14 DAY TRIAL // Are you looking to leverage Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in concert in order to scrap the virtual private network (VPN) in your organization? Then you might as well access the DirectAccess Design Guide, a free resource offered by Microsoft for download, but also available on TechNet. Of course that DirectAccess is intimately connected with Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), and if you want an alternative to VPNs, then you’re going to have to be prepared to jump from IPv4 to IPv6. Personally, I see the adoption of IPv6 as the biggest impediment in the way of companies’ embracing DirectAccess, but the Design Guide offers insights into IPv6 deployment goals and design considerations, as well as “access models, packet filtering, infrastructure requirements, and server placement, redundancy, and capacity planning,” according to Microsoft.
DirectAccess, in case you are not in the know, is one of the most discussed features of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. With DirectAccess users will be able to access an organization’s intranet shares, internal websites, as well as applications without the hassles associated with virtual private networks (VPN) in remote worker scenarios.
“This guide provides information about advantages, disadvantages, requirements, recommendations, and design considerations for deploying DirectAccess. It answers the “What,” “Why,” and “When” questions that your deployment design team might ask before deploying DirectAccess in a production environment,” revealed Joe Davies, principal technical writer from the Windows Server Networking Documentation Team.
Because it is a feature designed for business users, DirectAccess is not available in all the editions of Windows 7. In fact, only the Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate SKUs as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 sport DirectAccess.
“Additionally, the Step By Step Guide: Demonstrate DirectAccess in a Test Lab white paper has been updated to include both the Release Candidate (RC) and Release to Manufacturing (RTM) versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Use this guide to configure DirectAccess and see it working in a simplified test lab,” Davies added.