When troubleshooting DirectAccess connectivity issues, it's crucial to analyze the specific error patterns. In this case, we observe two alternating error states:
netsh interface httpstunnel show interfaces Interface IPHTTPSInterface (Group Policy) Parameters ------------------------------------------------------------ Role : client URL : https://server.example.com:443/IPHTTPS Last Error Code : 0x0 Interface Status : IPHTTPS interface active
Despite the IPHTTPS tunnel showing as active, the client cycles between:
Status : Error Substatus : CouldNotContactDirectAccessServer
and
Status : Error Substatus : RemoteNetworkAuthenticationFailure
Since the connection works via mobile but fails on home networks, we need to examine:
- NAT configuration on the server side
- Public IP constraints (single IP scenario)
- Potential MTU issues in home network environments
Start with these PowerShell commands to gather more data:
# Check DirectAccess connection status history
Get-DAConnectionStatus -Detailed | Format-List
# Verify IPHTTPS connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName <DA_Server> -Port 443
# Check certificate status
Get-ChildItem Cert:\LocalMachine\My | Where-Object {$_.Subject -like "*IPHTTPS*"}
The RemoteNetworkAuthenticationFailure suggests issues with:
- Certificate validation
- Kerberos constraints (if using AD authentication)
- Network Location Server (NLS) accessibility
Verify NLS connectivity with:
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://nls.yourdomain.com" -UseDefaultCredentials
Check these critical event logs on both client and server:
# Client-side
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-DirectAccess-Client/Operational" |
Where-Object {$_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Error"} |
Format-List -Property TimeCreated,Message
# Server-side
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-RemoteAccess/Operational" -MaxEvents 50 |
Where-Object {$_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Error"}
When basic checks don't reveal the issue, perform network captures:
# Client-side capture (run as Administrator) netsh trace start capture=yes scenario=NetConnection tracefile=C:\temp\DA_capture.etl # Reproduce the issue netsh trace stop # Server-side capture New-NetEventSession -Name "DA_Debug" -LocalFilePath C:\temp\DA_server.etl Add-NetEventPacketCaptureProvider -SessionName "DA_Debug" Start-NetEventSession -Name "DA_Debug"
Based on similar cases, try these solutions:
# 1. Reset IPHTTPS configuration
netsh interface httpstunnel set interface client enable = no
netsh interface httpstunnel set interface client enable = yes
# 2. Clear DNS cache and renew configuration
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
# 3. Verify firewall rules for IPHTTPS
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "DirectAccess*" |
Where-Object {$_.Enabled -ne "True"} |
Enable-NetFirewallRule
Create a test script to verify certificate chain:
$request = [System.Net.HttpWebRequest]::Create("https://yourda-server.com/IPHTTPS")
try {
$response = $request.GetResponse()
$cert = $request.ServicePoint.Certificate
$chain = New-Object System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Chain
$chain.Build($cert) | Out-Null
$chain.ChainStatus | Format-List -Property Status,StatusInformation
} catch {
Write-Host "Connection failed: $_"
}
When implementing DirectAccess with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 Enterprise clients, I encountered a peculiar connectivity pattern:
- Successful connections through mobile networks
- Consistent failures when connecting from home networks
- IPHTTPS tunnel showing as active (confirmed via netsh command)
- Cyclic error states between CouldNotContactDirectAccessServer and RemoteNetworkAuthenticationFailure
// Sample output showing the connection status cycling: PS C:\> Get-DAConnectionStatus Status : Error Substatus : CouldNotContactDirectAccessServer [10 minutes later...] Status : Error Substatus : RemoteNetworkAuthenticationFailure
The server sits behind NAT with a single public IP, making IPHTTPS the only viable protocol. Key configuration points:
// Current IPHTTPS configuration: netsh interface httpstunnel show interfaces Interface IPHTTPSInterface (Group Policy) Parameters ------------------------------------------------------------ Role : client URL : https://da.example.com:443/IPHTTPS Last Error Code : 0x0 Interface Status : IPHTTPS interface active
Start with these verification steps:
// 1. Check IPHTTPS connectivity:
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName da.example.com -Port 443
// 2. Verify certificate chain:
$cert = Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\LocalMachine\My |
Where-Object {$_.Subject -like "*da.example.com*"}
$cert | fl Subject,Thumbprint,NotAfter,HasPrivateKey
// 3. Examine security event logs:
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-DirectAccess-Client/Operational" -MaxEvents 10 |
Format-List -Property TimeCreated,Id,Message
From experience, these factors often cause similar issues:
Certificate Validation Problems
IPHTTPS requires proper certificate configuration. Verify with:
// Certificate validation script:
$req = [System.Net.HttpWebRequest]::Create("https://da.example.com/IPHTTPS")
try {
$res = $req.GetResponse()
$cert = $req.ServicePoint.Certificate
$chain = New-Object System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Chain
$chain.Build($cert) | Out-Null
$chain.ChainStatus | Select-Object Status,StatusInformation
} catch {
Write-Host "SSL Error: $_" -ForegroundColor Red
}
NAT Configuration Issues
Even with IPHTTPS, certain NAT behaviors can interfere. Check NAT mapping:
// On the DirectAccess server: Get-NetNat | Select-Object Name,ExternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix,InternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix
For persistent issues, enable detailed logging:
// Enable verbose IPHTTPS logging: netsh trace start scenario=NetConnection capture=yes tracefile=C:\temp\iphttps.etl netsh interface httpstunnel set tracing level=verbose // After reproducing the issue: netsh trace stop
Analyze the resulting ETL file with Network Monitor or Message Analyzer.
Despite ruling out the firewall, verify these critical Windows Firewall rules exist:
// Check DirectAccess client firewall rules:
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "DirectAccess*" |
Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq "True"} |
Select-Object DisplayName,Profile,Direction,Action