Certificate configuration is crucial for Always On VPN deployments. I described some specific certificates requirements for IKEv2 in this previous post. Following this guidance, administrators should have no issues with IKEv2 Always On VPN connections. However, it is always possible to encounter an error if any of these certificates are missing or misconfigured.
Error 13801
One of the most common errors related to IKEv2 and certificates is 13801. When an Always On VPN connection using IKEv2 fails, the Windows Application event log will record an event ID 20227 from the RasClient source. The error message states the following:
“The user [username] dialed a connection named [connection name] which has failed. The error code returned on failure is 13801”.
IKE Authentication Credentials are Unacceptable
Error 13801 translates to ERROR_IPSEC_IKE_AUTH_FAIL, indicating an authentication failure related to IPsec. The problem can be on the device, the VPN server, or an issue with the VPN server configuration.
Authentication Methods
To begin, ensure that the appropriate authentication method is enabled on the Routing and Remote Access (RRAS) server. Right-click the VPN server in the RRAS management console (rrasmgmt.msc) and choose Properties. Next, click on the Security tab and then click on the Authentication Methods button.
Select the ‘Extensible authentication protocol (EAP)’ to support IKEv2 user tunnel connections. In addition, select ‘Allow machine certificate authentication for IKEv2’ to support Always On VPN device tunnel connections.
Certificate Chain
A 13801 error will occur if the client does not trust the certificate installed on the VPN server. Ensure the client has all the necessary root and intermediate certification authority (CA) certificates installed in their respective certificate stores.
VPN Server Certificate
A 13801 error can also occur if the VPN server does not have a properly configured server certificate. Ensure the VPN server has a valid certificate issued by the organization’s internal PKI that includes both the Server Authentication (OID 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1) and IP security IKE intermediate (OID 1.3.6.1.5.5.8.2.2) EKUs. The subject name must match the public fully qualified domain name (FQDN) used by VPN clients to connect to the VPN server (not the server’s NetBIOS name). Again, ensure the certificate is valid (not expired), trusted, not revoked, and all necessary root and intermediate CA certificates are installed in their respective certificate stores.
Certificate Revocation
An expired Certificate Revocation List (CRL) can also result in a 13801 error. Open the Enterprise PKI console (pkiview.msc) on an issuing CA and review the status of all CRLs. If any are expired, resolve any issues preventing the CRL from publishing successfully, then issue a new CRL by running certutil.exe -crl on the issuing CA server.
RRAS Configuration
Another cause of the 13801 error for the device tunnel is a misconfigured Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) VPN server. An error 13801 can happen if the administrator incorrectly defines a trusted root CA using Set-VpnAuthProtocol. Ensure that the root certificate thumbprint matches exactly the root CA server’s thumbprint used to issue certificates to VPN devices and the VPN server.
Get-VpnAuthProtocol
Root CA Certificate Thumbprint
Resolution
Ensure that devices and VPN servers have correctly configured certificates installed. If the root CA certificate is assigned incorrectly on the VPN server, follow the guidelines detailed here to update the configuration.
Additional Information
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN Error 13806
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN Certificate Requirements for IKEv2
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IPsec Root Certificate Configuration Issue
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IKEv2 Policy Mismatch Error
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IKEv2 Security Configuration
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IKEv2 Fragmentation
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing and NAT
Microsoft Windows Always On VPN IKEv2 Features and Limitations
