Persistent Branch Office (VPN with Windows Server 2003)

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

The Chicago and Phoenix branch offices of Electronic, Inc. are connected to the corporate office by using persistent site-to-site VPN connections that stay connected 24 hours a day. The Windows Server 2003 routers in the Chicago and Phoenix offices are equipped with T1 WAN adapters that have a permanent connection to a local Internet service provider to gain access to the Internet.

The Chicago branch office uses the IP network ID of 192.168.9.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (192.168.9.0/24). The Chicago branch office router uses the public IP address of 131.107.0.1 for its Internet interface. The Phoenix branch office uses the IP network ID of 192.168.14.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (192.168.14.0/24). The Phoenix branch office router uses the public IP address of 159.60.0.1 for its Internet interface.

The VPN connection is a two-way initiated connection. The connection is initiated from either the branch office router or the VPN server. Two-way initiated connections require the creation of demand-dial interfaces, remote access policies, IP address pools, and packet filters on the routers on both sides of the connection.

Figure 4 shows the Electronic, Inc. VPN server that provides persistent branch office connections.

Art Image

Figure 4: The Electronic, Inc. VPN server that provides persistent branch office connections

To deploy persistent site-to-site VPN connections to connect the Chicago and Phoenix branch offices to the corporate office based on the settings configured in the Common Configuration for the VPN Server section of this paper, the following additional settings are configured.

Domain Configuration

For the Chicago office VPN connection that is initiated by the Chicago router, the user account VPN_Chicago is created with the following settings:

  • Password of U9!j5dP(%q1.

  • For the account properties of the VPN_Chicago account, the User must change password at next logon option is cleared and Password never expires option is selected.

  • For the dial-in properties on the VPN_Chicago account, the remote access permission is set to Control access through Remote Access Policy.

  • The VPN_Chicago account is added to the VPN_Routers group.

For the Phoenix office VPN connection that is initiated by the Phoenix router, the user account VPN_Phoenix is created with the following settings:

  • Password of z2F%s)bW$4f.

  • For the account properties of the VPN_Phoenix account, the User must change password at next logon option is cleared and Password never expires option is selected.

  • For the dial-in properties on the VPN_Phoenix account, the remote access permission is set to Control access through Remote Access Policy.

  • The VPN_Phoenix account is added to the VPN_Routers group.

For the Chicago office VPN connection and the Phoenix office VPN connection that are initiated by the VPN server, the user account VPN_CorpHQ is created with the following settings:

  • Password of o3\Dn6@`-J4.

  • For the dial-in properties on the VPN_CorpHQ account, the remote access permission is set to Control access through Remote Access Policy.

  • The VPN_CorpHQ account is added to the VPN_Routers group.

Remote Access Policy Configuration

Remote access policies must be configured at the VPN server, the Chicago router, and the Phoenix router.

Remote Access Policy Configuration at the VPN Server

The remote access policy configuration for the VPN server is the same as described in the On-Demand Branch Office section of this paper.

Remote Access Policy Configuration at the Chicago Router

To define the authentication and encryption settings for the VPN connections, the default policy named Allow access if dial-in permission is enabled is deleted and the following remote access policy is created:

  • Policy name: VPN Routers

  • Access method: VPN

  • User or Group Access: Group with the VPN_Routers group selected

  • Authentication Methods: Extensible Authentication Protocol with the Smart card or other Certificate type and Microsoft Encrypted Authentication version 2 (MS-CHAP v2) selected

  • Policy Encryption Level: Strong encryption and Strongest encryption selected

Remote Access Policy Configuration at the Phoenix Router

To define the authentication and encryption settings for the VPN connections, the default policy named Allow access if dial-in permission is enabled is deleted and the following remote access policy is created:

  • Policy name: VPN Routers

  • Access method: VPN

  • User or Group Access: Group with the VPN_Routers group selected

  • Authentication Methods: Extensible Authentication Protocol with the Smart card or other Certificate type and Microsoft Encrypted Authentication version 2 (MS-CHAP v2) selected

  • Policy Encryption Level: Strong encryption and Strongest encryption selected

IP Address Pool Configuration

IP address pools must be configured at the VPN server, the Chicago router, and the Phoenix router.

