Microsoft Always On VPN is a beautiful thing. VPN profiles are assigned to the user (and, optionally, their device). When users power up their device and log on, they are automatically connected to the corporate network and can access all the applications and data they need on-premises. Until recently, though, end users could disconnect the VPN. Why they would do this is beyond comprehension, but sadly, it happens all too often. When it does, it presents a problem for Always On VPN administrators because they must now rely on the user to re-enable this feature. And until they do, they often suffer productivity loss, and their devices may fall out of compliance.
Connect Automatically
When an Always On VPN profile is provisioned to a user (or a device), the VPN profile has the option to ‘Connect automatically’ enabled by default. Unfortunately, this setting is cleared if a user terminates the VPN.
This setting will remain cleared until the user rechecks the box to enable it. Until then, the VPN will no longer connect automatically.
Workarounds
Instead of relying on the grace of the end user to restore Always On functionality, administrators have a few options to correct this problem programmatically.
Intune Remediation
Administrators can use Intune Remediations to deploy a set of detection and remediation scripts I’ve published to update this setting. Now, administrators can enforce ‘Always On’ VPN connections with the assurance that if the user turns off this feature, it will be quickly re-enabled.
You can find a standalone version of this script here if you use System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or another systems management solution to manage your endpoints.
To avoid this pain in the future, Always On VPN administrators can prevent users from disconnecting the VPN using the UI by leveraging the DisableDisconnectButton option in ProfileXML. This setting is supported for both user and device tunnels on Windows 11 and later devices.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
