Install and Use Windows PowerShell Web Access

 

Applies To: Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows PowerShell® Web Access, first introduced in Windows Server® 2012, acts as a Windows PowerShell gateway, providing a web-based Windows PowerShell console that is targeted at a remote computer. It enables IT Pros to run Windows PowerShell commands and scripts from a Windows PowerShell console in a web browser, with no Windows PowerShell, remote management software, or browser plug-in installation necessary on the client device. All that is required to run the web-based Windows PowerShell console is a properly-configured Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway, and a client device browser that supports JavaScript® and accepts cookies.

Examples of client devices include laptops, non-work personal computers, borrowed computers, tablet computers, web kiosks, computers that are not running a Windows-based operating system, and cell phone browsers. IT Pros can perform critical management tasks on remote Windows-based servers from devices that have access to an Internet connection and a web browser.

After successful gateway setup and configuration, users can access a Windows PowerShell console by using a web browser. When users open the secured Windows PowerShell Web Access website, they can run a web-based Windows PowerShell console after successful authentication.

Windows PowerShell Web Access setup and configuration is a three-step process:

  1. Installing Windows PowerShell Web Access

  2. Configuring the gateway

  3. Configuring authorization rules that allow users access to the web-based Windows PowerShell console

Before you install and configure Windows PowerShell Web Access, we recommend that you read this entire guide, which includes instructions about how to install, secure, and uninstall Windows PowerShell Web Access. The Use the Web-based Windows PowerShell Console topic describes how users sign in to the web-based console, and covers limitations and differences between the web-based Windows PowerShell console and the powershell.exe console. End users of the web-based console should read Use the Web-based Windows PowerShell Console, but do not need to read the rest of this guide.

This topic does not provide in-depth Web Server (IIS) operations guidance; only those steps required to configure the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway are described in this topic. For more information about configuring and securing websites in IIS, see the IIS documentation resources in the See Also section.

The following diagram shows how Windows PowerShell Web Access works.

In this topic:

Requirements for running Windows PowerShell Web Access

Windows PowerShell Web Access requires Web Server (IIS), .NET Framework 4.5, and Windows PowerShell 3.0 or Windows PowerShell 4.0 to be running on the server on which you want to run the gateway. You can install Windows PowerShell Web Access on a server that is running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 by using either the Add Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager, or Windows PowerShell deployment cmdlets for Server Manager. When you install Windows PowerShell Web Access by using Server Manager or its deployment cmdlets, required roles and features are automatically added as part of the installation process.

Windows PowerShell Web Access allows remote users to access computers in your organization by using Windows PowerShell in a web browser. Although Windows PowerShell Web Access is a convenient and powerful management tool, the web-based access poses security risks, and should be configured as securely as possible. We recommend that administrators who configure the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway use available security layers, both the cmdlet-based authorization rules included with Windows PowerShell Web Access, and security layers that are available in Web Server (IIS) and third-party applications. This documentation includes both unsecure examples that are only recommended for test environments, as well as examples that are recommended for secure deployments.

Browser and client device support

Windows PowerShell Web Access supports the following Internet browsers. Although mobile browsers are not officially supported, many may be able to run the web-based Windows PowerShell console. Other browsers that accept cookies, run JavaScript, and run HTTPS websites are expected to work, but are not officially tested.

Supported desktop computer browsers

  • Windows® Internet Explorer® for Microsoft Windows® 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0

  • Mozilla Firefox® 10.0.2

  • Google Chrome™ 17.0.963.56m for Windows

  • Apple Safari® 5.1.2 for Windows

  • Apple Safari 5.1.2 for Mac OS®

Minimally-tested mobile devices or browsers

  • Windows Phone 7 and 7.5

  • Google Android WebKit 3.1 Browser Android 2.2.1 (Kernel 2.6)

  • Apple Safari for iPhone operating system 5.0.1

  • Apple Safari for iPad 2 operating system 5.0.1

Browser requirements

To use the Windows PowerShell Web Access web-based console, browsers must do the following.

  • Allow cookies from the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway website.

  • Be able to open and read HTTPS pages.

  • Open and run websites that use JavaScript.

