How to Allow Group IPs on a Single NIC in Windows Server 2022 for Exclusive Access

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss how to allow group IPs exclusive access to a single NIC on a Windows Server 2022. Specifically, we will cover the scenario where remote users want exclusive access to one NIC, while no one else should have access to it.

Scenario Background

Suppose you have a Windows Server 2022 with three NICs, and remote users want exclusive access to one of those NICs. You need to configure the server to allow only the remote users' IPs to access the specific NIC, while denying access to all other IPs.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have the following:

• A Windows Server 2022 with at least three NICs.
• A list of remote users' IPs that need exclusive access to one NIC.

Configuring NIC Binding Order

The first step is to configure the NIC binding order. This will ensure that the server uses the correct NIC for remote users' access.

Steps

1. Press Windows key + X and select Network Connections.
2. Right-click on the NIC that you want to set as the exclusive NIC and select Properties.
3. Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and select Properties.
4. Uncheck the box that says Automatically detect settings.
5. Click on Advanced.
6. Under the IP Settings tab, click on Add.
7. Enter the IP address and subnet mask for the exclusive NIC.
8. Click Add and then OK.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 for all the NICs except the exclusive NIC.
10. Click OK to close all the windows.

Creating an Access Group

The next step is to create a group that will contain the remote users' IPs.

Steps

1. Press Windows key + R and enter secpol.msc to open the Local Security Policy.
2. Expand Security Settings and then Local Policies.
3. Click on Security Groups.
4. Right-click on Security Groups and select New Local Group.
5. Enter a name for the group, such as ExclusiveNICAccess.
6. Click Add and enter the remote users' IPs, separated by a semicolon.
7. Click OK twice to create the group.

Configuring Windows Firewall

The final step is to configure the Windows Firewall to allow only the remote users' IPs to access the exclusive NIC.

Steps

1. Press Windows key + R and enter wf.msc to open the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
2. Expand Inbound Rules and right-click on New Rule.
3. Select Port and click Next.
4. Enter the port number that the remote users will use to access the exclusive NIC and click Next.
5. Select Allow the connection and click Next.
6. Select Public and click Next.
7. Enter a name for the rule, such as ExclusiveNICAccess.
8. Click Finish.
9. Right-click on the newly created rule and select Properties.
10. Under the Scope tab, click Add.
11. Select These IP addresses and click Add.
12. Enter the remote users' IPs, separated by a semicolon, and click OK.
13. Click OK twice to close all the windows.

In this article, we discussed how to allow group IPs exclusive access to a single NIC on a Windows Server 2022. We covered the following key concepts:

• Configuring NIC binding order
• Creating an access group
• Configuring Windows Firewall

References

• Windows Server 2022 - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/

• Configure NIC Teaming - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/nic-teaming/nic-teaming

• Create a Local Group - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/create-local-groups

• Configure Windows Defender Firewall - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threshold/windows-defender-firewall/configure