Windows 8.1 client disconnects immediately upon successful VPN connection with Windows Server 2012 R2

vpnwindows-8.1windows-server-2012-r2

We have a Windows Server 2012 R2 (Datacenter) running the Server Essentials Role. I've setup Anywhere Access (setup DNS, obtained SSL cert for remote.domain.com, opened ports 80,443 on router). Setting up Anywhere Access on the server also established the VPN connections on client machines.

But when the clients (Windows 8.1) connect to the VPN connection, they disconnect immediately upon connection. The connection state cycles through the following steps in under 4 seconds.

  • Connecting to remote.domain.com
  • Verifying your credentials
  • Completing connection (icon changes to success too)
  • Connected
  • Disconnected (immediately)

The VPN type is "Automatic" but I know it's using SSTP (shows WAN Miniport (SSTP)) in non-metro view as the last used one.

Question: Does anyone know why the clients disconnect immediately upon successful "connected" ? Is there a log somewhere for details?

A screenshot on the client settings is below, all defaults BTW

enter image description here

Best Answer

Ok, reading up a bit on SSTP helped. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947026 suggests that the IIS certificate is used (scenario 4) but we had multiple SSL certs on the same server/website (you can reach it as http://machinename/ or http://remote.domain.com).

Fixed it by

  • opening IIS
  • Sites => Default Web site
  • Bindings (right edge)
  • Edited each HTTPS endpoint to manually specify the hostname and enabled "Require Server Name Indication" and also selected the right SSL certificate for each

Following this, it connects just fine and stays connected. This is nice, would have been better if it gave some log info or something! Consider myself lucky to be able to run into this fix.

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