You can install the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway on a server that is running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 by using either Windows PowerShell cmdlets, or by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard that is opened from within Server Manager. For quick installation and configuration, use Windows PowerShell cmdlets, as described in this section.

Step 1: Install Windows PowerShell Web Access

To install Windows PowerShell Web Access by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets

  1. Do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights.

    • On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.

    • On the Windows Start screen, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as Administrator.

    Note

    In Windows PowerShell 3.0 and 4.0, there is no need to import the Server Manager cmdlet module into the Windows PowerShell session before running cmdlets that are part of the module. A module is automatically imported the first time you run a cmdlet that is part of the module. Also, Windows PowerShell cmdlets are not case-sensitive.

  2. Type the following, and then press Enter, where computer_name represents a remote computer on which you want to install Windows PowerShell Web Access, if applicable. The Restart parameter automatically restarts destination servers if required.

    Install-WindowsFeature –Name WindowsPowerShellWebAccess -ComputerName <computer_name> -IncludeManagementTools -Restart
    

    Note

    Installing Windows PowerShell Web Access by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets does not add Web Server (IIS) management tools by default. If you want to install the management tools on the same server as the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway, add the IncludeManagementTools parameter to the installation command (as provided in this step). If you are managing the Windows PowerShell Web Access website from a remote computer, install the IIS Manager snap-in by installing Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.1 or Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8 on the computer from which you want to manage the gateway.

    To install roles and features on an offline VHD, you must add both the ComputerName parameter and the VHD parameter. The ComputerName parameter contains the name of the server on which to mount the VHD, and the VHD parameter contains the path to the VHD file on the specified server.

    Install-WindowsFeature –Name WindowsPowerShellWebAccess –VHD <path> -ComputerName <computer_name> -IncludeManagementTools -Restart
    
  3. When installation is complete, verify that Windows PowerShell Web Access was installed on destination servers by running the Get-WindowsFeature cmdlet on a destination server, in a Windows PowerShell console that has been opened with elevated user rights. You can also verify that Windows PowerShell Web Access was installed in the Server Manager console, by selecting a destination server on the All Servers page, and then viewing the Roles and Features tile for the selected server. You can also view the readme file for Windows PowerShell Web Access.

  4. After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed, you are prompted to review the readme file, which contains basic, required setup instructions for the gateway. These setup instructions are also in the following section, Step 2: Configure the gateway. The path to the readme file is C:\Windows\Web\PowerShellWebAccess\wwwroot\README.txt.

Step 2: Configure the gateway

The Install-PswaWebApplication cmdlet is a quick way to get Windows PowerShell Web Access configured. Although you can add the UseTestCertificate parameter to the Install-PswaWebApplication cmdlet to install a self-signed SSL certificate for test purposes, this is not secure; for a secure production environment, always use a valid SSL certificate that has been signed by a certification authority (CA). Administrators can replace the test certificate with a signed certificate of their choice by using the IIS Manager console.

You can complete Windows PowerShell Web Access web application configuration either by running the Install-PswaWebApplication cmdlet or by performing GUI-based configuration steps in IIS Manager. By default, the cmdlet installs the web application, pswa (and an application pool for it, pswa_pool), in the Default Web Site container, as shown in IIS Manager; if desired, you can instruct the cmdlet to change the default site container of the web application. IIS Manager offers configuration options that are available for web applications, such as changing the port number or the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.

Security Note

We strongly recommend that administrators configure the gateway to use a valid certificate that has been signed by a CA.

To configure the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway with a test certificate by using Install-PswaWebApplication

  1. Do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session.

    • On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar.

    • On the Windows Start screen, click Windows PowerShell.

  2. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Install-PswaWebApplication -UseTestCertificate

    Security Note

    The UseTestCertificate parameter should only be used in a private test environment. For a secure production environment, we recommend using a valid certificate that has been signed by a CA.

    Running the cmdlet installs the Windows PowerShell Web Access web application within the IIS Default Web Site container. The cmdlet creates the infrastructure required to run Windows PowerShell Web Access on the default website, https://<server_name>/pswa. To install the web application in a different website, provide the website name by adding the WebSiteName parameter. To change the name of the web application (the default is pswa), add the WebApplicationName parameter.

