Install PowerShell for Exchange (Online) on a workstation

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Roland Eich

Roland Eich is an IT specialist for system integration and has been working in IT for over 10 years as a system administrator. His areas of expertise are Windows Server and IT infrastructures. Certifications: MCITP EA, MCSA and MCSE.

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Microsoft currently provides version 2 of the PowerShell module for Exchange Online. The installation there works as follows.

First, you must check the standard authentication for Windows Remote Management (WinRM) and, if necessary, configure it from a command prompt with administrative rights. To view the current settings, enter this command:

winrm get winrm/config/client/auth

Displaying current settings for WinRM authentication

By default, the value for Basic should already be true. If this is not the case, you can change it using this:

winrm set winrm/config/client/auth @{Basic="true"}

If this setting is not configured as described, the following error message will appear when you try to connect to Exchange Online:

"The WinRM client cannot process the request. Basic authentication is currently disabled in the client configuration. Change the client configuration and try the request again."

Installing the module for Exchange Online

To be able to execute scripts, if not already done, you have to loosen the execution policy:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Next, execute the following command from a PowerShell console with administrative privileges.

Install-Module PowershellGet -Force

After this step, close the PowerShell console and then open it again with elevated privileges. Next, I will install the module ExchangeOnlineManagement:

Install-Module -Name ExchangeOnlineManagement

Installing the ExchangeOnlineManagement PowerShell module

Now you use…

Connect-ExchangeOnline

…to connect to Office 365 in order to send commands.

Connecting to Exchange Online by using the Connect ExchangeOnline cmdlet

After you log on, the command will print a small table that shows which cmdlets have changed with the new module.

Installing Exchange Management Shell

On premises, the whole task is a bit more complex because PowerShell for Exchange is part of the management tools. These are on the Exchange installation media.

The first step is to enable some optional features:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-ManagementScriptingTools, IIS-ManagementScriptingTools, IIS-IIS6ManagementCompatibility, IIS-LegacySnapIn, IIS-ManagementConsole, IIS-Metabase, IIS-WebServerManagementTools, IIS-WebServerRole

Enabling optional features required by the Exchange management tools

In addition, you have to ensure that the correct version of the .NET Framework is installed. After that, you need to add the Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable before you can start the actual installation.

The Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable is another requirement for the management tools

Now you start the installation of the Exchange management tools with this command:

D:\setup /mode:install /role:managementtools /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

After executing the setup, you use either the local Exchange PowerShell or the snap-in to administer Exchange.

Setup adds an icon for the Exchange Management Shell to the Start menu

Update

From time to time, you must update both the module for Exchange Online and the management shell for a local Exchange. For Exchange Online, enter the following commands for this purpose:

Update-Module PowershellGet
Update-Module -Name ExchangeOnlineManagement

For Exchange on premises, current versions come via cumulative updates every quarter.