Azure Virtual Network Gateway VPN Client Connection Cmdlets

This section provides a comprehensive reference for PowerShell cmdlets used to manage VPN client connection configurations for Azure Virtual Network Gateways. These cmdlets help you to establish secure, reliable connectivity between your on-premises networks or individual clients and your Azure virtual networks.

Overview

Azure Virtual Network Gateway enables you to create a managed VPN gateway that securely connects your virtual networks to your on-premises networks or to other virtual networks in Azure. The VPN client connection cmdlets allow for the configuration and management of the client-side aspects of these VPN connections, ensuring seamless and secure access.

Key Scenarios

Generating VPN Client Configuration Packages: Download pre-configured VPN client packages for Windows, macOS, and Linux to easily connect individual clients.
Managing VPN Client IP Pools: Configure and manage the IP address ranges that are assigned to connected VPN clients.
Troubleshooting VPN Client Connectivity: Use cmdlets to diagnose and resolve issues related to VPN client connections.

Core Cmdlets for VPN Client Connections

1. Generating VPN Client Configuration Packages

These cmdlets are essential for allowing individual users to connect to your Azure VNet securely using a VPN client.

`Get-AzVpnClientConfiguration`

Retrieves the VPN client configuration package for a virtual network gateway. This package contains all the necessary files and settings for a client to connect.

Example:


# Get the VPN client configuration package for a specific gateway
Get-AzVpnClientConfiguration -Name "MyVpnGateway" -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -AuthenticationMethod "EAPTLS" | Export-AzVpnClientPackage -OutputFolder "./vpn-client-configs"

This example downloads the client configuration package and saves it to a local folder. Replace the gateway name, resource group, and authentication method as per your configuration.

2. Managing VPN Client IP Pools

When using Point-to-Site VPNs, you need to define the IP address range from which clients will receive an IP address.

`Add-AzVirtualNetworkGateway VpnClientAddressPool`

Adds a VPN client address pool to a virtual network gateway. This cmdlet is typically used when creating or updating a gateway.

Example:


# Assuming $vnetGateway is an existing VirtualNetworkGateway object
$vnetGateway.VpnClientConfiguration.VpnClientAddressPool = New-AzVirtualNetworkGatewayIpConfigurationAddressPool -Name "ClientPool" -AddressPrefix "192.168.2.0/24"
# Then apply this update to the gateway
Set-AzVirtualNetworkGateway -VirtualNetworkGateway $vnetGateway

This demonstrates how to define an IP address pool for VPN clients.

3. Configuring Authentication

Proper authentication is critical for secure VPN connections. Cmdlets allow you to configure different authentication methods.

`Set-AzVirtualNetworkGateway -VpnClientRootCertificates`

Configures root certificates for certificate-based authentication.

`Set-AzVirtualNetworkGateway -VpnClientRevokedCertificates`

Configures revoked certificates to deny access to specific clients.

Important Note: Ensure that your Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is correctly set up and that the certificates are properly uploaded to Azure. Incorrect certificate configuration is a common cause of VPN client connection failures.

Example Scenario: Setting up Point-to-Site VPN for Remote Users

Create a Virtual Network Gateway:
Use cmdlets like New-AzVirtualNetworkGateway to create the gateway. Ensure you specify the correct SKU and type (e.g., Vpn).
Configure Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN:
Use Set-AzVirtualNetworkGateway to enable P2S VPN, specify the gateway's IP configuration, and set the client address pool using New-AzVirtualNetworkGatewayIpConfigurationAddressPool.
```
New-AzVirtualNetworkGatewayIpConfigurationAddressPool -Name "P2SVpnPool" -AddressPrefix "10.1.0.0/24"
                    
```

Configure Authentication:

Upload necessary root certificates using Set-AzVirtualNetworkGateway -VpnClientRootCertificates. For example:


$cert = Get-ChildItem "C:\certs\rootcert.cer"
Add-AzVirtualNetworkGatewayRootClientCertificate -VirtualNetworkGatewayName "MyVpnGw" -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "RootCert" -CertificateData $cert.Name

Generate and Download Client Packages:
Use Get-AzVpnClientConfiguration and pipe the output to Export-AzVpnClientPackage to download the client configuration for users.