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Windows Server : Network Access Policy and Server and Domain Isolation (part 4) - Planning NAP DHCP Enforcement, Domain and Server Isolation

4/8/2013 6:47:45 PM

5. Planning NAP DHCP Enforcement

DHCP enforcement provides for NAP enforcement before an IPv4 client receives its automatic configuration information from a DHCP server. DHCP enforcement uses a limited IPv4 configuration to restrict a DHCP client to a restricted network to perform remediation.

DHCP enforcement combines the use of Windows Server 2008 running the DHCP Server service, the NPS service for RADIUS client capabilities, and the supported Windows clients:

  • Windows XP SP3

  • Windows Vista

  • Windows Server 2008

DHCP enforcement uses the following configurations of IPv4 to restrict a noncompliant client:

  • Sets the router option to 0.0.0.0 for noncompliant clients

  • Sets the subnet mask for the IPv4 address to 255.255.255.255

  • Uses the Classless Static Routes DHCP option to set host routes to specified computers on the restricted network

DHCP enforcement is simple to set up but has some considerable disadvantages when compared to other forms of NAP enforcement:

  • It is relatively the weakest form of NAP enforcement.

  • A local administrator can override the settings by setting an appropriate manual IPv4 configuration to access the network.

  • It does not provide support for IPv6 environments. Currently, DHCP enforcement is an IPv4-only solution.

Design Considerations for DHCP Enforcement

Several items need to be in place for a successful DHCP enforcement solution:

  • All DHCP servers need to be upgraded to Windows Server 2008.

  • All DHCP servers need to add the NPS role and configure a Remote Servers group containing the NAP health policy servers.

  • Installation of RADIUS infrastructure is necessary if one is not already deployed.

  • Consideration is necessary for how to implement exemptions for non-NAP-capable computers.

The network infrastructure, switches, routers, and Active Directory domain controllers require no updates or upgrades. Only the DHCP servers need to be upgraded to Windows Server 2008; install the NPS service and configure the service to function as a RADIUS proxy for the back-end NAP health policy servers.

  • The DHCP scopes need to be appropriately configured:

    • NAP needs to be enabled for the specified scopes where DHCP enforcement is to function.

    • DHCP scopes need to be configured with the options for noncompliant NAP clients.

      • Using either specific Vendor classes or the Default Network Access Protection Class User class, configure the Classless Static Routes option (Option 249) for clients that are noncompliant.

Final Say on DHCP Enforcement

Despite all the disadvantages of DHCP enforcement, it can provide a fine solution for a small company intent on enhancing its malware protection services. For larger environments, DHCP enforcement can provide an inexpensive reporting solution, assuming the necessary Windows Server 2008 components can be installed. For a small environment, as well as for branch offices in larger enterprises, one server can be used to deploy all the necessary components, DHCP, NPS, and NAP health policy server. This is an inexpensive solution to provide at least a fine reporting tool by which to monitor your noncompliant clients’ health in your environment and provide a step toward a more secure environment.

6. Domain and Server Isolation

Domain isolation and server isolation, introduced initially with Windows Server 2003, are effective means of improving secure communications within an enterprise. By ensuring which computers may communicate with other computers, you provide secure end-to-end authenticated communication. Securing end-to-end communication is not addressed through VPN enforcement, DHCP enforcement, or 802.1x enforcement. NAP IPsec enforcement does provide the same end-to-end authenticated communication service as isolation and, thus, can implement a similar style of security while adding support for health policies.

With domain and server isolation, IPsec authenticated communication defends a computer against network attacks, protection that application-layer user authentication security services do not offer. User authentication does prevent users from attacking specific files and applications, but it is not true security at the lower layers. IPsec authentication would help prevent attacks against services running at the network layer.

Domain vs. Server Isolation

Domain isolation is a way of ensuring that computers that need to communicate are members of the domain and have received the necessary IPsec policies through Group Policy. This isolates trusted computers from untrusted computers. All incoming requests and subsequently transferred data must be authenticated and protected by IPsec. Using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security policy settings, you can define IPsec and connections security rules that either require or request all inbound traffic to be authenticated with IPsec.

