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All posts tagged high availability

Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing with F5 BIG-IP

The Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) is the protocol of choice for Always On VPN deployments where the highest level of security is required. Implementing Always On VPN at scale often requires multiple VPN servers to provide sufficient capacity and to provide redundancy. Commonly an Application Delivery Controller (ADC) or load balancer is configured in front of the VPN servers to provide scalability and high availability for Always On VPN.

Load Balancing IKEv2

In a recent post I described some of the unique challenges load balancing IKEv2 poses, and I demonstrated how to configure the Kemp LoadMaster load balancer to properly load balance IKEv2 VPN connections. In this post I’ll outline how to configure IKEv2 VPN load balancing on the F5 BIG-IP load balancer.

Note: This article assumes the administrator is familiar with basic F5 BIG-IP load balancer configuration, such as creating nodes, pools, virtual servers, etc.

Initial Configuration

Follow the steps below to create a virtual server on the F5 BIG-IP to load balance IKEv2 VPN connections.

Pool Configuration

To begin, create two pools on the load balancer. The first pool will be configured to use UDP port 500, and the second pool will be configured to use UDP port 4500. Each pool is configured with the VPN servers defined as the individual nodes.

Virtual Server Configuration

Next create two virtual servers, the first configured to use UDP port 500 and the second to use UDP port 4500.

To ensure reliable connectivity for IKEv2 connections it is necessary for the VPN server to see the client’s original source IP address. When configuring virtual server, select None from the Source Address Translation drop-down list.

Persistence Profile

To ensure that both IKEv2 UDP 500 and 4500 packets are delivered to the same node, follow the steps below to create and assign a Persistence Profile.

1. Expand Local Traffic > Profiles and click Persistence.
2. Click Create.
3. Enter a descriptive name for the profile in the Name field.
4. Select Source Address Affinity from the Persistence Type drop-down list.
5. Click the Custom check box.
6. Select the option to Match Across Services.
7. Click Finished.

Assign the new persistence profile to both UDP 500 and 4500 virtual servers. Navigate to the Resources tab on each virtual server and select the new persistence profile from the Default Persistence Profile drop-down list. Be sure to do this for both virtual servers.

Additional Resources

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing and NAT

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing with Kemp LoadMaster Load Balancer

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 Security Configuration

Windows 10 Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

Windows 10 Always On VPN Certificate Requirements for IKEv2

Video: Windows 10 Always On VPN Load Balancing with the Kemp LoadMaster Load Balancer

35 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on March 11, 2019 • Permalink

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 11, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/03/11/always-on-vpn-ikev2-load-balancing-with-f5-big-ip/

Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing with KEMP LoadMaster

Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) is an IPsec-based VPN protocol with configurable security parameters that allows administrators to ensure the highest level of security for Windows 10 Always On VPN clients. It is the protocol of choice for deployments that require the best possible protection for communication between remote clients and the VPN server. IKEv2 has some unique requirements when it comes to load balancing, however. Because it uses UDP on multiple ports, configuring the load balancer requires some additional steps for proper operation. This article demonstrates how to enable IKEv2 load balancing using the Kemp LoadMaster load balancer.

IKEv2 and NAT

IKEv2 VPN security associations (SAs) begin with a connection to the VPN server that uses UDP port 500. During this initial exchange, if it is determined that the client, server, or both are behind a device performing Network Address Translation (NAT), the connection switches to UDP port 4500 and the connection establishment process continues.

IKEv2 Load Balancing Challenges

Since UDP is connectionless, there’s no guarantee that when the conversation switches from UDP 500 to UDP 4500 that the load balancer will forward the request to the same VPN server on the back end. If the load balancer forwards the UDP 500 session from a VPN client to one real server, then forwards the UDP 4500 session to a different VPN server, the connection will fail. The load balancer must be configured to ensure that both UDP 500 and 4500 from the same VPN client are always forwarded to the same real server to ensure proper operation.

Port Following

To meet this unique requirement for IKEv2 load balancing, it is necessary to use a feature on the KEMP LoadMaster load balancer called “port following”. Enabling this feature will ensure that a VPN client using IKEv2 will always have their UDP 500 and 4500 sessions forwarded to the same real server.

