When DirectAccess released, one of the advertised benefits was that it does not need a client installation and configuration, as opposed to most other remote-access solutions. Indeed, the software that establishes the DirectAccess connection is built into Windows in the form of Group Policy (for transferring the settings to the client) and the Windows Firewall (to establish the tunneled connection). However, some of the advanced options do require the user to install an additional client component – the DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant (DCA). The DCA is required for scenarios that use One-Time Password (OTP), but even for other deployments it could be quite beneficial. The reasons are as follows:
It provides a visible confirmation to the user that his/her connection is working correctly (or that it isn't)
It allows the user to select his/her entry point, if
multisite
has been enabled, and if the administrator has chosen to allow clients to select a siteIt...