Always On VPN DNS Registration Update Available

Always On VPN DNS Registration Update AvailableWhen configuring Always On VPN, administrators have the option to enable DNS registration for VPN clients. When this option is set, VPN clients will register the IP address assigned to their VPN interface in the internal DNS. This allows client devices to be managed using their hostname from the internal network whenever they are connected remotely.

DNS Registration

DNS registration is enabled in one of two ways, depending on how Always On VPN client devices are managed.

Intune

When using the native Microsoft Intune UI to manage Always On VPN profiles, DNS registration can be configured by selecting Enabled next to Register IP addresses with internal DNS in the Base VPN settings section.

Always On VPN DNS Registration Update Available

ProfileXML

When using custom ProfileXML with PowerShell, SCCM, or Intune, the administrator will define the RegisterDNS element to enable DNS registration.

Always On VPN DNS Registration Update Available

Known Issues

Some users have reported unexpected behavior when DNS registration is enabled. Specifically, under some circumstances the VPN client will register the IP address of the VPN network interface along with the IP address of its public network interface (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc.). However, the VPN client can only be managed using the VPN interface. If the VPN client’s hostname resolves to its public IP address, manage out will fail.

This appears to happen only when Name Resolution Policy Table (NRPT) rules are defined in Intune DNS settings, or if the DomainNameInformation element is defined in ProfileXML.

Always On VPN DNS Registration Update AvailableAlways On VPN DNS Registration Update Available

Resolution

Microsoft recently released fixes for this DNS registration issue for Windows 10. The fix for this issue is included in the following updates.

Windows 10 1803 – KB4507466
Windows 10 1809 – KB4505658
Windows 10 1903 – KB4505903

Additional Configuration

After installing the update, the following registry entry must be defined on each VPN client.

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters\DisableNRPTForAdapterRegistration DWORD = 1

To enable this setting, open an elevated PowerShell window and run the following command.

New-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters\’ -Name DisableNRPTForAdapterRegistration -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force

Once complete, restart the client device for the changes to take effect. After validation testing is complete, the registry entry can be deployed to Always On VPN clients using Active Directory group policy preferences or Intune.

Additional Information

Deploying Windows 10 Always On VPN with Intune using Custom ProfileXML

Windows 10 Always On VPN Updates to Improve Connection Reliability

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Configuration using Microsoft Intune

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training Classes

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903After deploying or upgrading to Windows 10 1903, administrators may find that Windows 10 Always On VPN connections fail to establish successfully. Always On VPN connections continue to work for Windows 10 1809 and earlier clients, however.

Important Note: The issue described in this article has been addressed in KB4505903 (build 18362.267) released July 26, 2019.

RasMan Event Log Errors

When this occurs, the application event log contains an error with Event ID 1000 that includes the following information.

“Faulting application name: svchost.exe_RasMan…”, “Faulting module name: rasmans.dll”, and “Exception code: 0xc0000005”

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903 Administrators may find that Windows 10 Always On VPN connections fail after deploying or upgrading to Windows 10 1903. Always On VPN connections continue to work for Windows 10 1809 and earlier clients. RasMan Event Log Errors When this occurs, the application event log contains an error with Event ID 1000 that includes the following information. “Faulting application name: svchost.exe_RasMan…”, “Faulting module name: rasmans.dll”, and “Exception code: 0xc0000005” Root Cause RasMan failures can occur in Windows 10 1903 clients when telemetry is disabled via group policy or the registry. Microsoft has identified the issue and is currently working on a fix. Workaround As a temporary workaround to restore Always On VPN connectivity, enable telemetry on Windows 10 1903 using Active Directory or local group policy, the local registry, or PowerShell. Group Policy Create a new GPO or edit an existing one by opening the group policy management console (gpmc.msc) and performing the following steps. 1. Expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds 2. Double-Click Allow Telemetry. 3. Select Enabled. 4. Choose 1-Basic, 2-Enhanced, or 3-Full (do not select 0-Security). 5. Click Ok. Registry Telemetry can also be enabled locally by opening the registry editor (regedit.exe) and modifying the following registry setting. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\AllowTelemetry DWORD = 1 Note: The AllowTelemetry value can be removed entirely, if desired. PowerShell PowerShell can also be used modify or remove the AllowTelemetry value on Windows 10 1903 clients. Run the following PowerShell command to update the AllowTelemetry setting. New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force Optionally, run the following PowerShell command to remove the AllowTelemetry setting entirely. Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry Restart Required Once these changes have been made, restart the client and test the Always On VPN connection. Additional Information asdf

