Configuring VPN connection on server 2008 R2 using RRAS and configuring clients

One colleague ask me to help him with detailed steps how to configure VPN on server 2008 R2 and how to configure Windows XP and Windows 7 clients. So here it is.

Configuring VPN on server 2008 R2

Configuring VPN start with adding server role for RRAS.

Just follow next two pictures what to choose

Wait for wizard to finish, and then you will get this picture

Now you have role installed. You must configure and enable RRAS

When you click on option Configure and Enable RRAS new wizard will start. Just follow the wizard in next 5 pictures.

NOTE: You MUST have two NIC configured, one for internal use (LAN) and one for external use (WWW)

I prefer to choose IP address range and number of possible connecting clients son next picture will shown how to do that

If you have AD infrastructure configure your RRAS like this

After this you will get this picture and click Finish

Now your Server have successfully configured RRAS.

Configuring client on Windows 7  for VPN access

Go to network and sharing center and choose option set up a new connection or network

Choose option Connect to a workplace

For previously described configuration of RRAS option Use my Internet connection (VPN) will be right choice.

Type your DNS name of RRAS server or public IP address, and follow steps in next three pictures.

Additional option as authentication protocols can be founded in properties of your VPN connection. Most commonly used is already checked.

Configuring client on Windows XP for VPN access

On Windows XP go to Network Connections and click Create a new connection

A wizard will start. Follow next three pictures.

Choose name for your VPN connection

Type DNS name or public IP address of your previously configured RRAS (VPN) server

Well done you are configure client for VPN access. Now you need to type your username and password before connect.

Steps for configuring additional authentication protocols (if needed) is described in next two pictures. At first you must click Properties.

I hope that this is helpful

BR

D.

Server 2008 R2 wont boot after restart

At Friday I had strange problem. Windows 2008 R2 server didn’t start up after restart. It stop on message where loading Group Policy Client. When we finally receive option to boot to safe mode, server stops at loading classpnp.sys file.

Why we had this problem? At first problem was with IBM 8k RAID controller. Controller was dying and it works in unusual way. Windows show this in system log

I change controller but problem still exist. It seems that windows wrote some bad records in rebooting process. I was pretty certain in that, after we change everything on server except HDDs I was leave server to boot to safe mode for two hours. After two hours server still tries to loading classpnp.sys.

DART tools didn’t help me, because boot stops after finding installation. Instead getting DART console, only I can see is loading circle of Windows Server 2008 R2. Colleague of mine Romeo Mlinar help me with advice. On this controller I hade two arrays: RAID 1 and RAID 5. He told me: try to remove RAID 5 array and try to boot. He got a point

But instead of DART tools I use Windows Server 2008 R2 installation CD. Boot from CD use option to repair installation and get CMD.

First step was to do: sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=C:\ /OFFWINDIR=C:\WINDOWS\

Second step was to do: StartRep.exe from recovery directory in installation CD.

After this two steps everything was back to normal an my server was booting normaly

Reinstalling WSUS after SCCM installation

If you want to use SCCM 2012 as a software update point (SUP), you will have to install WSUS first.

On Windows Server 2008 R2 installation of WSUS is integrated as a server role. You don’t need to download installer separately.

Catch is that you will need to use SCCM server database. But if you install WSUS first You will probably install its own database.

Correct steps will be:

1. – Install SQL server , and create database for SCCM use

2. – Install WSUS, and point it to SCCM database

3. – Install SCCM

But if you are install your SCCM as I do, then you will have a problem.

My steps was:

1. – install WSUS

2. – Install SQL

3. – Install SCCM

After this my only option was to uninstall WSUS, and install it back again with correct parameters.

Uninstall was completed successfully. But on installation I was faced with error. Error was “the update could not be found there may be a network connection issue”.

This error is caused by setting in GPO of SCCM server. To resolve this You must point to gpedit.msc and then go to Computer Configuration – Administrative Templates – Windows Components – Windows Update. Put “Automatic Updates” and “Specify Intranet Microsoft update service location” to “not configured”.

Important thing is that you have proxy settings configured in your correctly web browser .

After this I was able to continue with installation without error.

Why is this update option important?

WSUS using Dynamic Installer to download all needed content for installation from Microsoft websites. Wrong thinking is that WSUS binaries is on server or on CD.

Now my WSUS is working fine and I can go further with SCCM 2012

Microsoft Private Cloud Solution

January 17 Satya Nadella announced System Center 2012 as a Microsoft solution form manage private cloud.

System Center 2012 unites 8 independent components to one full management solution. The newest thing is System Center 2012 Unified Installer

System Center 2012 You can evaluate for free at Microsoft Server & Cloud Platform website

Can’t upgrade Windows 2008 R2 Dc to Windows 8 Server DC

If You want to upgrade Your Domain Controller from Windows server 2008 R2 to Windows 8 server on a single machine this is not possible

I was trying to upgrade my Domain Controller for test from Windows server 2008 R2 to Windows 8 server using full installation but I receive error

This is not compatibility issue, this is not supported.

In next few days I will try to add Windows 8 server as additional domain controller, and then move FSMO roles to Windows 8 DC.

I will describe all of this on my blog

Currently I’m pretty confused with this. Why Microsoft is not supported old fashion way of upgrade? Because of DP version or something else is not compatible?