BitLocker Deployment with Active Directory - How to Start Automatic Encryption

Description:

You deployed BitLocker using Active Directory only. You have setup the necessary Group Policy, run manual BitLocker Encryption and can see the recovery password is being store at Active Directory.

Now you are wondering how it could start auto encryption without user interaction.

Resolution:

From https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/33771/We-have-bitlocker-so-we-need-MBAM-too.html we can see that we can create a task scheduler on the machine and run it with System credential.

Detail:

Task name: BL (name it as you want, but please don’t forget to change the name in the last script line)

Triggers: at logon of any user

Executing account: system

Action: powershell.exe with the argument \\server\share\BL.ps1

The script:

$pin=(Get-Random -Minimum 0 -Maximum 999999).ToString('000000')
echo "$pin" | out-file \\server\pins\$env:computername.txt -Append
$SecureString = ConvertTo-SecureString "$pin" -AsPlainText -Force
Add-BitlockerKeyProtector -MountPoint "C:" -Pin $SecureString -TPMandPinProtector
manage-bde -on c: -s -used -rp
msg * /time:0 Your hard drive is being encrypted. To start your PC, you need your Bitlocker-PIN, which is $pin
schtasks /delete /tn BL /f

BitLocker with MBAM Failed to Encrypt because Access Denied by Remote Endpoint

Description:

You have configure MBAM Application server, MBAM Database server and set GPO for Drive Encryption to run automatically with minimal user interaction. However when you test it, it shows error "failed to encrypt".

When you look at the event viewer in the client machine, it said "Unable to connect to the MBAM Recovery and Hardware Service". It also give Error Code: -2143485947 and more detail "Access was denied by the remote endpoint".

Resolution:

Make sure the account for MBAM web application pool has the correct SPN.

You can use the following command to set the SPN for FQDN and NETBIOS.

Setspn -s http/mbamvirtual contoso\mbamapppooluser

Setspn -s http/mbamvirtual.contoso.com contoso\mbamapppooluser

Error when Encrypting Drive in BitLocker with MBAM

Description:

You have configure MBAM Application server, MBAM Database server and set GPO for Drive Encryption to run automatically with minimal user interaction. However when you test it, it shows error "failed to encrypt".

When you look at the event viewer in the client machine, it said "an error occurred while applying MBAM policies" And it also give error code -2147217402.

Resolution:

Please update the MBAM client on that machine to the latest servicing update. At the moment it can be downloaded from Download Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack October 2020 Servicing Release from Official Microsoft Download Center. After restart you will see the encryption process is running successfully.