Root Cause

RasMan failures can occur in Windows 10 1903 clients when telemetry is disabled via group policy or the registry. Microsoft has identified the issue and is currently working on a fix.

Workaround

As a temporary workaround to restore Always On VPN connectivity, enable telemetry on Windows 10 1903 using Active Directory or local group policy, the local registry, or PowerShell.

Group Policy

Create a new GPO or edit an existing one by opening the group policy management console (gpmc.msc) and performing the following steps.

1. Expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds
2. Double-click Allow Telemetry.
3. Select Enabled.
4. Choose 1-Basic, 2-Enhanced, or 3-Full (do not select 0-Security).
5. Click Ok.

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903 Administrators may find that Windows 10 Always On VPN connections fail after deploying or upgrading to Windows 10 1903. Always On VPN connections continue to work for Windows 10 1809 and earlier clients. RasMan Event Log Errors When this occurs, the application event log contains an error with Event ID 1000 that includes the following information. “Faulting application name: svchost.exe_RasMan…”, “Faulting module name: rasmans.dll”, and “Exception code: 0xc0000005” Root Cause RasMan failures can occur in Windows 10 1903 clients when telemetry is disabled via group policy or the registry. Microsoft has identified the issue and is currently working on a fix. Workaround As a temporary workaround to restore Always On VPN connectivity, enable telemetry on Windows 10 1903 using Active Directory or local group policy, the local registry, or PowerShell. Group Policy Create a new GPO or edit an existing one by opening the group policy management console (gpmc.msc) and performing the following steps. 1. Expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds 2. Double-Click Allow Telemetry. 3. Select Enabled. 4. Choose 1-Basic, 2-Enhanced, or 3-Full (do not select 0-Security). 5. Click Ok. Registry Telemetry can also be enabled locally by opening the registry editor (regedit.exe) and modifying the following registry setting. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\AllowTelemetry DWORD = 1 Note: The AllowTelemetry value can be removed entirely, if desired. PowerShell PowerShell can also be used modify or remove the AllowTelemetry value on Windows 10 1903 clients. Run the following PowerShell command to update the AllowTelemetry setting. New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force Optionally, run the following PowerShell command to remove the AllowTelemetry setting entirely. Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry Restart Required Once these changes have been made, restart the client and test the Always On VPN connection. Additional Information asdf

Registry

Telemetry can also be enabled locally by opening the registry editor (regedit.exe) and modifying the following registry setting.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\AllowTelemetry DWORD = 1

