Azure Virtual Network Gateway VPN Client Connection Cmdlets

This section provides a comprehensive reference for PowerShell cmdlets used to manage VPN client connections for Azure Virtual Network Gateways. These cmdlets enable you to configure, troubleshoot, and monitor VPN client connectivity to your Azure virtual networks.

Overview

Azure VPN Gateway enables secure, cross-premises connectivity between your on-premises environment and your Azure Virtual Network. Managing the client configurations and connections is crucial for ensuring reliable access. The PowerShell cmdlets covered here are part of the Azure PowerShell module, specifically designed for these administrative tasks.

Cmdlet Categories

The cmdlets related to VPN client connections can be broadly categorized into the following areas:

Configuration: Cmdlets for setting up and modifying VPN client configurations, including authentication methods, address pools, and specific connection profiles.
Management: Cmdlets for interacting with existing connections, such as generating client configuration packages, revoking access, and listing active connections.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Cmdlets to gather information about connection status, diagnostics, and potential issues.

Key Cmdlets for VPN Client Connections

Below is a table summarizing some of the most frequently used cmdlets:

Cmdlet Name	Description
`Get-AzVpnClientConfiguration`	Retrieves the VPN client configuration for a virtual network gateway. This is essential for generating client setup packages.
`New-AzVpnClientConfigurationPackage`	Creates a VPN client configuration package (e.g., .zip file) that users can download to connect to the VPN.
`Get-AzVirtualNetworkGatewayConnection`	Retrieves information about active virtual network gateway connections, which can include VPN client connections.
`Set-AzVpnClientConfiguration`	(Though less common for direct client connection management, can influence gateway-level client settings.)
`Get-AzVirtualNetworkGateway`	Retrieves details about the virtual network gateway itself, which is the parent resource for VPN client connection configurations.
`Add-AzVpnClientRootCertificate`	Adds a root certificate to the virtual network gateway for certificate-based authentication.
`Remove-AzVpnClientRootCertificate`	Removes a root certificate from the virtual network gateway.
`Get-AzVpnClientRevokedCertificate`	Retrieves revoked client certificates.
`Add-AzVpnClientRevokedCertificate`	Adds a certificate to the list of revoked client certificates.
`Remove-AzVpnClientRevokedCertificate`	Removes a certificate from the list of revoked client certificates.

Example: Generating a VPN Client Configuration Package

Example 1: Generate a .zip package for Windows clients

# Define resource group and gateway name
$ResourceGroupName = "MyResourceGroup"
$VpnGatewayName = "MyVpnGateway"

# Get the VPN client configuration and save it to a .zip file
Get-AzVpnClientConfiguration -Name $VpnGatewayName -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName -VpnClientPackageRootFolder .\ClientConfig -ProcessorArchitecture Amd64 -AuthenticationMethod VpnP2S

Write-Host "VPN client configuration package generated in the '$($PWD.Path)\ClientConfig' folder."

This example demonstrates how to retrieve and save the client configuration for a specified gateway, creating a package suitable for Windows client machines.

Note: Ensure you have the latest Azure PowerShell module installed. You can update it using Install-Module -Name Az -Force.

Parameters and Concepts

When working with these cmdlets, you'll encounter several important parameters and concepts:

-ResourceGroupName: The name of the resource group containing the virtual network gateway.
-Name: The name of the virtual network gateway.
-VpnClientPackageRootFolder: Specifies the local directory where the generated client configuration package will be saved.
-ProcessorArchitecture: The processor architecture for which to generate the package (e.g., Amd64, X86).
-AuthenticationMethod: The authentication method for VPN client connections. Common values include EapTLS (for certificate-based authentication) and VpnP2S (for pre-shared key or username/password).
-RadiusServerAddress / -RadiusSecret: Parameters used when configuring RADIUS authentication for VPN client connections.

Azure Documentation