Installing Reverse Proxy on Windows Server 2012 R2 (Web Application Proxy)

13 November 2013

In this article I'm going to show how to install the reverse proxy for Windows Server 2012 R2. Microsoft

extended the ADFS proxy services to include basic HTTP reverse proxying for additional applications.

Seeing that TMG support is going to end by 2015 and extended support by 2020

(http://blogs.technet.com/b/server-cloud/archive/2012/09/12/important-changes-to-forefront-product-

roadmaps.aspx ). Companies required a reverse proxy solution for publishing their web application. UAG is the

preferred reverse proxy solution from Microsoft but for the companies that don't want the complexity of UAG

could use the new Remote Access – Web Application proxy in Windows Server 2012 R2.

So if you want to use this service you are required to have an ADFS Service installed in the environment please

refer to my last blog post: http://www.schmarr.com/Blog/Post/12/Installing-Windows-2012-R2-Server-ADFS-

Service-

Let's start.

Before you start you need the following information at hand:

o ADFS Url – In my case it is https://adfs.company.co.za

o Certificates with private key pfx format

Install Windows 2012 R2 with GUI

Install the certificate onto the server

I don't tick "Mark this key as exportable." Because this server will be internet facing.

Change the adfs dns record in DNS to point to the ADFS reverse proxy server

Update the Host file on the server to force adfs.company.co.za always to the primary adfs server.

Install the "Remote Access Roles"

Configure the Application Proxy

All done you should not be able to add additional applications to the reverse proxy.

Doing a quick test to see if ADFS is responding from a remote client using url

https://adfs.company.co.za/adfs/services/trust/mex

Ping adfs.company.co.za to make sure it is going to the Proxy

In Internet explorer open the url you should get xml back

I'll releasing

blog articles on how to publish the following service in the future:

o FIM 2010 R2 Portal and self-service applications

o SharePoint 2010, 2013

o Exchange 2010,2013

o Lync 2010,2013

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