The fixes for a number of VPN issues that have been plaguing some Windows versions since this month’s Patch Tuesday are coming.
Microsoft has finally confirmed that last month’s Patch Tuesday introduced connectivity issues on servers with Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) enabled, noting that client endpoints could also struggle to connect to these servers, experiencing connection drops.
The fixes will most probably be arriving as part of July’s Patch Tuesday, meaning affected users will need to exercise just a little more patience.
Workaround available
While Microsoft did address these issues in last week’s optional Windows cumulative update previews, these were only test patches, available to users of Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and Windows 10, version 1809.
Those with newer versions of Windows 10, Windows 8.1 users, as well as those still sporting Windows 7 SP1, will have to wait for July’s Patch Tuesday to have the issue fixed. This also includes some Windows Server users, as well.
“We are presently investigating and will provide an update in an upcoming release,” Microsoft said.
As usual, those that are unable to patch their systems immediately can use Microsoft’s recommended workaround, which is to temporarily disable the NAT feature on RRAS servers.
“If it’s not possible to install the latest Windows updates on an affected server, the issue can be avoided by temporarily disabling the NAT feature on the RRAS server,” Microsoft said. “For steps and guidance on this, note the ability to uncheck the ‘Enable NAT on this interface’ option described in step 7 of the article Enable and Configure NAT.”
Microsoft describes RRAS as a software router, and an open platform for routing and networking, enabling businesses with routing services in LAN and WAN environments, or over the internet, with the help of secure VPN connections.