Load Balancing IKEv2

Open the web-based management console and perform the following steps to enable load balancing of IKEv2 traffic on the KEMP LoadMaster load balancer.

Create the Virtual Server

Expand Virtual Services.
Click Add New.
Enter the IP address to be used by the virtual server in the Virtual Address field.
Enter 500 in the Port field.
Select UDP from the Protocol drop-down list.
Click Add this Virtual Service.

Add Real Servers

Expand Real Servers.
Click Add New.
Enter the IP address of the VPN server in the Real Server Address field.
Click Add This Real Server.
Repeat the steps above for each VPN server in the cluster.

Repeat all the steps above to create another virtual server using UDP port 4500.

Enable Layer 7 Operation

Click View/Modify Services below Virtual Services in the navigation tree.
Select the first virtual server and click Modify.
Expand Standard Options.
Uncheck Force L4.
Check Transparency (additional configuration may be required – details here).
Select Source IP Address from the Persistence Options drop-down list.
Choose an appropriate value from the Timeout drop-down list.
Choose an appropriate setting from the Scheduling Method drop-down list.
Click Back.
Repeat these steps on the second virtual server.

Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing with KEMP LoadMaster

Enable Port Following

Click View/Modify Services below Virtual Services in the navigation tree.
Select the first virtual server and click Modify.
Expand Advanced Properties.
Select the virtual server using UDP 500 from the Port Following drop-down list.
Click Back.
Repeat these steps on the second virtual server.

Demonstration Video

The following video demonstrates how to enable IKEv2 load balancing for Windows 10 Always On VPN using the KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancer.

Summary

With the KEMP LoadMaster load balancer configured to use port following, Windows 10 Always On VPN clients using IKEv2 will be assured that their connections will always be delivered to the same back end VPN server, resulting in reliable load balancing for IKEv2 connections.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Certificate Requirements for IKEv2

Windows 10 Always On VPN Protocol Recommendations for Windows Server RRAS

30 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on September 17, 2018 • Permalink

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on September 17, 2018

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2018/09/17/always-on-vpn-ikev2-load-balancing-with-kemp-loadmaster/

Always On VPN Multisite with Azure Traffic Manager

Eliminating single points of failure is crucial to ensuring the highest levels of availability for any remote access solution. For Windows 10 Always On VPN deployments, the Windows Server 2016 Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) and Network Policy Server (NPS) servers can be load balanced to provide redundancy and high availability within a single datacenter. Additional RRAS and NPS servers can be deployed in another datacenter or in Azure to provide geographic redundancy if one datacenter is unavailable, or to provide access to VPN servers based on the location of the client.

Multisite Always On VPN

Unlike DirectAccess, Windows 10 Always On VPN does not natively include support for multisite. However, enabling multisite geographic redundancy can be implemented using Azure Traffic Manager.

Azure Traffic Manager

Traffic Manager is part of Microsoft’s Azure public cloud solution. It provides Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) functionality by resolving DNS queries for the VPN public hostname to an IP address of the most optimal VPN server.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Using Azure Traffic manager has some benefits, but it is not with some drawbacks.

Advantages – Azure Traffic Manager is easy to configure and use. It requires no proprietary hardware to procure, manage, and support.

Disadvantages – Azure Traffic Manager offers only limited health check options. Azure Traffic Manager’s HTTPS health check only accepts HTTP 200 OK responses as valid. Most TLS-based VPNs will respond with an HTTP 401 Unauthorized, which Azure Traffic Manager considers “degraded”. The only option for endpoint monitoring is a simple TCP connection to port 443, which is a less accurate indicator of endpoint availability.

Note: This scenario assumes that RRAS with Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) or another third-party TLS-based VPN server is in use. If IKEv2 is to be supported exclusively, it will still be necessary to publish an HTTP or HTTPS-based service for Azure Traffic Manager to monitor site availability.

Traffic Routing Methods

Azure Traffic Manager provide four different methods for routing traffic.

Priority – Select this option to provide active/passive failover. A primary VPN server is defined to which all traffic is routed. If the primary server is unavailable, traffic will be routed to another backup server.

