Getting started with the Exchange Management Shell (EMS)

Getting started with the Exchange Management Shell (EMS)

In today’s video we introduce you to the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).

 The Exchange Management Shell (EMS) was designed to make things easier by the use of simple commands to perform powerful administrative tasks.  A part of PowerShell, commands are put together with a verb-noun pairing called Cmdlets to create intuitive commands such as Get-Mailbox or Move-Mailbox.  The concept of Exchange Management Shell Commands is simple with only 26 verbs that are relevant to Exchange.  Combining with various nouns however, creates hundreds of different Cmdlets that can be used to manage Exchange. There are also ways to help you remember the Cmdlet you are looking for.

When the Exchange Management Shell is launched, a welcome screen and some basic commands and instructions are displayed together with the tip of the Day. When you want to see the full list of Exchange Management Shell Commands typing “Get-ExCommand” will display commands that are relevant to Exchange. Typing in “Get-Command” will show a full list of all commands. For assistance with any Cmdlet, just type “help” followed by the Cmdlet name. If the verb to use is known, simply type the verb and then hit the tab key to scroll through the various options alphabetically until the desired command is reached.

In the final analysis, while most tasks can be performed via the GUI, there are times when the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) is the only way to perform certain tasks. As such, administrators will do well to get acquainted with it.