The Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) includes support for the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP), which is a Microsoft proprietary VPN protocol that uses SSL/TLS for security and privacy of VPN connections. The advantages of using SSTP for Always On VPN is that it is firewall friendly and ensures consistent remove connectivity even behind highly restrictive firewalls.
Load Balancing SSTP
In a recent post, I described some of the use cases and benefits of SSTP load balancing as well as the offloading of TLS for SSTP VPN connections. Using a load balancer for SSTP VPN connections increases scalability, and offloading TLS for SSTP reduces resource utilization and improves performance for VPN connections. There are positive security benefits too.
Note: A comprehensive reference with detailed, prescriptive guidance for configuring the Kemp LoadMaster for Always On VPN can be found in the Always On VPN Load Balancing Deployment Guide for Kemp Load Balancers. Download this free guide now!
Configuration
Enabling load balancing on the Kemp LoadMaster platform is fundamentally similar to load balancing HTTPS web servers. However, there are a few subtle but important differences.
Health Check
Using a standard TCP port check on the LoadMaster will not accurately reflect the health of the SSTP service running on the RRAS server. In addition, using a simple TCP port check could yield unexpected results. To ensure accurate service status monitoring, it is recommended that HTTP or HTTPS health checks be configured instead.
Real Server Check Method
Open the Kemp LoadMaster management console and follow the steps below to enable HTTP/HTTPS health checks for SSTP.
1. Expand Virtual Services in the navigation pane.
2. Click View/Modify Services.
3. Click Modify on the SSTP VPN virtual service.
4. Expand Real Servers.
5. Select HTTPS Protocol from the Real Server Check Method drop-down list. Alternatively, if TLS offload is enabled select HTTP Protocol.
6. In the URL field enter /sra_{BA195980-CD49-458b-9E23-C84EE0ADCD75}/ and click Set URL.
7. In the Status Codes field enter 401 and click Set Status Codes.
8. Check the box next to Use HTTP/1.1.
9. Select Head from the HTTP Method drop-down list.
TLS Offload
It is generally recommended that TLS offload not be enabled for SSTP VPN. However, if TLS offload is desired, it is configured in much the same way as a common HTTPS web server. Specific guidance for enabling TLS offload on the Kemp LoadMaster load balancer can be found in the Always On VPN Load Balancing Deployment Guide for Kemp Load Balancers. Details for configuring RRAS and SSTP to support TLS offload can be found here.
Certificates
When enabling TLS offload for SSTP VPN connections it is recommended that the public SSL certificate be installed on the RRAS server, even though TLS processing will be handled on the LoadMaster and HTTP will be used between the LoadMaster and the RRAS server. If installing the public SSL certificate on the RRAS server is not an option, additional configuration will be required. Specifically, TLS offload for SSTP must be configured using the Enable-SSTPOffload PowerShell script, which can be found here.
Once the script has been downloaded, open an elevated PowerShell command window and enter the following command.
Enable-SSTPOffload -CertificateHash [SHA256 Certificate Hash of Public SSL Certificate] -Restart
Example:
Enable-SSTPOffload -CertificateHash “C3AB8FF13720E8AD9047DD39466B3C8974E592C2FA383D4A3960714CAEF0C4F2” -Restart
Re-Encryption
When offloading TLS for SSTP VPN connections, all traffic between the LoadMaster and the RRAS server will be sent in the clear using HTTP. In some instances, TLS offload is required only for traffic inspection, not performance gain. In this scenario the LoadMaster will be configured to terminate and then re-encrypt connections to the RRAS server. When terminating TLS on the LoadMaster and re-encrypting connections to the RRAS server is required, the same certificate must be used on both the LoadMaster and the RRAS server. Using different certificates on the RRAS server and the load balancer is not supported.
Additional Information
Windows 10 Always On VPN Load Balancing Deployment Guide for Kemp Load Balancers
Windows 10 Always On VPN SSTP Load Balancing and SSL Offload
Windows 10 Always On VPN SSL Certificate Requirements for SSTP
Windows 10 Always On VPN ECDSA SSL Certificate Request for SSTP
The DirectAccess Network Connectivity Assistant (NCA), first introduced in Windows 8, provides DirectAccess connectivity status information as well as diagnostic support on the client. The NCA validates that DirectAccess is working end-to-end by attempting to reach internal resources defined by the administrator during the configuration of DirectAccess. NCA configuration and operation is a source of much confusion. This article serves to provide best practice configuration guidance for the NCA to ensure optimum and reliable operation.
