How to connect to Microsoft Azure using PowerShell
Install the following components on your system to connect to your Microsoft Azure subscription using PowerShell:
Microsoft Online Service Sign-in Assistant for IT Professionals RTW
Select the appropriate version of your OS
Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell (64-bit version)
The 32-bit version is discontinued by October 20, 2014.
You must be a tenant administrator (i.e. company administrator, global administrator) to successfully establish a connection to your Azure subscription using PowerShell. Read here how to assign admin roles in Azure AD.
You're now ready to connect to your Azure subscription using PowerShell!
- To do so, run the Microsoft Azure PowerShell console as administrator
- Enter the following PowerShell command:
Add-AzureAccount
- You are prompted to enter your Azure credentials:
- If you have a work or school account, you can bypass the pop up windows using this command:
$cred = Get-Credential Add-AzureAccount -Credential $cred
- When connecting the first time to your Azure subscription using PowerShell you need to download, save and import your Publishing Settinge Profile.
Get-AzurePublishSettingsFile
- Sign in to your Azure Management Portal
- When prompted, download and save the publishing profile (depending on your client settings the download may start automatically)
- Import the previously downloaded publishing profile
Import-AzurePublishSettingsFile "C:\Path\To\Your\AzurePublishingSettings-credentials.publishsettings"
You're all set. Start managing your Microsoft Azure subscription using this great overview of the Azure AD cmdlets.
How to delete Affinity Groups in Microsoft Azure
An affinity group can be used to ensure that resources within the same affinity group are physically hosted by servers that are close together. But since the scope of network management has changed to regions, affinity groups are no longer recommended or required to create virtual networks. Furthermore Microsoft does not recommend the use of affinity groups in general.
How to delete an existing Affinity Group:
- Sing in to your Microsoft Azure Portal
- In the left navigation pane select Settings
- Click on Affinity Groups in the top navigation bar
- Click on the name of the Affinity Group and hit the Delete button
Or using PowerShell (see How to connect to Microsoft Azure using PowerShell):
Remove-AzureAffinityGroup -Name "NameOfYourAffinintyGroup"
Before you can delete an Affinity group you have to delete associations with other services as, for example, the storage service.