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DirectAccess Client and Server Settings GPOs Deleted

Microsoft Windows Server Active DirectoryFor DirectAccess deployments where domain controllers are running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2 using the File Replication Service (FRS) for replication, DirectAccess client and server settings Group Policy Objects (GPOs) may be deleted. If these GPOs are deleted, DirectAccess connectivity will be disrupted. If the GPOs cannot be recovered via backup, it will be necessary to rebuild the entire DirectAccess deployment from scratch.

Microsoft recently updated their DirectAccess Unsupported Configurations documentation to reflect new guidance for DirectAccess deployments where the FRS is used for the distribution of Active Directory GPOs. DirectAccess is no longer supported in environments where FRS is used for SYSVOL replication.

What this means is that if you plan to deploy DirectAccess, domain controllers must be running Windows Server 2008 or later, and Distributed File System Replication (DFS-R) must be used for replication.

More details can be found here.

4 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on July 27, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in DirectAccess, Remote Access, Update, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on July 27, 2015

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2015/07/27/directaccess-client-and-server-settings-gpos-deleted/

Hotfix Available for DirectAccess OTP Configuration Issues

If you’ve ever tried configuring DirectAccess to use One-Time Password (OTP) authentication, you’ve no doubt discovered that the native Microsoft Remote Access Management console would return the following error when trying to detect and locate Certificate Authority (CA) servers.

No CA servers can be detected, and OTP cannot be configured. Ensure that
servers added to the list are available on each domain controller in the
corporate network.

Configure DirectAccess with OTP Authentication

The workaround for this issue required dropping to the command line and executing PowerShell commands to complete this configuration as I outlined here.

Thankfully Microsoft has made available a hotfix to address this issue, returning full GUI functionality for configuring DirectAccess and OTP authentication. For additional details about this hotfix and to request the update itself, click here.

3 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on April 23, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in DirectAccess, Hotfix, PowerShell, Remote Access, Update, Windows Server 2012 R2
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 23, 2015

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2015/04/23/hotfix-available-for-directaccess-otp-configuration-issues/

Critical Update MS15-034 and DirectAccess

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-034 Vulnerability in HTTP.sys affects DirectAccessThe April 2015 monthly security update release from Microsoft includes a fix for a serious vulnerability in HTTP.sys. On an unpatched server, an attacker who sends a specially crafted HTTP request will be able to execute code remotely in the context of the local system account. DirectAccess leverages HTTP.sys for the IP-HTTPS IPv6 transition protocol and is critically exposed. Organizations who have deployed DirectAccess are urged to update their systems immediately.

More information can be found on MS15-034 here.

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by Richard M. Hicks on April 20, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in DirectAccess, Hotfix, IP-HTTPS, IPv6, IPv6 Transition, Remote Access, Security, SSL and TLS, Update, Windows Server 2012 R2
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 20, 2015

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2015/04/20/critical-update-ms15-034-and-directaccess/

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