Weighted – Select this option to provide active/active failover. Traffic is routed to all VPN servers equally, or unequally if desired. The administrator defines the percentage of traffic routed to each server.

Performance – Select this option to route traffic to the VPN server with the lowest latency. This ensures VPN clients connect to the server that responds the quickest.

Geographic – Select this option to route traffic to a VPN server based on the VPN client’s physical location.

Configure Azure Traffic Manager

Open the Azure management portal and follow the steps below to configure Azure Traffic Manager for multisite Windows 10 Always On VPN.

Create a Traffic Manager Resource

Click Create a resource.
Click Networking.
Click Traffic Manager profile.

Create a Traffic Manager Profile

Enter a unique name for the Traffic Manager profile.
Select an appropriate routing method (described above).
Select a subscription.
Create or select a resource group.
Select a resource group location.
Click Create.

Always On VPN Multisite with Azure Traffic Manager

Important Note: The name of the Traffic Manager profile cannot be used by VPN clients to connect to the VPN server, since a TLS certificate cannot be obtained for the trafficmanager.net domain. Instead, create a CNAME DNS record that points to the Traffic Manager FQDN and ensure that name matches the subject or a Subject Alternative Name (SAN) entry on the VPN server’s TLS and/or IKEv2 certificates.

Endpoint Monitoring

Open the newly created Traffic Manager profile and perform the following tasks to enable endpoint monitoring.

Click Configuration.
Select TCP from the Protocol drop-down list.
Enter 443 in the Port field.
Update any additional settings, such as DNS TTL, probing interval, tolerated number of failures, and probe timeout, as required.
Click Save.

Always On VPN Multisite with Azure Traffic Manager

Endpoint Configuration

Follow the steps below to add VPN endpoints to the Traffic Manager profile.

Click Endpoints.
Click Add.
Select External Endpoint from the Type drop-down list.
Enter a descriptive name for the endpoint.
Enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or the IP address of the first VPN server.
Select a geography from the Location drop-down list.
Click OK.
Repeat the steps above for any additional datacenters where VPN servers are deployed.

Always On VPN Multisite with Azure Traffic Manager

Summary

Implementing multisite by placing VPN servers is multiple physical locations will ensure that VPN connections can be established successfully even when an entire datacenter is offline. In addition, active/active scenarios can be implemented, where VPN client connections can be routed to the most optimal datacenter based on a variety of parameters, including current server load or the client’s current location.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training Classes

65 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on July 30, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in Always On VPN, AOVPN, AWS, Azure, Azure Traffic Manager, cloud, DNS, EC2, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Load Balancing, multisite, public cloud, Remote Access, TLS, VPN, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on July 30, 2018

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2018/07/30/always-on-vpn-multisite-with-azure-traffic-manager/

Managing and Supporting DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 Video Training Course on Pluralsight

I’m pleased to announce my newest video training course, Managing and Supporting DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016, is now available on Pluralsight! This new course is a follow-up to my previous course, Planning and Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016. This latest course builds upon the first one and covers advanced configuration such as enabling load balancing, configuring geographic redundancy, and enforcing strong user authentication using one-time passwords (OTP) and smart cards.

In addition, monitoring and reporting is covered, as well as implementing manage out for DirectAccess clients in supported scenarios. The course also includes a full hour of in-depth DirectAccess configuration and connectivity troubleshooting that will be valuable for all DirectAccess administrators.

The course includes the following training modules:

Configuring High Availability
Enabling Strong User Authentication
DirectAccess Monitoring and Reporting
Implementing Outbound Management for DirectAccess Clients
DirectAccess Troubleshooting

Throughout the course, I share valuable knowledge and insight gained from more than 5 years of experience deploying DirectAccess for some of the largest organizations in the world. Pluralsight offers a free trial subscription if you don’t already have one, so watch my latest DirectAccess video training course today!

Additional Resources

Planning and Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 on Pluralsight
Managing and Supporting DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 on Pluralsight
Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 book

Deployment Considerations for DirectAccess on Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Organizations are rapidly deploying Windows server infrastructure with public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. With traditional on-premises infrastructure now hosted in the cloud, DirectAccess is also being deployed there more commonly.