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903 Administrators may find that Windows 10 Always On VPN connections fail after deploying or upgrading to Windows 10 1903. Always On VPN connections continue to work for Windows 10 1809 and earlier clients. RasMan Event Log Errors When this occurs, the application event log contains an error with Event ID 1000 that includes the following information. “Faulting application name: svchost.exe_RasMan…”, “Faulting module name: rasmans.dll”, and “Exception code: 0xc0000005” Root Cause RasMan failures can occur in Windows 10 1903 clients when telemetry is disabled via group policy or the registry. Microsoft has identified the issue and is currently working on a fix. Workaround As a temporary workaround to restore Always On VPN connectivity, enable telemetry on Windows 10 1903 using Active Directory or local group policy, the local registry, or PowerShell. Group Policy Create a new GPO or edit an existing one by opening the group policy management console (gpmc.msc) and performing the following steps. 1. Expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds 2. Double-Click Allow Telemetry. 3. Select Enabled. 4. Choose 1-Basic, 2-Enhanced, or 3-Full (do not select 0-Security). 5. Click Ok. Registry Telemetry can also be enabled locally by opening the registry editor (regedit.exe) and modifying the following registry setting. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\AllowTelemetry DWORD = 1 Note: The AllowTelemetry value can be removed entirely, if desired. PowerShell PowerShell can also be used modify or remove the AllowTelemetry value on Windows 10 1903 clients. Run the following PowerShell command to update the AllowTelemetry setting. New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force Optionally, run the following PowerShell command to remove the AllowTelemetry setting entirely. Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\' -Name AllowTelemetry Restart Required Once these changes have been made, restart the client and test the Always On VPN connection. Additional Information asdf

Note: The AllowTelemetry value can be removed entirely, if desired.

PowerShell

PowerShell can also be used modify or remove the AllowTelemetry value on Windows 10 1903 clients. Run the following PowerShell command to update the AllowTelemetry setting.

New-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\’ -Name AllowTelemetry -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force

Optionally, run the following PowerShell command to remove the AllowTelemetry setting entirely.

Remove-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection\’ -Name AllowTelemetry

Service Restart Required

Once these changes have been made, restart the Remote Access Connection Manager service (RasMan) using the Services mnagement console (services.msc) or by running the following PowerShell command.

Restart-Service RasMan -PassThru

Optionally, the client can be rebooted to apply these changes.

Additional Information

Windows 10 1903 Known Issues

 

Renew DirectAccess Self-Signed Certificates

Renew DirectAccess Self-Signed CertificatesUpdated December 9, 2023: I’ve recently updated this PowerShell script to work more reliably in different configurations other than the Getting Started Wizard. If you’ve had trouble running this script in the past, download the latest version. It should work better! I’ve also published the script in the PowerShell gallery. You can install it by running “Install-Script Renew-DaSelfSignedCertificates”. Enjoy!

When DirectAccess is deployed using the Getting Started Wizard (GSW), sometimes referred to as the “simplified deployment” method, self-signed certificates are created during the installation and used for the IP-HTTPS IPv6 transition technology, the Network Location Server (NLS), and for RADIUS secret encryption. Administrators may also selectively choose to use self-signed certificates for IP-HTTPS, or when collocating the NLS on the DirectAccess server. The RADIUS encryption certificate is always self-signed.

Renew DirectAccess Self-Signed Certificates

Certificate Expiration

These self-signed certificates expire 5 years after they are created, which means many DirectAccess administrators who have used this deployment option will need to renew these certificates at some point in the future. Unfortunately, there’s no published guidance from Microsoft on how to accomplish this. However, the process is simple enough using PowerShell and the New-SelfSignedCertificate cmdlet.

PowerShell Script on GitHub

The PowerShell script to renew DirectAccess self-signed certificates has been published on GitHub. You can download Renew-DaSelfSignedCertificates.ps1 here.

Important Considerations

When the IP-HTTPS certificate is renewed using this script, DirectAccess clients outside will be immediately disconnected and will be unable to reconnect until they update group policy. This will require connecting to the internal network locally or remotely using another VPN solution. The NLS and RADIUS encryption certificates can be updated without impacting remote users.

In addition, internal clients that are not online when this change is made will be unable to access internal resources by name until they update group policy. If this happens, delete the Name Resolution Policy Table (NRPT) on the client using the following PowerShell command and reboot to restore connectivity.

Get-Item -Path “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\DNSClient\DnsPolicyConfig” | Remove-Item -Confirm:$false

Additional Information

PowerShell Recommended Reading for DirectAccess Administrators

Top 5 DirectAccess Troubleshooting PowerShell Commands