Surface Pro Network Access Manager appears resolved!

Well, after trial and error and multiple system recoveries, I have gotten Windows 8 on the Surface Pro working with Cisco AnyConnect.

The version that is working without the dreaded ACNAMFD.SYS crash is the following:

anyconnect-win-3.1.04059-pre-deploy-k9

I have successfully installed and rebooted, and will be loading my secure network profiles for our distributed secure Corporate Wireless. To move the settings from, say, your Corporate issued laptop to your increasingly useful Surface Pro, copy the configuration.XML file from a configured workstation to your Pro. For me, on Windows 7 and Windows 8 the file location was the same:

C:\ProgramData\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\Network Access Manager\system\configuration.xml

One item to note is that with this installed, the application becomes your wireless management interface. So previously configured wireless networks will not work until the profile is configured in the Network Access Manager! Just be aware of this before you go screaming about it breaking wireless. It's working - you just manage it the Cisco Anyconnect way now.

Yes, my wireless network is SurveillanceVan  - what, I can't have a sense of humor?

This means Desktop Mode, which means leaving the "metro" UI. Still, the endgame is getting this set up as a capable laptop replacement, and this was a major hurdle.

SIDE EFFECTS:

Now, there are some other side effects that add to the compromise equation. Namely, that upon installation and reboot, the login behavior changes.

Yup - it sets the security policy introduced back in the NT days to require a hardware interrupt to login! The problem is that the timing of hitting the Windows button and tapping power is tricky and a little (read: very) annoying.

How do I get back to that sassy Surface Login experience that I loved so much? Well, the answer is to modify the security policy back to no longer requiring CTRL+ALT+DEL!

To set it back to "normal", just hit WINDOWS+R to open the run dialogue, and type SECPOL.MSC and hit enter:

Then navigate to Local Policies, Security, Interactive Login: Do Not Require CTRL + ALT + DEL and set it back to it's prior state:

You want it set to Enabled:

Click okay, close it out and hit power. You should be back to the default login behavior. Personally, I didn't mind the change, but others I know were hurt, confused, angered, thought they bricked their Pro, etc.

While the Surface Pro continues to be a lesson in compromise, as applications that are needed for daily business use are getting up to speed, I am starting to come around. I only dropped to my full blown laptop once in the last two days - major improvement.

Now if they'd only hurry up with the Surface Pro keyboard with battery!

 

Issue with Surface Pro and Cisco Anyconnect 3.1.01065

So the issue is repeatable. Cisco Anyconnect VPN software appears to have serious issues with Surface Pro - to the tune of not being able to boot up after installation.

Steps to recreate:

1. Install Cisco AnyConnect
2. Reboot

Upon restart, you get the Surface "Diagnosing your PC" screen:



Followed by the dreaded "Automatic Repair" screen:

Using a known good version for Windows 8: anyconnect-win-3.1.01065-pre-deploy-k9

I get a dump after reboot and Windows 8 Pro on Surface Pro has to perform a system recovery.

I downloaded the Windows 8 SDK and did a dumpchk.exe:

BugCheck 7E, {ffffffffc0000005, fffff88003648a23, fffff880031fb1a8, fffff880031fa9e0}
This is an unhandled system thread exception. Dumpchk says the reason is the Cisco filter driver:

Probably caused by : acnamfd.sys ( acnamfd+8a23 )

ACNAMFD.SYS is the following:
Product: Cisco AnyConnect Network Access Manager

Company: Cisco Systems
Description: Cisco AnyConnect Network Access Manager Filter Driver

Working with Microsoft Support, and providing this info on my own, after an hour or so I was told that this is due to a limitation of Surface Pro hardware! Installed all of the latest firmware and drivers - again on my own - and no love. I thought that Surface Pro was the bees knees for road warriors!
What a major bummer. I can't use it for work - it is essentially an RT with bad battery life!

I will post if the story changes. I hope this helps anyone else experiencing the issue.

Surface Pro - Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Blog

So while at Tech Ed, attendees were given the opportunity to get a Surface Pro and RT for a sick price (google it - really it was silly).

The result? I actually have something that facilitates blogging! I am turning up this site again (after long dormancy) and will be trying to get useful information out into the world on the Microsoft stack and SAN storage.

What do I think of the Surface Pro?

• the stock image is kind of pissing me off. Generally speaking, the builds from the Microsoft Store are solid. No bloat-ware, "Windows as it was meant to be"... but there are increasingly little odd things that are not working well. What kind of things? Cisco Anywhere VPN client, for one. It hoses the Pro - installs, attempts to reboot, and never comes back! And I am not the only one getting calling out the factory build.
• After using RT for a while, I really, really, really got to like a 9 hour battery life. With tweaks, I am getting only 3 to 4 hours on Pro. And if VPN keeps pooping the bed, I think that RT has a much greater chance of making it into the laptop bag than the Pro..,

Aside from the issue with Cisco Anywhere VPN install, so far so good. And like everyone else, I find myself  getting addicted to a touch screen (fingerprints on my laptops are going to be a new feature).

If people find this via the AmaGoogleWebz, I will post the resolution to the issue. And yes, I am using Windows 8 versions of Cisco Anywhere VPN. I do this for a living. :)

Rock on, people.