Office 365 Tutorials

The Exchange Team has announced the general availability of the Exchange Online PowerShell Module in Azure Cloud Shell.

Azure Cloud Shell is a web-based version of PowerShell that can be launched from within any web browser by navigating to shell.azure.com, or, clicking the PowerShell icon in the Azure portal (portal.azure.com).

In this article, we will explore how to initially configure Azure Cloud Shell, cover the basics of the interface, connect to Exchange Online, and perform some basic Cloud Shell tasks, such as managing files and running some Exchange cmdlets.

Let’s get started!

Running the Azure Cloud Shell for the first time

To get started with Azure Cloud Shell you can either navigate to shell.azure.com or, click the PowerShell icon in the Azure Portal. The icon is at the top of the screen, to the right of the search box (pictured in the screenshot below)

The first time you open Cloud Shell you will be asked if you want to connect to PowerShell or Bash. Click PowerShell.

You will then be prompted to create storage for use with Cloud Shell. You will be given a drop down of all your available Azure subscriptions. Pick an Azure subscription with active credit and click Create Storage.

One of the best-kept secrets in the hybrid configuration wizard (“HCW”)
 is the F12 easter-egg. Jeff Kizner demonstrated this feature during his Ignite session back in September.

Tip: For a break down of Jeff’s session, with notes and timers, I highly recommend checking out 15 Ignite sessions every Exchange admin should see.

If you press F12 this enables a new section called Diagnostic Tools. This section provides shortcuts to the following tools or folders.

• Open Exchange Management Shell opens a remote PowerShell session to your on-premises Exchange servers.
• Open Exchange Online PowerShell opens a PowerShell connection to Exchange Online. This supports MFA-enabled admin accounts.
• Open Log File opens the active HCW log file in Notepad. The logs are stored in the profile of the user running the HCW. For example, C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Exchange Hybrid Configuration
• Create Support Package will combine your HCW log files into a single ZIP file which can easily be sent to Microsoft support. This link actually opens a second screen where you can specify to ZIP logs from the last 24 hours, or, between a certain date range. You then have the option to copy the file to the clipboard so it can be easily attached to an email.
• Open Logging Folder opens the folder location of the HCW logs. 
  The HCW logs are stored in the profile of the user running the HCW. For example, C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Exchange Hybrid Configuration
• Open Process Folder opens a Command Prompt to the HCW process directory.

Pressing F12 a second time will hide these tools.

What do you think about this easter-egg? Have you run into any cool easter-eggs in other Microsoft products? Drop a comment below or join the conversation on Twitter