Supportability

Interestingly, Microsoft has expressly stated that DirectAccess is not formally supported on their own public cloud platform, Azure. However, there is no formal statement of non-support for DirectAccess hosted on other non-Microsoft public cloud platforms. With supportability for DirectAccess on AWS unclear, many companies are taking the approach that if it isn’t unsupported, then it must be supported. I’d suggest proceeding with caution, as Microsoft could issue formal guidance to the contrary in the future.

DirectAccess on AWS

Deploying DirectAccess on AWS is similar to deploying on premises, with a few notable exceptions, outlined below.

IP Addressing

It is recommended that an IP address be exclusively assigned to the DirectAccess server in AWS, as shown here.

Prerequisites Check

When first configuring DirectAccess, the administrator will encounter the following warning message.

“The server does not comply with some DirectAccess prerequisites. Resolve all issues before proceed with DirectAccess deployment.”

The warning message itself states that “One or more network adapters should be configured with a static IP address. Obtain a static address and assign it to the adapter.”

IP addressing for virtual machines are managed entirely by AWS. This means the DirectAccess server will have a DHCP-assigned address, even when an IP address is specified in AWS. Assigning static IP addresses in the guest virtual machine itself is also not supported. However, this warning message can safely be ignored.

No Support for Load Balancing

It is not possible to create load-balanced clusters of DirectAccess servers for redundancy or scalability on AWS. This is because enabling load balancing for DirectAccess requires the IP address of the DirectAccess server be changed in the operating system, which is not supported on AWS. To eliminate single points of failure in the DirectAccess architecture or to add additional capacity, multisite must be enabled. Each additional DirectAccess server must be provisioned as an individual entry point.

Network Topology

DirectAccess servers on AWS can be provisioned with one or two network interfaces. Using two network interfaces is recommended, with the external network interface of the DirectAccess server residing in a dedicated perimeter/DMZ network. The external network interface must use either the Public or Private Windows firewall profile. DirectAccess will not work if the external interface uses the Domain profile. For the Public and Private profile to be enabled, domain controllers must not be reachable from the perimeter/DMZ network. Ensure the perimeter/DMZ network cannot access the internal network by restricting network access in EC2 using a Security Group, or on the VPC using a Network Access Control List (ACL) or custom route table settings.

External Connectivity

A public IPv4 address must be associated with the DirectAccess server in AWS. There are several ways to accomplish this. The simplest way is to assign a public IPv4 address to the virtual machine (VM). However, a public IP address can only be assigned to the VM when it is deployed initially and cannot be added later. Alternatively, an Elastic IP can be provisioned and assigned to the DirectAccess server at any time.

An ACL must also be configured for the public IP that restricts access from the Internet to only inbound TCP port 443. To provide additional protection, consider deploying an Application Delivery Controller (ADC) appliance like the Citrix NetScaler or F5 BIG-IP to enforce client certificate authentication for DirectAccess clients.

Network Location Server (NLS)

If an organization is hosting all of its Windows infrastructure in AWS and all clients will be remote, Network Location Server (NLS) availability becomes much less critical than with traditional on-premises deployments. For cloud-only deployments, hosting the NLS on the DirectAccess server is a viable option. It eliminates the need for dedicated NLS, reducing costs and administrative overhead. If multisite is configured, ensure that the NLS is not using a self-signed certificate, as this is unsupported.

However, for hybrid cloud deployments where on-premises DirectAccess clients share the same internal network with cloud-hosted DirectAccess servers, it is recommended that the NLS be deployed on dedicated, highly available servers following the guidance outlined here and here.

Client Provisioning

All supported DirectAccess clients will work with DirectAccess on AWS. If the domain infrastructure is hosted exclusively in AWS, provisioning clients can be performed using Offline Domain Join (ODJ). Provisioning DirectAccess clients using ODJ is only supported in Windows 8.x/10. Windows 7 clients cannot be provisioned using ODJ and must be joined to the domain using another form of remote network connectivity such as VPN.

