All posts tagged IPv4

3 Important Advantages of Always On VPN over DirectAccess

Windows 10 Always On VPN hands-on training classes now forming. Details here.

Windows 10 Always On VPN provides seamless and transparent, always on remote network access similar to DirectAccess. The mechanics of how it is delivered and managed are fundamentally different, as I discussed here. Some of these changes will no doubt present challenges to our way of thinking, especially in the terms of client provisioning. However, Always On VPN brings along with it some important and significant advantages too.

No More NLS

A Network Location Server (NLS) is used for inside/outside detection by DirectAccess clients. By design, the NLS is reachable by DirectAccess machines only when they are on the internal network. NLS availability is crucial. If the NLS is offline or unreachable for any reason at all, DirectAccess clients on the internal network will mistakenly believe they are outside the network. In this scenario, the client will attempt to establish a DirectAccess connection even though it is inside. This often fails, leaving the DirectAccess client in a state where it cannot connect to any internal resources by name until the NLS is brought back online.

Always On VPN eliminates the frailty of NLS by using the DNS connection suffix for trusted network detection. When a network connection is established, an Always On VPN connection will not be established if the DNS connection suffix matches what the administrator has defined as the internal trusted network.

Full Support for IPv4

DirectAccess uses IPv6 exclusively for communication between remote DirectAccess clients and the DirectAccess server. IPv6 translation technologies allow for communication to internal IPv4 hosts. While this works for the vast majority of scenarios, there are still many challenges with applications that do not support IPv6.

Always On VPN supports both IPv4 and IPv6, so application incompatibility issues will be a thing of the past! With full support for IPv4, the need for IPv6 transition and translation technologies is eliminated. This reduces protocol overhead and improves network performance.

Infrastructure Independent

Windows servers are required to implement DirectAccess. Always On VPN can be implemented using Windows servers as well, but it isn’t a hard requirement. Always On VPN is implemented entirely on the Windows 10 client, which means any third-party VPN device can be used on the back end, including Cisco, Checkpoint, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, SonicWALL, F5, strongSwan, and others! This provides tremendous deployment flexibility, making it possible to mix and match backend infrastructure if required. For example, a Windows RRAS VPN server with Palo Alto and SonicWALL firewalls could all be implemented at the same time (using the Windows built-in VPN client). Importantly, making changes to VPN infrastructure is much less impactful and disruptive to clients in the field. VPN devices can be upgraded, replaced, and moved internally without requiring corresponding policy changes on the client.

Additional Information

Always On VPN and the Future of Microsoft DirectAccess

5 Things DirectAccess Administrators Should Know about Always On VPN

Contact Me

Have questions about Windows 10 Always On VPN? Interested in learning more about this new solution? Fill out the form below and I’ll get in touch with you.

13 Comments

by Richard M. Hicks on December 4, 2017 • Permalink

Posted in Always On VPN, DirectAccess, F5, IPv6, IPv6 Transition, Remote Access, Security, VPN, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on December 4, 2017

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2017/12/04/3-important-advantages-of-always-on-vpn-over-directaccess/

Always On VPN and the Future of Microsoft DirectAccess

Windows 10 Always On VPN hands-on training classes now forming. Details here.

Since the introduction of Windows Server 2012 in September of 2012, no new features or functionality have been added to DirectAccess. In Windows Server 2016, the only real change aside from bug fixes for DirectAccess is the removal of Network Access Protection (NAP) integration support.

Figure 1. Remote Access Setup wizard with NAP integration option in Windows Server 2012/R2.

Figure 2. Remote Access Setup wizard without NAP integration option in Windows Server 2016.

DirectAccess Roadmap

It’s clear to see that Microsoft is no longer investing in DirectAccess, and in fact their field sales teams have been communicating this to customers for quite some time now. Microsoft has been actively encouraging organizations who are considering a DirectAccess solution to instead implement client-based VPN with Windows 10.

Always On VPN

New features introduced in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update allow IT administrators to configure automatic VPN connection profiles. This Always On VPN connection provides a DirectAccess-like experience using traditional remote access VPN protocols such as IKEv2, SSTP, and L2TP/IPsec. It comes with some additional benefits as well.

Conditional access and device compliance with system health checks
Windows Hello for Business and Azure multifactor authentication
Windows Information Protection (WIP) integration
Traffic filters to restrict VPN network access
Application-trigger VPN connections

DirectAccess Deprecated?

There has been rampant speculation that Microsoft plans to deprecate and retire DirectAccess. While that may in fact be true, Microsoft has yet to make a formal end-of-life announcement. There’s no reason DirectAccess and VPN couldn’t co-exist, so it’s not a certainty Microsoft will do this. However, there’s also no need to have multiple remote access solutions, and it is abundantly clear that the future for Microsoft remote access is Always On VPN and not DirectAccess.

Source: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/38546.new-features-for-vpn-in-windows-10-and-windows-server-2016.aspx#Advanced_VPN_Connectivity

Always On VPN Advantages and Disadvantages

Windows 10 Always On VPN has some important advantages over DirectAccess. It has some crucial limitations as well.

Advantages

Always On VPN supports non-Enterprise Windows 10 client SKUs (Windows 10 Home and Professional)
Always On VPN includes support for granular network access control
Always On VPN can use both IPv4 and IPv6
Always On VPN is infrastructure independent. In addition to supporting Windows RRAS, any third-party network device can be used such as Cisco, Checkpoint, Juniper, Palo Alto, SonicWALL, Fortinet, and many more

Disadvantages

Always On VPN works only with Windows 10. It is not supported for Windows 7
Always On VPN cannot be managed natively using Active Directory and group policy. It must be configured and managed using Microsoft Intune. Alternatively, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or PowerShell can be used.

DirectAccess or Always On VPN?

Should you deploy DirectAccess today or implement Always On VPN with Windows 10 instead? That depends on a number of factors. It’s important to understand that DirectAccess will be fully supported through the lifecycle of Windows Server 2019. If DirectAccess meets your needs today, you can deploy it with confidence that it will still have a long support life. If you have reservations about the future viability of DirectAccess, and if you meet all of the requirements to support Always On VPN with Windows 10, then perhaps that’s a better choice. If you’d like to discuss your remote access options in more detail, fill out the form below and I’ll get in touch with you.

Additional Resources

5 Things DirectAccess Administrators Should Know About Always On VPN

3 Important Advantages of Always On VPN over DirectAccess

NetMotion Mobility as an Alternative to DirectAccess

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training Classes

13 Comments

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

Posted in Always On VPN, DirectAccess, Enterprise, IPv6, PowerShell, Remote Access, Security, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on July 24, 2017

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2017/07/24/always-on-vpn-and-the-future-of-microsoft-directaccess/

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