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Always On VPN and Device Sharing

Always On VPN client configuration settings are typically deployed in the user’s context. However, this presents a unique challenge when sharing a single device with multiple users who have an Always On VPN profile assigned to them. By design, Windows designates only a single user profile on a shared device to be “always on”. When multiple users with assigned Always On VPN profiles share the same machine, it could yield unexpected results.

Auto Trigger Profile

When an Always On VPN profile is provisioned to a user, Windows records information about this profile in the registry. Specifically, the Always On VPN profile’s name and GUID are recorded, as well as the user’s Security Identifier (SID) and the path to the rasphone.pbk file that contains the Always On VPN profile.

Multiple Users

When a new user logs on to a shared device and receives their Always On VPN profile, Windows overwrites this existing data in the registry with the current user’s information. Each time this user logs on, their Always On VPN connection will establish automatically. Any other users with Always On VPN profiles configured on the same shared device will no longer connect automatically after this. The most recently deployed Always On VPN profile will be designated the “always on” profile.

Connect Automatically

In the above scenario, any user with an assigned Always On VPN profile on the shared device can take over the “always on” designation by opening the VPN connection properties and checking the “Connect automatically” check box.

When this happens, this user will now own the “always on” profile, and other users on the shared device will no longer connect automatically.

Workarounds

If multiple users share a single device requiring Always On VPN connectivity, you have a few options.

Intune

If you are deploying Always On VPN client configuration settings using Intune, you must use the Custom device configuration profile template. Specifically, as shown here, you must deploy your XML configuration file using the ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/VPNv2/ OMA-DM URI.

Unfortunately, the native Intune VPN template does not support deploying Always On VPN profiles in the “all users” context.

PowerShell

When using PowerShell, either natively or with SCCM or another software deployment tool, administrators can use my Always On VPN deployment PowerShell script with the -AllUserConnection parameter.

PowerON DPC

When using PowerON Platforms’ Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC) to deploy Always On VPN client configuration settings using on-premises Active Directory or via Intune, no changes are required. DPC deploys Always On VPN user profiles in the “all users” context by default.

Additional Information

New-AovpnConnection.ps1 PowerShell Script on GitHub

PowerON Platforms’ Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC)

Always On VPN DPC with PowerON Platforms’ DPC

6 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on March 27, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, AovpnDPC, Deployment, DPC, Dynamic Profile Configurator, Endpoint Manager, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, GitHub, InTune, MDM, MEM, MEMCM, Microsoft, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Microsoft Intune, Mobile Device Management, Mobility, OMA-DM, Operational Support, PowerShell, ProfileXML, Remote Access, user tunnel, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 11
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 27, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/03/27/always-on-vpn-and-device-sharing/

Always On VPN CSP Updates

Always On VPN DNS Registration Update Available

Administrators can deploy Always On VPN client configuration settings in several ways. The simplest method is to use the native Microsoft Intune UI and the VPN device configuration profile template. Optionally, administrators can create an XML file that can be deployed with Intune using the Custom template. In addition, the XML file can be deployed using PowerShell, either interactively or with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Administrators can also deploy the XML file using PowerShell via Active Directory group policy startup script or another software provisioning platform.

Custom XML

While using the native Intune VPN device configuration template to deploy and manage Always On VPN client configuration settings is easy and convenient, it lacks support for many crucial configuration settings. Deploying Always On VPN client settings using the Custom template is helpful to overcome these limitations as it enables additional configuration settings not exposed in the Intune VPN template.

VPNv2CSP

The VPNv2 Configuration Service Provider (CSP) is the interface used by Intune to deploy Always On VPN client configuration settings to the endpoint. The WMI-to-CSP bridge enables settings deployment using PowerShell. In either scenario, administrators must create an XML file that includes the settings used for the Always On VPN profile. A reference for all supported settings in the VPNv2 CSP can be found here.

New Settings

Microsoft recently introduced some new settings in the VPNv2 CSP. Beginning with Windows 11 22H2, administrators can disable the disconnect button and prevent access to the advanced settings menu for device and user tunnels in the Windows UI by adding the following entries in the XML configuration file.

<DisableDisconnectButton>true</DisableDisconnectButton>

<DisableAdvancedOptionsEditButton>true
</DisableAdvancedOptionsEditButton>

Additional Updates

Microsoft also added options to define encryption settings, disable IKEv2 fragmentation support, update IPv4 and IPv6 interface metrics, adjust IKEv2 network outage time, and disable the use of RAS credentials in XML for device and user tunnels. These new options eliminate the need to use Intune Proactive Remediation to adjust these VPN client configuration settings post-deployment.

Unfortunately, these settings are not supported in any current release of Windows 10 or 11 today. However, they are available in the latest Windows Insider build (development channel) if you want to test them. I’ve provided example settings below. These settings will be supported in a public release of Windows in the future.

<DataEncryption>Max</DataEncryption>
<DisableIKEv2Fragmentation>true</DisableIKEv2Fragmentation>
<IPv4InterfaceMetric>3</IPv4InterfaceMetric>
<IPv6InterfaceMetric>3</IPv6InterfaceMetric>
<NetworkOutageTime>0</NetworkOutageTime>
<UseRasCredentials>false</UseRasCredentials>

Note: At the time of this writing, the VPNv2 CSP indicates these settings apply to Windows 11 21H2 and later. That is incorrect. Microsoft is aware of the issue and will hopefully correct it soon.

