Microsoft is updating the Microsoft Online Services Transporter Tools (aka Microsoft Online Services Migration Tools), adding commandlets to allow Administrators to manage password expiration for user accounts, permissions for Exchange Online mailboxes, and server-side forwarding rules for Exchange Online.

The following commandlets are included as part of this update:

• Set-MSOnlineUserPasswordNeverExpire. This commandlet allows Administrators to set user account passwords to never expire. While Microsoft does not recommend non-expiring passwords due to security best practices, non-expiring passwords are often needed for service accounts that support line of business applications, unmonitored mailboxes, and mail-enabled hardware.

Administrators setting non-expiring passwords for user accounts in their organization will need to be aware of actions required when the organization transitions from BPOS-Standard to Office 365. Required steps for organizations with non-expiring passwords can be found in an earlier post to this blog on the topic.

• Add-MSOnlineMailPermission. With this commandlet, Administrators can establish alternate permissions for an Exchange Online mailbox, such as granting full access to a delegate or granting send-as and send-on-behalf permissions to a delegate.

• Set-MSOnlineAlternateRecipient. This commandlet allows Administrators to set server-side rules to forward Exchange Online messages to an alternative e-mail address, including forwarding to a distribution list (DL).

The updated Transporter Tool supporting these PowerShell commandlets are now available via the Microsoft Download Center.