    The following settings are configured by running the cmdlet. You can change these manually in the IIS Manager console, if desired.

    • Path: /pswa

    • ApplicationPool: pswa_pool

    • EnabledProtocols: http

    • PhysicalPath: %windir%/Web/PowerShellWebAccess/wwwroot

    Example: Install-PswaWebApplication –webApplicationName myWebApp –useTestCertificate

    In this example, the resulting website for Windows PowerShell Web Access is https://< server_name>/myWebApp.

    Note

    You cannot sign in until users have been granted access to the website by adding authorization rules. For more information, see Step 3: Configure a restrictive authorization rule and Authorization Rules and Security Features of Windows PowerShell Web Access.

To configure the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway with a genuine certificate by using Install-PswaWebApplication and IIS Manager

  1. Do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session.

    • On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar.

    • On the Windows Start screen, click Windows PowerShell.

  2. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Install-PswaWebApplication

    The following gateway settings are configured by running the cmdlet. You can change these manually in the IIS Manager console, if desired. You can also specify values for the WebsiteName and WebApplicationName parameters of the Install-PswaWebApplication cmdlet.

    • Path: /pswa

    • ApplicationPool: pswa_pool

    • EnabledProtocols: http

    • PhysicalPath: %windir%/Web/PowerShellWebAccess/wwwroot

  3. Open the IIS Manager console by doing one of the following.

    • On the Windows desktop, start Server Manager by clicking Server Manager in the Windows taskbar. On the Tools menu in Server Manager, click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • On the Windows Start screen, click Server Manager.

  4. In the IIS Manager tree pane, expand the node for the server on which Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed until the Sites folder is visible. Expand the Sites folder.

  5. Select the website in which you have installed the Windows PowerShell Web Access web application. In the Actions pane, click Bindings.

  6. In the Site Binding dialog box, click Add.

  7. In the Add Site Binding dialog box, in the Type field, select https.

  8. In the SSL certificate field, select your signed certificate from the drop-down menu. Click OK. See To configure an SSL certificate in IIS Manager in this topic for more information about how to obtain a certificate.

    The Windows PowerShell Web Access web application is now configured to use your signed SSL certificate. You can access Windows PowerShell Web Access by opening https://<server_name>/pswa in a browser window.

    Note

    You cannot sign in until users have been granted access to the website by adding authorization rules. For more information, see Step 3: Configure a restrictive authorization rule and Authorization Rules and Security Features of Windows PowerShell Web Access.

Step 3: Configure a restrictive authorization rule

After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed and the gateway is configured, users can open the sign-in page in a browser, but they cannot sign in until the Windows PowerShell Web Access administrator grants users access explicitly. Windows PowerShell Web Access access control is managed by using the set of Windows PowerShell cmdlets described in the following table. There is no comparable GUI for adding or managing authorization rules. For more detailed information about Windows PowerShell Web Access cmdlets, see the cmdlet reference topics, Windows PowerShell Web Access Cmdlets.

For more detail about Windows PowerShell Web Access authorization rules and security, see Authorization Rules and Security Features of Windows PowerShell Web Access.

To add a restrictive authorization rule

  1. Do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights.

    • On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.

    • On the Windows Start screen, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as Administrator.

  2. Optional step for restricting user access by using session configurations: Verify that session configurations that you want to use in your rules already exist. If they have not yet been created, use instructions for creating session configurations in about_Session_Configuration_Files on MSDN.

  3. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName <domain\user | computer\user> -ComputerName <computer_name> -ConfigurationName <session_configuration_name>
    

    This authorization rule allows a specific user access to one computer on the network to which they typically have access, with access to a specific session configuration that is scoped to the user’s typical scripting and cmdlet needs. In the following example, a user named JSmith in the Contoso domain is granted access to manage the computer Contoso_214, and use a session configuration named NewAdminsOnly.

