Troubleshooting: Azure point-to-site connection problems

This article lists common point-to-site connection problems that you might experience. It also discusses possible causes and solutions for these problems.

VPN client error: A certificate could not be found

Symptom

When you try to connect to an Azure virtual network by using the VPN client, you receive the following error message:

A certificate could not be found that can be used with this Extensible Authentication Protocol. (Error 798)

Cause

This problem occurs if the client certificate is missing from Certificates - Current User\Personal\Certificates.

Solution

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

  1. Open Certificate Manager: Click Start, type manage computer certificates, and then click manage computer certificates in the search result.

  2. Make sure that the following certificates are in the correct location:

    Certificate Location
    AzureClient.pfx Current User\Personal\Certificates
    AzureRoot.cer Local Computer\Trusted Root Certification Authorities
  3. Go to C:\Users<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Network\Connections\Cm<GUID>, manually install the certificate (*.cer file) on the user and computer's store.

For more information about how to install the client certificate, see Generate and export certificates for point-to-site connections.

Note

When you import the client certificate, do not select the Enable strong private key protection option.

The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding

Symptom

When you try and connect to an Azure virtual network gateway using IKEv2 on Windows, you get the following error message:

The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding

Cause

The problem occurs if the version of Windows does not have support for IKE fragmentation

Solution

IKEv2 is supported on Windows 10 and Server 2016. However, in order to use IKEv2, you must install updates and set a registry key value locally. OS versions prior to Windows 10 are not supported and can only use SSTP.

To prepare Windows 10 , or Server 2016 for IKEv2:

  1. Install the update.

    OS version Date Number/Link
    Windows Server 2016
    Windows 10 Version 1607
    January 17, 2018 KB4057142
    Windows 10 Version 1703 January 17, 2018 KB4057144
    Windows 10 Version 1709 March 22, 2018 KB4089848
  2. Set the registry key value. Create or set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\ IKEv2\DisableCertReqPayload REG_DWORD key in the registry to 1.

VPN client error: The message received was unexpected or badly formatted

Symptom

When you try to connect to an Azure virtual network by using the VPN client, you receive the following error message:

The message received was unexpected or badly formatted. (Error 0x80090326)

Cause

This problem occurs if one of the following conditions is true:

  • The use user-defined routes (UDR) with default route on the Gateway Subnet is set incorrectly.
  • The root certificate public key is not uploaded into the Azure VPN gateway.
  • The key is corrupted or expired.

Solution

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

  1. Remove UDR on the Gateway Subnet. Make sure UDR forwards all traffic properly.
  2. Check the status of the root certificate in the Azure portal to see whether it was revoked. If it is not revoked, try to delete the root certificate and reupload. For more information, see Create certificates.

VPN client error: A certificate chain processed but terminated

Symptom

When you try to connect to an Azure virtual network by using the VPN client, you receive the following error message:

A certificate chain processed but terminated in a root certificate which is not trusted by the trust provider.

Solution

  1. Make sure that the following certificates are in the correct location:

    Certificate Location
    AzureClient.pfx Current User\Personal\Certificates
    Azuregateway-GUID.cloudapp.net Current User\Trusted Root Certification Authorities
    AzureGateway-GUID.cloudapp.net, AzureRoot.cer Local Computer\Trusted Root Certification Authorities
  2. If the certificates are already in the location, try to delete the certificates and reinstall them. The azuregateway-GUID.cloudapp.net certificate is in the VPN client configuration package that you downloaded from the Azure portal. You can use file archivers to extract the files from the package.

File download error: Target URI is not specified

Symptom

You receive the following error message:

File download error. Target URI is not specified.

Cause

This problem occurs because of an incorrect gateway type.

Solution

The VPN gateway type must be VPN, and the VPN type must be RouteBased.

VPN client error: Azure VPN custom script failed

Symptom

When you try to connect to an Azure virtual network by using the VPN client, you receive the following error message:

Custom script (to update your routing table) failed. (Error 8007026f)

Cause

This problem might occur if you are trying to open the site-to-point VPN connection by using a shortcut.

Solution

Open the VPN package directly instead of opening it from the shortcut.

Cannot install the VPN client

Cause

An additional certificate is required to trust the VPN gateway for your virtual network. The certificate is included in the VPN client configuration package that is generated from the Azure portal.

Solution

Extract the VPN client configuration package, and find the .cer file. To install the certificate, follow these steps:

  1. Open mmc.exe.
  2. Add the Certificates snap-in.
  3. Select the Computer account for the local computer.
  4. Right-click the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node. Click All-Task > Import, and browse to the .cer file you extracted from the VPN client configuration package.
  5. Restart the computer.
  6. Try to install the VPN client.

Azure portal error: Failed to save the VPN gateway, and the data is invalid

Symptom

When you try to save the changes for the VPN gateway in the Azure portal, you receive the following error message:

Failed to save virtual network gateway <gateway name>. Data for certificate <certificate ID> is invalid.

Cause

This problem might occur if the root certificate public key that you uploaded contains an invalid character, such as a space.

Solution

Make sure that the data in the certificate does not contain invalid characters, such as line breaks (carriage returns). The entire value should be one long line. The following text is a sample of the certificate:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Azure portal error: Failed to save the VPN gateway, and the resource name is invalid

Symptom

When you try to save the changes for the VPN gateway in the Azure portal, you receive the following error message:

Failed to save virtual network gateway <gateway name>. Resource name <certificate name you try to upload> is invalid.

Cause

This problem occurs because the name of the certificate contains an invalid character, such as a space.

Azure portal error: VPN package file download error 503

Symptom

When you try to download the VPN client configuration package, you receive the following error message:

Failed to download the file. Error details: error 503. The server is busy.