IP Address Pool Configuration at the VPN Server

The IP address pool configuration for the VPN server is the same as described in the Common Configuration for the VPN Server section of this paper.

IP Address Pool Configuration at the Chicago Router

A static IP address pool with an IP address of 192.168.9.248 and an ending IP address of 192.168.9.253 is configured. This creates a static address pool for up to five VPN clients.

For more information, see the topic titled Creating a Static IP Address Pool in Windows Server 2003 Help and Support.

IP Address Pool Configuration at the Phoenix Router

A static IP address pool with a starting IP address of 192.168.14.248 and an ending IP address of 192.168.14.253 is configured. This creates a static address pool for up to five VPN clients.

For more information, see the topic titled Creating a Static IP Address Pool in Windows Server 2003 Help and Support.

The following sections describe a PPTP-based persistent branch office connection for the Chicago office and an L2TP/IPSec-based persistent branch office connection for the Phoenix office.

PPTP-based Persistent Branch Office

The Chicago branch office is a PPTP-based branch office that uses a Windows Server 2003 VPN router to create a persistent, site-to-site VPN connection with the VPN server in New York. The connection is never terminated, even when idle.

To deploy a PPTP, two-way initiated, persistent, site-to-site VPN connection to the corporate office based on the settings configured in the Common Configuration for the VPN Server and Persistent Branch Office sections of this paper, the following settings are configured on the VPN server and Chicago router.

VPN Server Configuration

The VPN server is configured with a demand-dial interface, static routes, and PPTP packet filters.

Demand-Dial Interface for Site-to-Site VPN Connection

To connect the VPN server to the Chicago router by using a site-to-site VPN connection over the Internet, a demand-dial interface is created by using the Demand-Dial Interface wizard with the following settings:

  • Interface Name: VPN_Chicago

  • Connection Type: Connect using virtual private networking (VPN)

  • VPN Type: Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)

  • Destination Address: 131.107.0.1

  • Protocols and Security: The Route IP packets on this interface check box is selected.

  • Static Routes for Remote Networks

    To make all locations on the Chicago network reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 192.168.9.0

    Network mask: 255.255.255.0

    Metric: 1

  • Dial Out Credentials

    User name: VPN_CorpHQ

    Domain: electronic.example.com

    Password: o3\Dn6@`-J4

    Confirm password: o3\Dn6@`-J4

Once the demand-dial interface is created, the following change is made:

  • For the properties of the demand-dial interface, on the Options tab, under Connection type, Persistent connection is selected.

Chicago Router Configuration

The Chicago router is configured with a demand-dial interface and static routes.

Demand-dial interface for site-to-site VPN connection

To connect the Chicago office router to the VPN server by using a site-to-site VPN connection over the Internet, a demand-dial interface is created by using the Demand-Dial Interface wizard with the following settings:

  • Interface Name: VPN_CorpHQ

  • Connection Type: Connect using virtual private networking (VPN)

  • VPN Type: Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)

  • Destination Address: 207.46.130.1

  • Protocols and Security: The Route IP packets on this interface check box is selected.

  • Static Routes for Remote Networks

    To make all locations on the corporate intranet reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 172.16.0.0

    Network mask: 255.240.0.0

    Metric: 1

    To make all locations on Electronic, Inc. branch offices reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 192.168.0.0

    Network mask: 255.255.0.0

    Metric: 1

  • Dial Out Credentials

    User name: VPN_Chicago

    Domain: electronic.example.com

    Password: U9!j5dP(%q1

    Confirm password: U9!j5dP(%q1

Once the demand-dial interface is created, the following change is made:

  • For the properties of the demand-dial interface, on the Options tab, under Connection type, Persistent connection is selected.