    Add-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName Contoso\JSmith -ComputerName Contoso_214 -ConfigurationName NewAdminsOnly
    
  4. Verify that the rule has been created by running either the Get-PswaAuthorizationRule cmdlet, or Test-PswaAuthorizationRule -UserName <domain\user | computer\user> -ComputerName <computer_name>. For example, Test-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName Contoso\JSmith –ComputerName Contoso_214.

After you have configured an authorization rule, you are ready for authorized users to sign in to the web-based console and begin using Windows PowerShell Web Access.

Custom deployment

You can install the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway on a server that is running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager. After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed, you can customize the configuration of the gateway in IIS Manager.

Step 1: Install Windows PowerShell Web Access

To install Windows PowerShell Web Access by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard

  1. If Server Manager is already open, go on to the next step. If Server Manager is not already open, open it by doing one of the following.

    • On the Windows desktop, start Server Manager by clicking Server Manager in the Windows taskbar.

    • On the Windows Start screen, click Server Manager.

  2. On the Manage menu, click Add Roles and Features.

  3. On the Select installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation. Click Next.

  4. On the Select destination server page, select a server from the server pool, or select an offline VHD. To select an offline VHD as your destination server, first select the server on which to mount the VHD, and then select the VHD file. For information about how to add servers to your server pool, see the Server Manager Help. After you have selected the destination server, click Next.

  5. On the Select features page of the wizard, expand Windows PowerShell, and then select Windows PowerShell Web Access.

  6. Note that you are prompted to add required features, such as .NET Framework 4.5, and role services of Web Server (IIS). Add required features and continue.

    Note

    Installing Windows PowerShell Web Access by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard also installs Web Server (IIS), including the IIS Manager snap-in. The snap-in and other IIS management tools are installed by default if you use Add Roles and Features Wizard. If you install Windows PowerShell Web Access by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets as described in the following procedure, management tools are not added by default.

  7. On the Confirm installation selections page, if the feature files for Windows PowerShell Web Access are not stored on the destination server that you selected in step 4, click Specify an alternate source path, and provide the path to the feature files. Otherwise, click Install.

  8. After you click Install, the Installation progress page displays installation progress, results, and messages such as warnings, failures, or post-installation configuration steps that are required for Windows PowerShell Web Access. After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed, you are prompted to review the readme file, which contains basic, required setup instructions for the gateway. These instructions are also included in this topic. The path to the readme file is C:\Windows\Web\PowerShellWebAccess\wwwroot\README.txt.

Step 2: Configure the gateway

Instructions in this section are for installing the Windows PowerShell Web Access web application in a subdirectory—and not in the root directory—of your website. This procedure is the GUI-based equivalent of the actions performed by the Install-PswaWebApplication cmdlet. This section also includes instructions for how to use IIS Manager to configure the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway as a root website.

To use IIS Manager to configure the gateway in an existing website

  1. Open the IIS Manager console by doing one of the following.

    • On the Windows desktop, start Server Manager by clicking Server Manager in the Windows taskbar. On the Tools menu in Server Manager, click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • On the Windows Start screen, type any part of the name Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Click the shortcut when it is displayed in the Apps results.

  2. Create a new application pool for Windows PowerShell Web Access. Expand the node of the gateway server in the IIS Manager tree pane, select Application Pools, and click Add Application Pool in the Actions pane.

  3. Add a new application pool with the name pswa_pool, or provide another name. Click OK.

  4. In the IIS Manager tree pane, expand the node for the server on which Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed until the Sites folder is visible. Select the Sites folder.

  5. Right-click the website (for example, Default Web Site) to which you would like to add the Windows PowerShell Web Access website, and then click Add Application.

  6. In the Alias field, type pswa, or provide another alias. The alias becomes the virtual directory name. For example, pswa in the following URL represents the alias specified in this step: https://<server_name>/pswa.

  7. In the Application pool field, select the application pool that you created in step 3.

  8. In the Physical path field, browse for the location of the application. You can use the default location, %windir%/Web/PowerShellWebAccess/wwwroot. Click OK.

