Using Windows PowerShell for AD FS 2.0

Article
07/02/2012

Applies To: Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0

Windows PowerShell is a Windows command-line shell and scripting language that you can use to automate many of the same tasks that you perform in the Windows graphical user interface (GUI). Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0 includes a Windows PowerShell extension module that provides cmdlets that can help you control system administration more easily and achieve greater productivity. Each cmdlet is a simple, single-function, command-line tool that you can use to perform tasks in command-line mode or through Windows script or batch files. These are tasks that you might otherwise perform by using the AD FS 2.0 console.

For more information about Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=147821).

Tasks that you can perform

The following table contains a list of the cmdlet objects (sorted by name) that AD FS 2.0 supports. The table provides details about the types of tasks that you can use Windows PowerShell to administer in a AD FS 2.0 installation.

ADFSAttributeStore

Use to work with attribute stores.

ADFSCertificate

Use to work with certificates for signing, decrypting, or securing communications.

ADFSCertSharingContainer

Use to work with managing certificates in a federation server farm.

ADFSClaimDescription

Use to work with claim descriptions.

ADFSClaimsProviderTrust

Use to work with claims provider trusts.

ADFSClaimRuleSet

Use to work with claim rule sets.

ADFSContactPerson

Use to work with contact person properties.

Note
This cmdlet is an auxiliary resource of the ADFSProperties cmdlet. It can be used to set a new contact person only within the context of that cmdlet.

ADFSEndpoint

Use to work with endpoints.

ADFSOrganization

Use to work with organizational settings.

Note

This cmdlet is an auxiliary resource of the ADFSProperties cmdlet. It can be used to set a new organization only within the context of that cmdlet.

ADFSProperties

Use to work with service properties.

ADFSProxyCertificate

Use to work with certificates that proxies use.

ADFSProxyProperties

Use to work with properties for proxies.

ADFSRelyingPartyTrust

Use to work with relying parties.

ADFSSamlEndpoint

Use to work with Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)-based endpoints.

ADFSSyncProperties

Use to work with database synchronization properties.

Using the cmdlets for AD FS 2.0

The Windows PowerShell for AD FS 2.0 snap-in is registered and available for use after you run AD FS 2.0 Setup. To confirm that Windows PowerShell cmdlets for AD FS 2.0 are ready, you can use the following procedure to verify that the AD FS 2.0 snap-in is registered with Windows PowerShell.

To verify that the AD FS 2.0 snap-in is registered with Windows PowerShell

At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Get-PSSnapin –Registered

If AD FS 2.0 Setup has been run previously, you should see the following command-line output:

Name        : Microsoft.Adfs.PowerShell
PSVersion   : 1.0
Description : This PowerShell snap-in contains cmdlets used to manage Microsoft Identity Server resources.

After you confirm that the snap-in is registered, you can use the following procedure to add the AD FS 2.0 snap-in to your current Windows PowerShell session to access its cmdlets or you can use it in any of your Windows PowerShell scripts.

To add the AD FS 2.0 snap-in to a Windows PowerShell session

At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
```
Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Adfs.PowerShell
```

After the AD FS 2.0 snap-in is added, you can get additional cmdlet Help by using the Windows PowerShell Get-Help cmdlet.

To get Help about the AD FS 2.0 cmdlets for Windows PowerShell

To view a list of all the AD FS 2.0 cmdlets, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
```
Get-Command *-ADFS*
```
For help about a specific AD FS 2.0 cmdlet, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
```
Get-Help *-ADFS<object_name>*
```
where <object_name> is the name of the cmdlet object that you want Help for. For example, to get Help about how to work with AD FS 2.0 properties, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
```
Get-Help *-ADFSProperties*
```