Windows Server Essentials 2016 - Update on Remote Web Access

First published on TechNet on Apr 17, 2017
Hello,

Remote Web Access, a feature inside Windows Server Essentials 2016 (also used in the Windows Server Essentials role that is available in Windows Server Standard 2016 and Windows Server Datacenter 2016) may cause users to experience trouble connecting remotely. The issue occurs after Office 365 with AAD Integration is completed and a certain amount of time passes without a reboot, typically 36-48 hours.

The server will be responsive, but the https://servername/remote web site will indicate that it is not accessible and will redirect users to their Administrator with the following message:

"Cannot connect to Remote Web Access. Please contact the person who manages the server. "

There is a temporary workaround discussed on the windows server forum here , and it is a safe workaround to use until the fix is available. The issue is caused by WCF connections not being cleaned up by the Essentials provider framework and they are no longer removed by the CLR in Windows Server 2016. To verify this, you can check the amount of WCF connections by running the following PowerShell command in an elevated console:

netstat -a | select-string ':65532' | measure-object -line

There should be 100-300 connections typically.

The fix has been tested and checked in and it will be available in the May update package for Windows Server 2016. When the kb article is published and the fix is available, I will post about it here.

Thanks,
Scott Johnson
Windows Server Essentials