  9. Follow the steps in the procedure To configure an SSL certificate in IIS Manager in this topic.

  10. Optional security step: With the website selected in the tree pane, double-click SSL Settings in the content pane. Select Require SSL, and then in the Actions pane, click Apply. Optionally, in the SSL Settings pane, you can require that users connecting to the Windows PowerShell Web Access website have client certificates. Client certificates help to verify the identity of a client device user. For more information about how requiring client certificates can increase the security of Windows PowerShell Web Access, see Authorization Rules and Security Features of Windows PowerShell Web Access in this guide.

  11. Open a browser session on a client device. For more information about supported browsers and devices, see Browser and client device support in this topic.

  12. Open the new Windows PowerShell Web Access website, https://< gateway_server_name>/pswa.

    The browser should display the Windows PowerShell Web Access console sign-in page.

    Note

    You cannot sign in until users have been granted access to the website by adding authorization rules.

  13. In a Windows PowerShell session that has been opened with elevated user rights (Run as Administrator), run the following script, in which application_pool_name represents the name of the application pool that you created in step 3, to give the application pool access rights to the authorization file.

    $applicationPoolName = "<application_pool_name>"
    $authorizationFile = "C:\windows\web\powershellwebaccess\data\AuthorizationRules.xml"
    c:\windows\system32\icacls.exe $authorizationFile /grant ('"' + "IIS AppPool\$applicationPoolName" + '":R') > $null
    

    To view existing access rights on the authorization file, run the following command:

    c:\windows\system32\icacls.exe $authorizationFile
    

To use IIS Manager to configure the gateway as a root website with a test certificate

  1. Open the IIS Manager console by doing one of the following.

    • On the Windows desktop, start Server Manager by clicking Server Manager in the Windows taskbar. On the Tools menu in Server Manager, click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • On the Windows Start screen, type any part of the name Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Click the shortcut when it is displayed in the Apps results.

  2. In the IIS Manager tree pane, expand the node for the server on which Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed until the Sites folder is visible. Select the Sites folder.

  3. In the Actions pane, click Add Website.

  4. Type a name for the website, such as Windows PowerShell Web Access.

  5. An application pool is automatically created for the new website. To use a different application pool, click Select to select an application pool to associate with the new website. Select the alternate application pool in the Select Application Pool dialog box, and then click OK.

  6. In the Physical path text box, navigate to %windir%/Web/PowerShellWebAccess/wwwroot.

  7. In the Type field of the Binding area, select https.

  8. Assign a port number to the website that is not already in use by another site or application. To locate open ports, you can run the netstat command in a Command Prompt window. The default port number is 443.

    Change the default port if another website is already using 443, or if you have other security reasons for changing the port number. If another website that is running on your gateway server is using your selected port, a warning is displayed when you click OK in the Add Website dialog box. You must use an unused port to run Windows PowerShell Web Access.

  9. Optionally, if needed for your organization, specify a host name that makes sense to your organization and users, such as www.contoso.com. Click OK.

  10. For a more secure production environment, we strongly recommend providing a valid certificate that has been signed by a CA. You must provide an SSL certificate, because users can only connect to Windows PowerShell Web Access through an HTTPS website. See To configure an SSL certificate in IIS Manager in this topic for more information about how to obtain a certificate.

  11. Click OK to close the Add Website dialog box.

  12. In a Windows PowerShell session that has been opened with elevated user rights (Run as Administrator), run the following script, in which application_pool_name represents the name of the application pool that you created in step 4, to give the application pool access rights to the authorization file.

    $applicationPoolName = "<application_pool_name>"
    $authorizationFile = "C:\windows\web\powershellwebaccess\data\AuthorizationRules.xml"
    c:\windows\system32\icacls.exe $authorizationFile /grant ('"' + "IIS AppPool\$applicationPoolName" + '":R') > $null
    

    To view existing access rights on the authorization file, run the following command:

    c:\windows\system32\icacls.exe $authorizationFile
    
  13. With the new website selected in the IIS Manager tree pane, click Start in the Actions pane to start the website.

  14. Open a browser session on a client device. For more information about supported browsers and devices, see Browser and client device support in this document.

  15. Open the new Windows PowerShell Web Access website.

    Because the root website points to the Windows PowerShell Web Access folder, the browser should display the Windows PowerShell Web Access sign-in page when you open https://< gateway_server_name>. You should not need to add /pswa to the URL.