Static route for the Electronic, Inc. VPN server

To make the Electronic, Inc. VPN server on the Internet reachable, the following static route is configured:

  • Interface: The WAN adapter attached to the Internet

  • Destination: 207.46.130.1

  • Network mask: 255.255.255.255

  • Gateway: 0.0.0.0

  • Metric: 1

Note

Because the WAN adapter creates a point-to-point connection to the ISP, any address can be entered for the gateway. The gateway address of 0.0.0.0 is an example. 0.0.0.0 is the unspecified IP address.

L2TP/IPSec-based Persistent Branch Office

The Phoenix branch office is an L2TP/IPSec-based branch office that uses a Windows Server 2003 router to create a persistent, site-to-site VPN connection with the VPN server in New York. The connection is never terminated, even when idle.

To deploy an L2TP/IPSec, two-way initiated, persistent, site-to-site VPN connection to the corporate office based on the settings configured in the Common Configuration for the VPN Server and Persistent Branch Office sections of this paper, the following settings are configured on the VPN server and Phoenix router.

VPN Server Configuration

The VPN server is configured with a demand-dial interface and a static route.

Demand-Dial Interface for Site-to-Site VPN Connection

To connect the VPN server to the Phoenix router by using a site-to-site VPN connection over the Internet, a demand-dial interface is created by using the Demand-Dial Interface wizard with the following settings:

  • Interface Name: VPN_Phoenix

  • Connection Type: Connect using virtual private networking (VPN)

  • VPN Type: Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)

  • Destination Address: 159.60.0.1

  • Protocols and Security: The Route IP packets on this interface check box is selected.

  • Static Routes for Remote Networks

    To make all locations on the Phoenix network reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 192.168.14.0

    Network mask: 255.255.255.0

    Metric: 1

  • Dial Out Credentials

    User name: VPN_CorpHQ

    Domain: electronic.example.com

    Password: o3\Dn6@`-J4

    Confirm password: o3\Dn6@`-J4

After the demand-dial interface is created, the following change is made:

  • For the properties of the demand-dial interface, on the Options tab, under Connection type, Persistent connection is selected.

Phoenix Router Configuration

The Phoenix router was configured by the Electronic, Inc. network administrator while connected to the Electronic, Inc. intranet and then shipped to the Phoenix site. While the Phoenix router was connected to the Electronic, Inc. intranet, a computer certificate was installed through autoenrollment. Additionally, the Phoenix router computer was configured with a demand-dial interface and a static route.

Demand-Dial Interface for Site-to-Site VPN Connection

To connect the Phoenix office router to the VPN server by using a site-to-site VPN connection over the Internet, a demand-dial interface is created by using the Demand-Dial Interface wizard with the following settings:

  • Interface Name: VPN_CorpHQ

  • Connection Type: Connect using virtual private networking (VPN)

  • VPN Type: Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)

  • Destination Address: 207.46.130.1

  • Protocols and Security: The Route IP packets on this interface check box is selected.

  • Static Routes for Remote Networks

    To make all locations on the corporate intranet reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 172.16.0.0

    Network mask: 255.240.0.0

    Metric: 1

    To make all locations on Electronic, Inc. branch offices reachable, the following static route is configured:

    Destination: 192.168.0.0

    Network mask: 255.255.0.0

    Metric: 1

  • Dial Out Credentials

    User name: VPN_Phoenix

    Domain: electronic.example.com

    Password: z2F%s)bW$4f

    Confirm password: z2F%s)bW$4f

Once the demand-dial interface is created, the following change is made:

  • For the properties of the demand-dial interface, on the Options tab, under Connection type, Persistent connection is selected.

Static Route for the Electronic, Inc. VPN Server

To make the Electronic, Inc. VPN server on the Internet reachable, the following static route is configured:

Interface: The WAN adapter attached to the Internet

Destination: 207.46.130.1

Network mask: 255.255.255.255

Gateway: 0.0.0.0

Metric: 1

Note

Because the WAN adapter creates a point-to-point connection to the ISP, any address can be entered for the gateway. The gateway address of 0.0.0.0 is an example. 0.0.0.0 is the unspecified IP address.