Intune Support

At some point, Microsoft may add these features to the Intune VPN device configuration template. However, XML with the Custom template is the only way to enable these new settings today.

Additional Information

Always On VPN VPNv2 CSP Reference

Deploying Always On VPN with Intune using Custom ProfileXML

Always On VPN and Intune Proactive Remediation

Microsoft Intune Learning Resources for Always On VPN Administrators

Example Always On VPN User Tunnel ProfileXML

Example Always On VPN Device Tunnel ProfileXML

15 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on March 6, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, Deployment, Device Management, device tunnel, Endpoint Manager, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Group Policy, IKEv2, Infrastructure, InTune, MDM, MEM, MEMCM, Microsoft, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Microsoft Intune, Mobile Device Management, Mobility, OMA-DM, Operational Support, PowerShell, ProfileXML, Remote Access, SCCM, Security, System Center Configuration Manager, systems management, Update, VPN, Windows 11
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 6, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/03/06/always-on-vpn-csp-updates/

Inbox Accounting Database Management

The Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) role in Windows Server is a popular VPN server choice for administrators deploying Windows Always On VPN. It is easy to configure, scales well, and is cost-effective. After installing RRAS, administrators can optionally enable inbox accounting to log historical data and generate user access and activity reports as described in Always On VPN RRAS Monitoring and Reporting.

Inbox Accounting Database

A Windows Internal Database (WID) is automatically installed and configured for data storage when inbox accounting is enabled.

WID is nothing more than a basic instance of Microsoft SQL Server. As such, the database will require periodic maintenance to perform optimally.

Inbox Accounting Database Management Scripts

I have created a series of PowerShell scripts to address the inbox accounting database management requirements for organizations using Windows Server RRAS. Scripts are available to perform the following inbox accounting database management tasks.

  • Optimize the inbox accounting database.
  • View the size of the inbox accounting database files.
  • Compress the size of the inbox accounting database.
  • Back up the inbox accounting database to a file on disk.
  • Restore the inbox accounting database from a backup file.
  • Move the inbox accounting database file to a different location.
  • Remove the inbox accounting database.

Optimize Database

A known issue with the inbox accounting database can result in high CPU and memory utilization for very busy RRAS VPN servers. Specifically, a crucial index is missing from one of the tables in the logging database. This issue persists in Windows Server 2022. To correct this issue, download and run the following PowerShell script on each RRAS VPN server in the organization.

Optimize-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

View Database Size

The database can grow rapidly depending on how busy the RRAS server is. Administrators can view the current database file sizes by downloading and running the following PowerShell script on the RRAS server.

Get-InboxAccountingDatabaseSize.ps1

Compress Database

Over time, the database can become fragmented, decreasing performance. Compressing the database can improve performance and result in significant recovery of disk space. To compress the inbox accounting database, download and run the following PowerShell script on each RRAS server in the organization.

Compress-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

In this example, compressing the database reduced its size by more than 8MB, resulting in a nearly 70% reduction in disk space usage.

Backup Database

Administrators may wish to back up the inbox accounting database before purging older records from the inbox accounting database. Also, backing up the database preservers access records when migrating to a new server. To back up the inbox accounting database, download and run the following PowerShell script on each RRAS server in the organization.

Backup-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

Restore Database

Naturally, to restore the inbox accounting database from a previous backup, administrators can download and run the following PowerShell script.

Restore-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

Restoring a database from backup will erase all records in the current database. It does not append. Proceed with caution!

Move Database Files

Inbox accounting database and log files are located in C:\Windows\DirectAccess\Db by default.

However, storing database and log files on the system drive is not ideal. A better alternative is to place the inbox accounting database and log files on a separate disk for optimum performance. To move the inbox accounting database, download and run the following PowerShell script on each VPN server in the organization.

Move-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

Moving inbox accounting files may not be formally supported by Microsoft. Use caution when making this change.

Remove Database

Occasionally an inbox accounting database becomes corrupt and can no longer be managed. If this happens, completely removing the database is required. It is essential to know that simply disabling and re-enabling inbox accounting on the VPN server does not delete the database. To delete the database completely, download and run the following PowerShell script.

Remove-InboxAccountingDatabase.ps1

PowerShell Module

To simplify things, the PowerShell scripts described in this article are available in a PowerShell module that can be installed from the PowerShell gallery using the following command.

Install-Module InboxAccountingDatabaseManagement

Additional Information

Windows Always On VPN RRAS Inbox Accounting Database Management PowerShell Module

Windows Always On VPN RRAS Monitoring and Reporting

Windows Always On VPN PowerShell Scripts on GitHub

3 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on March 21, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, DirectAccess, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, GitHub, Mobility, Operational Support, PowerShell, Remote Access, reporting, routing and remote access service, RRAS, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 21, 2022

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2022/03/21/inbox-accounting-database-management/

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