Server isolation is a more selective isolation method than domain isolation. Server isolation enables the enterprise administrator to designate specific hosts within the environment that should require that all client connection requests to it be authenticated by IPsec, much like domain isolation. In addition, you can designate select servers to allow communication with specific clients and servers through:

  • Selective certificates used for IPsec authentication.

  • Specific IP addresses, using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security policy settings.

  • Windows Server 2008, creating firewall rules that permit traffic from computers or users who are members of a select Active Directory security group.

  • Windows Server 2003, using the local Group Policy Access This Computer From The Network user right to specify users and computer accounts.

Using either domain or server isolation, exemptions can be made for computers that are not capable of performing IPsec authentication or are not members of AD DS.

Comparing Server and Domain Isolation to IPsec Enforcement

From a high-level perspective, these technologies are more similar than different. Both technologies use IPsec to provide logical network segmentation. Both server isolation and domain isolation attempt to make the network safer through ensuring that only trusted computers can communicate. IPsec enforcement ensures that computers trusted by health validation are allowed to communicate. Both use IPsec authentication to assure communicating computers mutually of their ability to trust and be trusted. Both technologies can use the default Kerberos authentication or deploy certificates for computer authentication prior to establishing IPsec security associations (SAs).

Server isolation enables an administrator to segment high-value servers further for granular control within the trusted environment. IPsec NAP can define specific zones of security to tighten access even further to high-value servers. Figure 3 displays the logical network segmentation that both forms of IPsec isolation can provide.

Figure 3. IPsec providing the logical network segmentation

Adding NAP technology to your IPsec isolation solution now provides the following additional security aspects:

  • Formalizes policy validation for healthy computers

  • Further restricts computer trust to computers that are managed and healthy

  • Uses remediation to enable updating for unhealthy managed computers

  • Creates a system of ongoing enforced compliance that offers flexible management for defining trust

Moving from Server and Domain Isolation to IPsec NAP

If your environment is using Windows 2000 Server or later, you can use IPsec NAP to provide a trusted environment and enforce logical network segmentation for the creation of trusted zones. For networks that have already upgraded to Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista on the desktop and have begun the upgrade to Windows Server 2008, a steady migration toward NAP can begin.

You can begin introducing health validation in network locations that have already upgraded their operating systems to NAP-capable clients by implementing a pilot program. This pilot program should initially use reporting and quickly move toward the implementation of restriction. After a predominant portion of each network location—branch offices or the main office—have upgraded to NAP-capable clients, you can introduce a NAP solution using reporting. Finally, each office in the network can eventually turn on restriction after a careful review of logs gathered during the implementation of reporting only.

Proper planning is essential to a NAP implementation. It is conceivable that if IPsec NAP is your choice of NAP enforcement, then first instituting server and domain isolation in phases throughout your environment would be a good starting place.

Other -----------------
- Monitoring Windows Small Business Server 2011 : Using Performance Monitor
- Monitoring Windows Small Business Server 2011 : Using Event Viewer
- Windows Server 2008 : Promoting and Demoting a Domain Controller - Promoting a DC to an RODC with an Existing Account
- Windows Server 2008 : Promoting and Demoting a Domain Controller - Demoting a DC with dcpromo, Using dcpromo with an unattend File
- SharePoint 2010 : Configuring Search Settings and the User Interface - The Preferences Page: An Administrator's View
- SharePoint 2010 : Configuring Search Settings and the User Interface - Federated Search
- Windows Server 2008 R2 : Hyper-V feature focus - Planning for Hyper-V, Installing and Administering Hyper-V
- Windows Server 2008 R2 : Hyper-V feature focus - Introduction to Virtualization and Hyper-V, Hyper-V Changes
- Windows Server 2003 on HP ProLiant Servers : File Replication Service Design and Implementation (part 2) - Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Methods and Tools
- Windows Server 2003 on HP ProLiant Servers : File Replication Service Design and Implementation (part 1)
 
 
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