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O365 and Powershell Part I (Getting Started)

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Friend of mine asked me if I could present at a local users group he is trying to get off the ground in the local DC area for Office 365.  My specialty at the moment is PowerShell so I attack from that angle.  I started putting together my session and found plenty of resources but nothing that seem to fit my intent, which is to manage O365 from PowerShell, not consolidated in one place.  I found that merely connecting and working with O365 in PowerShell in and of itself could be challenging so I decided to put my thoughts in a blog for future reference.

What do I need to get started?

-        Windows 7, 8, 8.1

-        .NET Framework 3.5.1 feature enabled with latest service packs

-        Microsoft Online Services Sign-In assistant

-        Windows Active Directory (Azure AD) modules for the appropriate OS

-        SharePoint Online Management Shell

-        PowerShell Module for Lync Online

Really Remote Remoting

The first thing I learned about managing O365 was PowerShell Remoting is the first thing I had to get comfortable with.  PowerShell remoting or Windows Remote Management (WinRM) has been around since PowerShell 2.0 and allows the ability to remotely administer servers.  This concept is the foundation for working with Azure and O365.  Some great resources on this topic can be found at the following:

-        Scripting Guy:  https://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2012/07/23/an-introduction-to-powershell-remoting-part-one.aspx

-        PowerShell.Org:  https://powershell.org/wp/2012/08/06/ebook-secrets-of-powershell-remoting/  

So in the process of getting my machine setup I found a few common stumbles and they were all around remoting. 

# 1 Internal Firewall or WinRm not started

 

In my case the firewall was enabled. 

#2 Bad Username or Password

 

This was just a fat finger of the password and username on my part, but could happen to anyone.  

References

Microsoft Online Services Sign-In assistant: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39267

Install the Windows Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) module for the appropriate version of your operating system: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj151815.aspx#bkmk_installmodule

SharePoint online management Shell https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35588

PowerShell Module for Lync Online:  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39366

Manage Azure AD using Windows PowerShell:  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj151815.aspx 

Exchange Online cmdlets: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200780(v=exchg.150).aspx

Index of Windows PowerShell for SharePoint Online cmdlets: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/fp161364(v=office.14).aspx

Windows PowerShell cmdlets for Office 365 management and deployment: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh974317.aspx