    Note

    You cannot sign in until users have been granted access to the website by adding authorization rules.

Step 3: Configure a restrictive authorization rule

After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed and the gateway is configured, users can open the sign-in page in a browser, but they cannot sign in until the Windows PowerShell Web Access administrator grants users access explicitly. Windows PowerShell Web Access access control is managed by using the set of Windows PowerShell cmdlets described in the following table. There is no comparable GUI for adding or managing authorization rules. For more detailed information about Windows PowerShell Web Access cmdlets, see the cmdlet reference topics, Windows PowerShell Web Access Cmdlets.

For more detail about Windows PowerShell Web Access authorization rules and security, see Authorization Rules and Security Features of Windows PowerShell Web Access.

To add a restrictive authorization rule

  1. Do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights.

    • On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.

    • On the Windows Start screen, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as Administrator.

  2. Optional step for restricting user access by using session configurations: Verify that session configurations that you want to use in your rules already exist. If they have not yet been created, use instructions for creating session configurations in about_Session_Configuration_Files on MSDN.

  3. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName <domain\user | computer\user> -ComputerName <computer_name> -ConfigurationName <session_configuration_name>
    

    This authorization rule allows a specific user access to one computer on the network to which they typically have access, with access to a specific session configuration that is scoped to the user’s typical scripting and cmdlet needs. In the following example, a user named JSmith in the Contoso domain is granted access to manage the computer Contoso_214, and use a session configuration named NewAdminsOnly.

    Add-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName Contoso\JSmith -ComputerName Contoso_214 -ConfigurationName NewAdminsOnly
    
  4. Verify that the rule has been created by running either the Get-PswaAuthorizationRule cmdlet, or Test-PswaAuthorizationRule -UserName <domain\user | computer\user> -ComputerName <computer_name>. For example, Test-PswaAuthorizationRule –UserName Contoso\JSmith –ComputerName Contoso_214.

After you have configured an authorization rule, you are ready for authorized users to sign in to the web-based console and begin using Windows PowerShell Web Access.

Configure a genuine certificate

For a secure production environment, always use a valid SSL certificate that has been signed by a certification authority (CA). The procedure in this section describes how to obtain and apply a valid SSL certificate from a CA.

To configure an SSL certificate in IIS Manager

  1. In the IIS Manager tree pane, select the server on which Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed.

  2. In the content pane, double click Server Certificates.

  3. In the Actions pane, do one of the following. For more information about configuring server certificates in IIS, see Configuring Server Certificates in IIS 7.

    • Click Import to import an existing, valid certificate from a location on your network.

    • Click Create Certificate Request to request a certificate from a CA such as VeriSign™, Thawte, or GeoTrust®. The certificate's common name must match the host header in the request. For example, if the client browser requests https://www.contoso.com/, then the common name must also be https://www.contoso.com/. This is the most secure and recommended option for providing the Windows PowerShell Web Access gateway with a certificate.

    • Click Create a Self-Signed Certificate to create a certificate that you can use immediately, and have signed later by a CA if desired. Specify a friendly name for the self-signed certificate, such as Windows PowerShell Web Access. This option is not considered secure, and is recommended only for a private test environment.

  4. After creating or obtaining a certificate, select the website to which the certificate is applied (for example, Default Web Site) in the IIS Manager tree pane, and then click Bindings in the Actions pane.

  5. In the Add Site Binding dialog box, add an https binding for the site, if one is not already displayed. If you are not using a self-signed certificate, specify the host name from step 3 of this procedure. If you are using a self-signed certificate, this step is not required.

  6. Select the certificate that you obtained or created in step 3 of this procedure, and then click OK.

Using the web-based Windows PowerShell console

After Windows PowerShell Web Access is installed and the gateway configuration is finished as described in this topic, the Windows PowerShell web-based console is ready to use. For more information about getting started in the web-based console, see Use the Web-based Windows PowerShell Console.

See Also

Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 Documentation IIS Manager 7.0 Help Configure Web Server Security (IIS 7) IPsec Deployment Resources