Introduction
When installing DirectAccess for the first time, an administrator may encounter the following error message while running the Remote Access Setup wizard.
Error. The client cannot connect to the destination specified in the request. Verify that the service on the destination is running and is accepting requests. Consult the logs and documentation for the WS-Management service running on the destination, most commonly IIS or WinRM. If the destination is the WinRM service, run the following command on the destination to analyze and configure the WinRM service: “winrm quickconfig”.
Troubleshooting
Running winrm quickconfig in an elevated PowerShell command window returns the following message.
WinRM service is already running on this machine.
WinRM is already set up for remote management on this computer.
Clicking Check prerequisites again does not resolve the error message.
Post-Installation Errors
If DirectAccess is already installed and working properly, an administrator may encounter a scenario in which the operations status page displays nothing, yet remote DirectAccess clients are connected and able to access corporate resources without issue.
In addition, clicking Edit on Step 2 in the Remote Access Management console and choosing Network Adapters produces an error message stating “An error occurred when validating interfaces”. You can select a network adapter from the drop-down list, but the Next and Finish buttons are grayed out.
Conflicts with WinRM
These errors are commonly caused by a conflict with WinRM Service settings enforced via Active Directory group policy. To confirm this, open an elevated PowerShell command window run the winrm enumerate winrm/config/listener command. The listener configuration source will be listed as GPO.
The administrator will also find the presence of the following registry keys on the DirectAccess server.
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service\AllowAutoConfig
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service\IPv4Filter
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service\IPv6Filter
Resolution
To resolve this conflict, prevent the GPO with this setting from being applied to the DirectAccess server(s). You will find this GPO setting in the Group Policy Management console (GPMC) by navigating to Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Remote Management (WinRM) -> WinRM Service and setting the state of Allow remote server management through WinRM to Not configured.
Additional Resources
DirectAccess and Windows 10 Better Together
DirectAccess and Windows 10 in Education
VIDEO – DirectAccess and Windows 10 in Action
BOOK – Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016
I’m really excited to announce that I have once again been invited to speak at the upcoming TechMentor event in Redmond, WA August 7-11, 2017! This year I’ll be presenting two important deep-dive training sessions on DirectAccess. The first is a three-hour course on implementing DirectAccess using Windows Server 2016. This session will cover infrastructure prerequisites as well as tips, tricks, and best practices for implementing DirectAccess using Windows Server 2016. In addition I will also be delivering a three-hour deep dive on DirectAccess troubleshooting. In this session, I’ll share valuable insight, tools, and techniques for quickly identifying and resolving many common DirectAccess connectivity and performance issues. In addition I will also be giving a short talk on getting started with Azure site-to-site networking. If you want to take advantage of the power and flexibility that the Azure public cloud has to offer, extending your on-premises datacenter using site-to-site VPN is essential.
