VPN Administrators Should Know

Managing a secure and reliable VPN infrastructure is critical for supporting today’s highly mobile workforce. For Always On VPN administrators, PowerShell is an indispensable tool for achieving this goal. Not only can PowerShell be used to automate the installation and configuration of Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) server, but it can also be used to audit configuration and monitor system health and user activity as well. In addition, it is highly recommended that the RRAS role be installed on Server Core for optimum security and performance. Administrators must be familiar with these PowerShell commands and more to support RRAS on Windows Server Core in their environment.

RemoteAccess Module

The RemoteAccess PowerShell module should be installed when the RRAS server is configured. There are 122 commands in this module, but only a subset of those pertain to the VPN server role. Here are ten popular commands for monitoring and managing an Always On VPN RRAS server.

Configuration Review

The following PowerShell commands are useful for reviewing the current RRAS server configuration.

Get-RemoteAccess – Displays the current configuration of the VPN server. Details include installation status, TLS certificate configuration, VPN client IP address assignment method, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing information (if using the static address assignment method), authentication type, and configured RADIUS servers.

Get-VpnAuthProtocol – Displays authentication configuration details such as accepted authentication types for both user and device connections, root certification authority (CA) certificate restrictions (if enabled), and certificate advertisement and EKU restrictions if enabled.

Get-VpnServerConfiguration – Displays additional VPN server configuration information, such as the IPsec configuration for IKEv2, the number of VPN ports configured, and more.

System Health

Get-RemoteAccessHealth – Displays the current health status of various VPN server services. The command’s default output is a little noisy. I recommend filtering it as follows:

Get-RemoteAccessHealth | Where-Object HealthState -NotMatch Disabled | Format-Table -AutoSize

User Activity

The following PowerShell commands can be used to view current and historical user activity details.

Get-RemoteAccessConnectionStatistics – Displays all active VPN connections on the server.

Get-RemoteAccessConnectionStatisticsSummary – Displays cumulative information about VPN connections on the server since the last service restart or reboot, such as the total number of connections, the number of unique users, the maximum number of concurrent connections, and the amount of data transferred.

Get-RemoteAccessUserActivity – Displays all active VPN connections for a specific user or device.

Management

The following PowerShell commands are helpful for reviewing authentication and logging settings.

Get-RemoteAccessRadius – Allows the administrator to view the currently configured RADIUS servers on the VPN server.

Get-RemoteAccessAccounting – Allows the administrator to view the current accounting repository (RADIUS or inbox) on the VPN server.

Clear-RemoteAccessInboxAccountingStore – Allows the administrator to remove log data from the Inbox Accounting database. Removing log data from the database can be helpful when transitioning a test server to production or to free up disk space by reducing the size of the logging database.

Additional Modules

In addition to the PowerShell commands above, Always On VPN administrators can leverage my custom PowerShell modules for advanced server and client configuration. These modules are published in the PowerShell Gallery.

AovpnTools – PowerShell module to configure and optimize Windows RRAS servers to support Always On VPN.

Install-Module -Name AovpnTools

InboxAccountingDatabaseManagement – PowerShell module to configure and manage the Inbox Accounting database for logging system information and user activity on the VPN server.

Install-Module -Name InboxAccountingDatabaseManagement

Additional Information

Always On VPN and RRAS on Windows Server Core

Inbox Accounting Database Management

AovpnTools PowerShell Module on GitHub

Inbox Accounting Database Module on GitHub

2 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on November 2, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, Deployment, Device Management, device tunnel, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Mobility, Operational Support, PowerShell, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Security, Server Core, systems management, troubleshooting, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on November 2, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/11/02/10-powershell-commands-always-on-vpn-administrators-should-know/

Always On VPN Disconnects in Windows 11

Always On VPN administrators migrating their endpoints to Windows 11 may encounter a scenario where Always On VPN randomly disconnects when the VPN profile is deployed using Microsoft Intune. The same configuration deployed to Windows 10 devices works reliably, however. In addition, Always On VPN profiles deployed using PowerShell (natively or with SCCM) or Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC) do not experience this problem.

Troubleshooting

Administrators troubleshooting this issue will find the root cause is associated with the Always On VPN profiles being removed and replaced each time the device syncs with Intune. This occurs even if there are no changes to the configuration. Removing and replacing the Always On VPN profiles on each device sync is unnecessary, of course, but is also highly disruptive to connected users.

Intune and XML

The Intune team identified the issue, and a fix was made available in the August update. However, many of you have reported the issue persists with some Windows 11 clients after installing the latest updates. Further investigation indicates that although the issue has been resolved when using Intune and the native VPN device configuration profile template, the problem still occurs when using the Custom device configuration template.

Workaround

Microsoft is aware of the issues with deploying Always On VPN client configuration settings using XML in Intune, but there’s no indication when or if they will fix it. Until then, administrators have two options to address this problem.

Native VPN Template

When deploying Always On VPN client configuration settings to Windows 11 endpoints, use the native VPN device configuration template, as shown here.

