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

 

Always On VPN Updates to Improve Connection Reliability

Always On VPN Updates to Improve Connection ReliabilityA longstanding issue with Windows 10 Always On VPN is that of VPN tunnel connectivity reliability and device tunnel/user tunnel interoperability. Many administrators have reported that Always On VPN connections fail to establish automatically at times, that only one tunnel comes up at a time (user tunnel or device tunnel, but not both), or that VPN tunnels fail to establish when coming out of sleep or hibernate modes. Have a look at the comments on this post and you’ll get a good understanding of the issues with Always On VPN.

Recent Updates

The good news is that most of these issues have been resolved with recent updates to Windows 10 1803 and 1809. Specifically, the February 19, 2019 update for Windows 10 1803 (KB4487029) and the March 1, 2019 update for Windows 10 1809 (KB4482887) include fixes to address these known issues. Administrators are encouraged to deploy Windows 10 1803 with the latest updates applied when implementing Always On VPN. Windows 10 1809 with the latest updates applied is preferred though.

Persistent Issues

Although initial reports are favorable for these updates and based on my experience the effectiveness and reliability of Windows 10 Always On VPN is greatly improved, there have still been some reports of intermittent VPN tunnel establishment failures.

Possible Causes

During my testing, after applying the updates referenced earlier both device tunnel and user tunnel connections are established much more consistently than before the updates were applied. I did encounter some issues, however. Specifically, when coming out of sleep or hibernate, VPN connections would fail to establish. Occasionally VPN connections would fail after a complete restart.

NCSI

After further investigation it was determined that the connectivity failure was caused by the Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) probe failing, causing Windows to report “No Internet access”.

Always On VPN Updates to Improve Connection Reliability

Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client

In this instance the NCSI probe failure was caused by the Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client installed and running on the device. The Umbrella Roaming Client is security software that provides client protection by monitoring and filtering DNS queries. It operates by configuring a DNS listener on the loopback address. NCSI probes are known to fail when the DNS server is running on a different interface than is being tested.

Resolution

Microsoft released a fix for this issue in Windows 10 1709. The fix involves changing a group policy setting to disable interface binding when perform DNS lookups by the NCSI. You can enable this setting via Active Directory group policy by navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Network Connectivity Status Indicator > Specify global DNS. Select Enabled and check the option to Use global DNS, as shown here.

Always On VPN Updates to Improve Connection Reliability

For testing purposes this setting can be enabled individual using the following PowerShell command.

New-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\NetworkConnectivityStatusIndicator\” -Name UseGlobalDNS -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force

Third-Party Software

As Always On VPN connectivity can be affected by NCSI, any third-party firewall or antivirus/antimalware solution could potentially introduce VPN connection instability. Observe NCSI operation closely when troubleshooting unreliable connections with Always On VPN.

Additional Information

Windows 10 1803 Update KB4487029

Windows 10 1809 Update KB4482887

Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client Limited Network Connectivity Warning

Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) Operation Explained

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