Setup Windows Azure PowerShell Management

How do I set up Windows Azure PowerShell management?

If you need to manage servers in Windows Azure, the web management portal provides most of the functionality you will need, but it will probably soon become clear that it would be convenient to automate certain operations. In this Ask the Admin, I’ll show you how to set up PowerShell management from your local computer to your Azure account.

Download PowerShell Cmdlets for Windows Azure

Before you can begin using PowerShell to manage Windows Azure, you’ll need to install the Azure management cmdlets on your local machine. The cmdlets can be downloaded for free. Scroll down to the bottom of the web page and you’ll see a link to the latest Windows Azure PowerShell installer.

• Run the downloaded installer on your local computer. You’ll need to supply administrative credentials if you are not already logged in with an administrator account.
• After a few seconds, the Web Platform Installer will start. Click Install to start the process.
• In the new pop-up window under Prerequisites, click Direct Download Link to the right of Windows Azure PowerShell. The link will then open in a web browser, where you can save the Azure PowerShell installer separately to avoid installing all of the tools that are part of Web Platform Installer.

While you can choose to install only the Azure PowerShell cmdlets directly using the Web Platform Installer, several other components deemed dependent will also be installed. They shouldn’t be needed if you are using the cmdlets only to manage a remote Azure subscription.

• In the Web Platform Installer window, click I Decline to cancel installing the tools, and then click Exit in the main window.
• Now run the PowerShell .msi you just downloaded, accept the terms and conditions and click Install.
• Click Finish once the installer has completed.

Setup a Secure Connection to Windows Azure

To use the new PowerShell cmdlets you just installed on your computer, you will need to import a certificate to create a secure connection to Windows Azure.

• Switch to the Start screen, type powershell and press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to start the console with administrative permissions.
• In the PowerShell console, type Get-AzurePublishSettingsFile. A web browser window will open. Sign in to your Azure account.
• A settings file will be generated (this can take a few minutes) and then the browser will present it for download. Save the settings file to your local hard disk.
• Back in the PowerShell console, type the following, replacing the path shown here with the full path to the settings file you saved in the previous step: Import-AzurePublishSettingsfile –PublishSettingsFile “c:\temp\your-filename.publishsettings”

Now your computer is ready to connect to an Azure subscription using PowerShell.