Using the native VPN template does have some limitations, however. The following settings are not exposed using the native VPN template and can only be configured using XML.

XML

If you must use XML, I’ve had some success by ensuring the order and syntax of XML settings is exactly as Intune expects. Follow the steps below to confirm the XML settings order in your XML configuration file.

  1. Deploy your XML file with Intune.
  2. Run Get-VpnClientProfileXML.ps1 to extract the deployed XML settings.
  3. Compare the order of settings to your existing XML.
  4. Compare the syntax of all settings. For example, the <Servers> section should list the server FQDN twice, separated by a semi-colon.
  5. Make changes to ensure all settings in your XML are in the same order as the extracted XML.
  6. Publish a new XML configuration file using Intune and test.

I’ll caution you that this workaround doesn’t always work reliably. Some customers report that this solved their problems entirely, while others have indicated it does not. My testing shows the same results. Let us know in the comments below if this works for you!

Reference XML

I have published an Always On VPN XML configuration file on GitHub for reference. It includes all common settings using the order and syntax required to ensure reliable operation. As a reminder, the sample file includes many settings that aren’t required. It is published as guidance for reference only.

Additional Information

Always On VPN Windows 11 Issues with Intune

Always On VPN PowerShell Script Issues in Windows 11

48 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on October 9, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, AOVPN, AovpnDPC, Application Filter, Azure AD Join, Azure VPN, Deployment, Device Management, device tunnel, DPC, Dynamic Profile Configurator, Endpoint Manager, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Intune, MDM, MEM, MEMCM, Microsoft, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Microsoft Intune, Mobility, OMA-DM, OMA-URI, Operational Support, PowerShell, ProfileXML, Remote Access, SCCM, System Center Configuration Manager, systems management, Traffic Filter, Update, user tunnel, VPN, Windows 11
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on October 9, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/10/09/always-on-vpn-disconnects-in-windows-11/

Always On VPN and RRAS on Windows Server Core

Windows Server Core is a refactored version of the full Windows Server operating system. Server Core does not include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and must be managed via the command line or with PowerShell. The Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) is a supported workload on all supported versions of Windows Server including Windows Server 2022. Always On VPN administrators should consider installing and configuring RRAS on Windows Server Core to ensure their VPN infrastructure’s best security and performance.

Server Core Benefits

Windows Server Core is a minimal installation option of the Windows Server operating system that provides numerous benefits, particularly for environments where security, resource efficiency, and reduced maintenance overhead are essential. Here are some of the key benefits of using Windows Server Core.

Minimized Attack Surface – Windows Server Core has a smaller footprint compared to the full GUI version, which means fewer components and services are installed by default. This reduces the potential attack surface and minimizes security vulnerabilities.

Enhanced Security – With fewer components and a reduced attack surface, there are fewer potential vectors for malware or unauthorized access. This makes Windows Server Core a more secure choice for critical server roles like RRAS.

Reduced Maintenance – Since there are fewer components to update, patching and maintaining a Windows Server Core system is quicker and requires less effort. This is especially beneficial in large-scale server deployments.

Improved Stability – By removing the graphical user interface (GUI), Windows Server Core has fewer processes running in the background, leading to a more stable and predictable server environment.

Simplified Management – Windows Server Core is designed for remote administration. It allows the administrator to manage it using command-line tools, PowerShell, or remote management tools like the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) and Windows Admin Center. This makes it easier to manage multiple servers from a single location.

Faster Reboots – Windows Servers require periodic reboots. With Windows Server Core, reboot times are considerably faster, resulting in less downtime during maintenance periods.

RSAT

The Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) can be installed on Windows clients and servers to enable remote administration using the familiar Routing and Remote Access Management console (rrasmgmt.msc) and Remote Access Management console (ramgmtui.exe) GUI tools.

Windows Client

To install the Remote Access Management tools on Windows client operating systems, navigate to Settings > Apps > Optional Features. Click Add a feature, select RSAT: Remote Access Management Tools, then click Install.

Optionally the Remote Access Management tools can be installed by running the following PowerShell command.

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name Rsat.RemoteAccess.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0

Windows Server

To install the Remote Access Management tools on Windows Server run the following PowerShell command.

Install-WindowsFeature -Name RSAT-RemoteAccess

Windows Admin Center

The Windows Admin Center is a free remote management tool from Microsoft for managing Windows Server (core and GUI) remotely. It is especially helpful for Server Core management as it provides a GUI for many common administrative tasks.

You can download Windows Admin Center here.

Additional Information

Windows Server Core Installation Option

Windows Server Core vs. Desktop

PowerShell Remote Server Administration

Windows Admin Center

2 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on October 2, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in Admin Center, administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Infrastructure, Microsoft, Mobility, Operational Support, PowerShell, Remote Access, Remote Administration, routing, routing and remote access service, RRAS, RSAT, Security, Server Core, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Admin Center, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on October 2, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/10/02/always-on-vpn-and-rras-on-windows-server-core/

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