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What’s New in Always On VPN DPC v3.0

Recently I wrote about a compelling solution from PowerON Platforms for managing Always On VPN client configuration setting using Active Directory group policy. Always On VPN Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC) addresses a very specific need for managing Always On VPN for organizations that have not yet migrated to Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune. Recently, PowerON Platforms released an important update to DPC that includes many new features and capabilities.

New Features

Always On VPN DPC version 3.0 includes the following new functionality Always On VPN administrators are sure to find useful.

Traffic filters – Support for enabling traffic filters for both device tunnel and user tunnel are now supported in DPC, greatly simplifying the task of creating access control lists to enforce zero-trust network access (ZTNA) policies.
Enhanced security – The option to disconnect the VPN connection if the VPN server does not present a cryptobinding TLV is now enabled by default. This often-overlooked security setting ensures VPN client connections are not intercepted by detecting man-in-the-middle attacks.
Device tunnel enhancements – Administrators can now display the device tunnel connection and status in the Windows UI.
Backup connection – Always On VPN DPC now supports the configuration and deployment of a backup VPN connection, which is helpful when Always On VPN connectivity is disrupted.
Hostname routing – Administrators can now define hostnames in the routing table. Hostnames are resolved on the endpoint and converted to IP addresses for including in the routing table.
Smart card authentication – Always On VPN DPC now supports smart card authentication as an authentication option in addition to client authentication certificates.

Learn More

Interested in learning more about Always On VPN DPC? Fill out the form below and I’ll provide you with additional information or visit aovpndpc.com to sign up for a free trial.

Additional Information

Always On VPN with Active Directory Group Policy

Always On VPN Video Demonstration

Always On VPN DPC Advanced Features

Always On VPN DPC on YouTube

Endpoint Manager and Intune Learning Resources for Always On VPN Administrators

Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM), formerly Intune, is the recommended solution for deploying and managing Windows Always On VPN client configuration settings. Always On VPN is designed for Mobile Device Management (MDM), with configuration settings deployed specifically to the VPNv2 Configuration Service Provider (CSP) interface.

Resources

Getting up to speed on all things MEM isn’t difficult at all. I’ve found the MEM community to be exceedingly helpful, and there are many available training resources in various formats from which to choose.

Books

The following is a list of Microsoft Endpoint Manager books Always On VPN administrators will find most helpful for learning about MEM.

MDM: Fundamentals, Security, and the Modern Desktop by Jeremy Moskowitz

Learning MEM – Microsoft Endpoint Manager by Scott Duffey

Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager by Christiaan Brinkhoff and Per Larsen

YouTube

The Intune Training channel on YouTube is an incredibly valuable resource for Always On VPN administrators learning MEM. Hosted by Steven Hosking, Adam Gross, and Ben Reader, there are countless videos covering important MEM configuration tasks.

Pluralsight

Pluralsight offers video training courses for a wide variety of IT-related topics. Recently I published the Implementing Always On VPN video training course. There are several Microsoft Endpoint Manager video training courses available as well. Pluralsight is available via subscription. You can sign up for a free trial here if you don’t have a subscription.

Conferences

The Midwest Management Summit (MMS) is the premier event for systems management professionals. Their annual conference takes place each spring in the U.S. (Minneapolis, MN). The event is the best place to learn about Microsoft Endpoint Manager and network with systems management professionals worldwide.

Additional Resources

As a reminder, MEM topics such as certificate deployment and Always On VPN profile deployment and management are covered in detail in both my Implementing Always On VPN book and the Implementing Always On VPN video training course on Pluralsight. 😁

1 Comment

by Richard M. Hicks on June 30, 2022 • Permalink

Tagged Always On VPN, book, books, education, enterprise mobility, learning, MEM, MEMCM, Microsoft, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Mobility, security, systems management, video training, VPN, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 11

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on June 30, 2022

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2022/06/30/endpoint-manager-and-intune-learning-resources-for-always-on-vpn-administrators/

Always On VPN PowerShell Script Issues in Windows 11

Many administrators are now beginning to test Always On VPN functionality on the latest Microsoft Windows client operating system, Windows 11. Initially, Microsoft had some issues with provisioning and managing Always On VPN profiles on Windows 11 using Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune, but those have been resolved. However, some lingering problems may delay enterprise deployments of Always On VPN on Windows 11 for some organizations, specifically those using PowerShell with Active Directory group policy startup scripts or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

MakeProfile.ps1

Microsoft has published guidance for deploying Always On VPN profiles using PowerShell with their MakeProfile.ps1 script. This script extracts configuration details from a template VPN profile to create another PowerShell script called VPN_Profile.ps1, which is used to create the Always On VPN profile. SCCM administrators commonly use VPN_Proifle.ps1 to deploy Always On VPN profiles. However, running this script on Windows 11 fails and returns the following error message.

“Unable to create [VPN profile name] profile: A general error occurred that is not covered by a more specific code.”

This issue appears to be related to a problem with the WMI-to-CSP bridge, specifically enumerating the MDM_VPNv2_01 class in the root\cimv2\mdm\dmmap namespace. Here you can see the template VPN profile with PowerShell and Get-VpnConnection.

However, attempts to view the MDM_VPNv2_01 class of this VPN profile using PowerShell and Get-CimInstance fail.

New-AovpnConnection.ps1

Interestingly, administrators may find that my Always On VPN PowerShell deployment script works more reliably on Windows 11, although not always. In my experience, I’ve found that it sometimes fails once (profile is loaded, but the configuration is incomplete), then works after deleting the profile and creating it again. If the Microsoft-provided script isn’t working, give mine a try and see if it works better for you.

Note: When deploying Always On VPN profiles using my PowerShell deployment script via Active Directory startup scripts, it seems to fail consistently for some reason. Go figure. 😉

Remove-AovpnConnection.ps1

The issues described previously with Windows 11 are also negatively affecting some of my other PowerShell scripts. For example, running Remove-Aovpnconnection.ps1 on Windows 11 fails and returns the following error message.

“A general error occurred that is not covered by a more specific error code.”

Current Status

Microsoft is currently aware of this issue. However, I am aware of no timeframe for resolution at the time of this writing. Hopefully, Microsoft addresses this soon so organizations can move forward with their Windows 11 migration projects.