Understanding the DirectAccess Design Process

Important
This topic describes design considerations for DirectAccess in Windows Server 2008 R2. For the design considerations of DirectAccess in Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG), see the Forefront UAG DirectAccess Design Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=179988).

To begin the DirectAccess design process, you must first identify your DirectAccess deployment goals. This guide contains some predefined deployment goals so that you can understand the ways in which DirectAccess can benefit your organization. After evaluating these goals, you can select a DirectAccess design that meets your DirectAccess deployment objectives. Each design includes examples to help you understand fundamental DirectAccess processes such as client access or remote management.

The following topics explain how to identify and evaluate a DirectAccess deployment design for your organization:

• Identifying Your DirectAccess Deployment Goals
  
  
• Mapping Your Deployment Goals to a DirectAccess Design
  
  
• Evaluating DirectAccess Design Examples
  
  

After you identify your deployment goals and map them to a DirectAccess design, you can begin documenting your design, based on the processes that are described in the following topics:

• Planning a DirectAccess Deployment Strategy
  
  
• Planning the Placement of a DirectAccess Server
  
  
• Planning the Placement of a Network Location Server
  
  
• Planning the Placement of CRL Distribution Points
  
  
• Planning DirectAccess with Network Access Protection (NAP)
  
  
• Planning DirectAccess with an Existing Server and Domain Isolation Deployment
  
  
• DirectAccess Capacity Planning
  
  
• Additional DirectAccess Resources
  
  
• Appendix A: DirectAccess Requirements
  
  
• Appendix B: Reviewing Key DirectAccess Concepts