Solution

This error can be caused by a temporary network problem. Try to download the VPN package again after a few minutes.

Azure VPN Gateway upgrade: All Point to Site clients are unable to connect

Cause

If the certificate is more than 50 percent through its lifetime, the certificate is rolled over.

Solution

To resolve this problem, re-download and redeploy the Point to Site package on all clients.

Too many VPN clients connected at once

The maximum number of allowable connections is reached. You can see the total number of connected clients in the Azure portal.

VPN client cannot access network file shares

Symptom

The VPN client has connected to the Azure virtual network. However, the client cannot access network shares.

Cause

The SMB protocol is used for file share access. When the connection is initiated, the VPN client adds the session credentials and the failure occurs. After the connection is established, the client is forced to use the cache credentials for Kerberos authentication. This process initiates queries to the Key Distribution Center (a domain controller) to get a token. Because the client connects from the Internet, it might not be able to reach the domain controller. Therefore, the client cannot fail over from Kerberos to NTLM.

The only time that the client is prompted for a credential is when it has a valid certificate (with SAN=UPN) issued by the domain to which it is joined. The client also must be physically connected to the domain network. In this case, the client tries to use the certificate and reaches out to the domain controller. Then the Key Distribution Center returns a "KDC_ERR_C_PRINCIPAL_UNKNOWN" error. The client is forced to fail over to NTLM.

Solution

To work around the problem, disable the caching of domain credentials from the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\DisableDomainCreds - Set the value to 1

Cannot find the point-to-site VPN connection in Windows after reinstalling the VPN client

Symptom

You remove the point-to-site VPN connection and then reinstall the VPN client. In this situation, the VPN connection is not configured successfully. You do not see the VPN connection in the Network connections settings in Windows.

Solution

To resolve the problem, delete the old VPN client configuration files from C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Network\Connections<VirtualNetworkId>, and then run the VPN client installer again.

Point-to-site VPN client cannot resolve the FQDN of the resources in the local domain

Symptom

When the client connects to Azure by using point-to-site VPN connection, it cannot resolve the FQDN of the resources in your local domain.

Cause

Point-to-site VPN client normally uses Azure DNS servers that are configured in the Azure virtual network. The Azure DNS servers take precedence over the local DNS servers that are configured in the client (unless the metric of the Ethernet interface is lower), so all DNS queries are sent to the Azure DNS servers. If the Azure DNS servers do not have the records for the local resources, the query fails.

Solution

To resolve the problem, make sure that the Azure DNS servers that used on the Azure virtual network can resolve the DNS records for local resources. To do this, you can use DNS Forwarders or Conditional forwarders. For more information, see Name resolution using your own DNS server

The point-to-site VPN connection is established, but you still cannot connect to Azure resources

Cause

This problem may occur if VPN client does not get the routes from Azure VPN gateway.

Solution

To resolve this problem, reset Azure VPN gateway. To make sure that the new routes are being used, the Point-to-Site VPN clients must be downloaded again after virtual network peering has been successfully configured.

Error: "The revocation function was unable to check revocation because the revocation server was offline.(Error 0x80092013)"

Causes

This error message occurs if the client cannot access http://crl3.digicert.com/ssca-sha2-g1.crl and http://crl4.digicert.com/ssca-sha2-g1.crl. The revocation check requires access to these two sites. This problem typically happens on the client that has proxy server configured. In some environments, if the requests are not going through the proxy server, it will be denied at the Edge Firewall.

Solution

Check the proxy server settings, make sure that the client can access http://crl3.digicert.com/ssca-sha2-g1.crl and http://crl4.digicert.com/ssca-sha2-g1.crl.

VPN Client Error: The connection was prevented because of a policy configured on your RAS/VPN server. (Error 812)

Cause

This error occurs if the RADIUS server that you used for authenticating VPN client has incorrect settings, or Azure Gateway can't reach the Radius server.

Solution

Make sure that RADIUS server is configured correctly. For More information, see Integrate RADIUS authentication with Azure Multi-Factor Authentication Server.

"Error 405" when you download root certificate from VPN Gateway

Cause

Root certificate had not been installed. The root certificate is installed in the client's Trusted certificates store.

VPN Client Error: The remote connection was not made because the attempted VPN tunnels failed. (Error 800)

Cause

The NIC driver is outdated.

Solution

Update the NIC driver:

  1. Click Start, type Device Manager, and select it from the list of results. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  2. In the Network adapters categories, find the NIC that you want to update.
  3. Double-click the device name, select Update driver, select Search automatically for updated driver software.
  4. If Windows doesn't find a new driver, you can try looking for one on the device manufacturer's website and follow their instructions.
  5. Restart the computer and try the connection again.

VPN Client Error: Dialing VPN connection <VPN Connection Name>, Status = VPN Platform did not trigger connection

You may also see the following error in Event Viewer from RasClient: "The user <User> dialed a connection named <VPN Connection Name> which has failed. The error code returned on failure is 1460."

Cause

The Azure VPN Client does not have the "Background apps" App Permission enabled in App Settings for Windows.

Solution

  1. In Windows, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Background apps
  2. Toggle the "Let apps run in the background" to On

Error: 'File download error Target URI is not specified'

Cause

This is caused by an incorrect gateway type is configured.

Solution

The Azure VPN gateway type must be VPN and the VPN type must be RouteBased.

VPN package installer doesn't complete

Cause

This problem can be caused by the previous VPN client installations.

Solution

Delete the old VPN client configuration files from C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Network\Connections<VirtualNetworkId> and run the VPN client installer again.

The VPN client hibernates or sleep after some time

Solution

Check the sleep and hibernate settings in the computer that the VPN client is running on.