Direct Access or VPN remote access

[tinca492]

Good Morning

 

I am considering using Direct Access to connect some PCs and Laptops from Staff Homes and small (less than 10 devices)Remote classrooms.

 

Clients will be running windows 10 Edu and Office 16 and will need access to SIMS, server shares etc. I also want their Internet browsing access to go via Main site ISP. Main Site infrastructure server 2012R2 50Mb leased line to internet.

 

Remote classrooms will use most cost effective internet connections, probably FTTC

 

Over the next few days I will be setting up a test server with a requirement to go live Sept 2016.

 

Any help/advice/gotchas etc greatly appreciated

 

We do have a VPN portal but I would like all remote access to be seamless to the user.

 

Kim

[Blue_Cookeh]

For those small remote classrooms I'd probably do a site to site VPN from the remote router to your local one if possible. Other than that, we deployed DirectAccess on 2012R2 for our 8.1 and 10 clients with no issues.

 

The only gotcha we came across was super slow folder redirection, so make sure you configure slow link detection policies properly.

[Oaktech]

Bear in mind that DA cannot co-exist on a machine with DC roles installed whereas VPN can. This may be a consideration to you.

 

If a second server (virtual or otherwise) is available to you I would install DA and VPN together which is a checkbox in the wizard. Point the remote classrooms down the VPN and the individual clients at Direct Access. Bear in mind also that the DA target cannot share a public IP with any other port 443 services. Force tunneling is the option you need to select in the DA wizard which makes all browsing go via the main site ISP.

[MatthewL]

If it's just odd devices (i.e. home users) I would use direct access but if you have a site with several machines I would create a hardware VPN using a router and treat it as an extension to your LAN. Makes supporting users easier.

[tinca492]

Thanks for your input

 

I have just received a quotation for a VPLS service which appears v cost effective link suggested is FTTC which for the first address is guaranteeing 71Mb. Time is running out so I suspect I will use that for the remote classrooms and trial DA for teachers etc.

[karldenton]

For our off-site nurseries we used to use DirectAccess. It worked, that's about it. I have since changed to a Sophos UTM firewall and several Sophos RED (Remote ethernet device) at each location and it is amazing. direct access is ok for ad-hoc EG home workers but not all day every day

[tinca492]

Thanks all

 

You have confirmed my own gut feeling that DA is more suited to home workers etc and I need a more appropriate link for the remote classrooms.

 

Many thanks for taking the time to respond via PM and the forum. It is always difficult when I am the only Techie to bounce ideas around etc.

 

Have a good weekend, the weather forecast is super in east Anglia so I feel a BBQ coming on

 

Kim

[tinca492]

thought I would just update the thread

 

I went for EoFTTC for the remote classroom, effectively extending our school network to the remote site. sites configured /routed to our existing firewall and Lightspeed filter by Schools Broadband.

 

Happy days-all seems to be speedy and leaves me with only 1 filter to deal with and a , very, cost effective solution

 

thanks for your help