Additional Resources

DirectAccess No Longer Supported in Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Server Software Support for Azure Virtual Machines

DirectAccess Network Location Server (NLS) Guidance

DirectAccess Network Location Server (NLS) Deployment Considerations for Large Enterprises

Provisioning DirectAccess Clients using Offline Domain Join (ODJ)

DirectAccess SSL Offload and IP-HTTPS Preauthentication with Citrix NetScaler

DirectAccess SSL Offload and IP-HTTPS Preauthentication with F5 BIG-IP

Planning and Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 Video Training Course

Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 Book

1 Comment

by Richard M. Hicks on April 24, 2017 • Permalink

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 24, 2017

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2017/04/24/deployment-considerations-for-directaccess-on-amazon-web-services-aws/

Migrating DirectAccess from NLB to External Load Balancer

Introduction

Migrating DirectAccess from NLB to External Load Balancer Multiple DirectAccess servers can be deployed in a load-balanced cluster to eliminate single crucial points of failure and to provide scalability for the remote access solution. Load balancing can be enabled using the integrated Windows Network Load Balancing (NLB) or an external physical or virtual load balancer.

NLB Drawbacks and Limitations

NLB is often deployed because it is simple and inexpensive. However, NLB suffers from some serious drawbacks that limit its effectiveness in all but the smallest deployments. For example, NLB uses network broadcasts to communicate cluster heartbeat information. Each node in the cluster sends out a heartbeat message every second, which generates a lot of additional network traffic on the link and reduces performance as more nodes are added. Scalability is limited with NLB too, as only 8 nodes are supported, although the practical limit is 4 nodes. Further, NLB supports only round-robin connection distribution.

External Load Balancer

A better alternative is to implement a dedicated physical or virtual load balancing appliance. A purpose-built load balancer provides additional security, greater scalability (up to 32 nodes per cluster), improved performance, and fine-grained traffic control.

Migrate from NLB to ELB

It is possible to migrate to an external load balancer (ELB) after NLB has already been configured. To do this, follow the guidance provided in my latest blog post on the KEMP Technologies blog entitled “Migrating DirectAccess from NLB to KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancers”.

Additional Resources

DirectAccess Deployment Guide for KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancers

Migrating DirectAccess from NLB to KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancers

Load Balancing DirectAccess with KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancers

DirectAccess Load Balancing Tips and Tricks Webinar with KEMP Technologies

DirectAccess Single NIC Load Balancing with KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancer

Configuring the KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancer for DirectAccess NLS

Enable DirectAccess Load Balancing Video

Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 Book

DirectAccess Load Balancing Tips and Tricks Webinar

Enabling load balancing for DirectAccess deployments is crucial for eliminating single points of failure and ensuring the highest levels of availability for the remote access solution. In addition, enabling load balancing allows DirectAccess administrators to quickly and efficiently add capacity in the event more processing power is required.

DirectAccess includes support for load balancing using integrated Windows Network Load Balancing (NLB) and external load balancers (physical or virtual). External load balancers are the recommended choice as they provide superior throughput, more granular traffic distribution, and greater visibility. External load balancers also more scalable, with support for much larger DirectAccess server clusters, up to 32 nodes. NLB is formally limited to 8 nodes, but because it operates at layer 2 in the OSI model and relies on broadcast heartbeat messages, it is effectively limited to 4 nodes.

The KEMP Technologies LoadMaster load balancer is an excellent choice for load balancing the DirectAccess workload. To learn more about configuring the LoadMaster with DirectAccess, join me for a free live webinar on Tuesday, August 16 at 10:00AM PDT where I’ll discuss DirectAccess load balancing in detail. I will also be sharing valuable tips, tricks, and best practices for load balancing DirectAccess.

Don’t miss out. Register today!

Additional Resources

DirectAccess Load Balancing Overview

Load Balancing DirectAccess with the KEMP Loadmaster Load Balancer

Maximize your investment in Windows 10 with DirectAccess and the KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancer

KEMP LoadMaster DirectAccess Deployment Guide

7 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on August 9, 2016 • Permalink

Posted in ADC, application delivery controller, DirectAccess, education, High Availability, Load Balancing, Remote Access, webinar, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016

Tagged DirectAccess, ELB, external load balancer, hardware load balancer, high availability, Kemp, Kemp Technologies, load balancing, LoadMaster, NLB, performance, Remote Access, scalability, throughput, VPN, webinar

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on August 9, 2016

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2016/08/09/directaccess-load-balancing-tips-and-tricks-webinar/

Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 Pre-Order

Update: My new DirectAccess book is now available for purchase. Details here.

I am pleased to announce that my new book, Implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2016 from Apress Media, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com!

This book contains detailed and prescriptive guidance for the planning, design, implementation, and support of a DirectAccess remote access solution on Windows Server 2016. It also includes valuable insight, tips, tricks, and best practice recommendations gained from my many years of deploying DirectAccess for some of the largest organizations in the world.

Current DirectAccess administrators will also find this book helpful, as the majority of content is still applicable to DirectAccess in Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. In addition, the book also includes essential information on the design and deployment of highly available and geographically redundant DirectAccess deployments.

Troubleshooting DirectAccess can be a daunting task, so I’ve dedicated an entire chapter in the book to this topic. For those responsible for the maintenance and support of DirectAccess in their organization, this chapter alone will be worth the investment.

Be sure to reserve your copy today!

2 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on August 1, 2016 • Permalink

Posted in DirectAccess, DirectAccess Book, Recommended Reading, Remote Access, Windows Server 2016

Tagged Amazon, amazon.com, Apress, Apress Media, book, design, DirectAccess, DirectAccess Book, high availability, implementation, implementing, pre-order, preorder, Recommended Reading, redundancy, Remote Access, support, troubleshooting, Windows Server 2016

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on August 1, 2016

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2016/08/01/implementing-directaccess-with-windows-server-2016-pre-order/

DirectAccess Load Balancing Video

Configuring load balancing in DirectAccess is essential for eliminating single points of failure and ensuring the highest level of availability for the solution. The process of enabling load balancing for DirectAccess can be confusing though, as it involves the reassignment of IP addresses from the first server to the virtual IP address (VIP) for the cluster.

In this video I demonstrate how to enable DirectAccess load balancing and explain in detail how IP address assignment works for both Network Load Balancing (NLB) and external load balancers (ELB).

4 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on June 21, 2016 • Permalink

Posted in ADC, application delivery controller, DirectAccess, High Availability, Load Balancing, Remote Access

Tagged DirectAccess, ELB, high availability, load balancing, network load balancing, NLB, redundancy, Remote Access, video, YouTube

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on June 21, 2016

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2016/06/21/directaccess-load-balancing-video/

Configure Citrix NetScaler for DirectAccess NLS

Introduction

The Network Location Server (NLS) is a crucial DirectAccess supporting infrastructure component. It is secure web server that DirectAccess clients use to determine if they are inside or outside of the corporate network.

NLS Availability

The NLS should be highly available. If this service is not available, DirectAccess clients on the internal network will think they are outside and attempt to establish a DirectAccess connection. Typically, this results in the DirectAccess client not being able to reach internal resources by hostname. Full connectivity for DirectAccess clients on the internal network will not be restored until the NLS is online.

It is recommended that the NLS be deployed in a load-balanced cluster for high availability. However, this requires deploying multiple servers, adding more cost, complexity, and management overhead to the solution.

NLS and Citrix NetScaler

Configuring the Citrix NetScaler to serve as the NLS is an attractive alternative to deploying additional servers for this role. Using the NetScaler for the NLS reduces costs by leveraging existing infrastructure. In addition, the NetScaler requires less servicing than a typical Windows server, and is often itself already highly available.

Configure Citrix NetScaler

To configure the NetScaler to serve as a DirectAccess NLS, open the NetScaler management console, expand AppExpert, and then select Actions. Click Add, provide a descriptive name for the responder action, and then enter the following in the Expression field and click Create.

"HTTP/1.0 200 OK" +"\r\n\r\n" + "DirectAccess Network Location Server (NLS)" + "\r\n"

Select Policies, click Add, and then provide a descriptive name for the responder policy. Enter HTTP.REQ.IS_VALID in the Expression field and click Create.

Expand Traffic Management, expand Load Balancing and select Services. Click Add, provide a descriptive name for the service, choose New Server, and enter the IPv4 loopback address 127.0.0.1. Select SSL for the Protocol, enter a random port number for the Port and then click More.