The setspn CMD command is a Windows command line utility that allows users to manage the Service Principal Names (SPN) associated with an Active Directory service account. It is used to register, unregister, and list the SPNs associated with a service account. The setspn command is part of the Windows Server operating system and is available on all versions of Windows Server from Windows Server 2003 onwards.
What is an SPN?
A Service Principal Name (SPN) is a unique identifier for a service running on a server. It is used by the Kerberos authentication protocol to identify the service when a client wants to connect to it. The SPN is made up of two parts: the service class and the service name. The service class is the type of service being offered, such as HTTP or FTP. The service name is the name of the server that is hosting the service.
Why is the setspn CMD Command Used?
The setspn CMD command is used to manage the SPNs associated with an Active Directory service account. It is used to register, unregister, and list the SPNs associated with a service account. By managing the SPNs associated with a service account, administrators can ensure that the correct SPN is associated with the service account when clients attempt to connect to the service.
How to Use the setspn CMD Command
The setspn CMD command has several options that can be used to manage the SPNs associated with a service account. The syntax for the setspn command is as follows:
setspn [options] [service_account]
The following table lists the available options for the setspn command:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -A | Adds an SPN to the service account. |
| -D | Deletes an SPN from the service account. |
| -L | Lists the SPNs associated with the service account. |
| -R | Replaces an existing SPN with a new one. |
The following example shows how to use the setspn command to add an SPN to a service account:
setspn -A HTTP/example.com contoso\svc_account
In this example, the setspn command is used to add an SPN for the HTTP service on the example.com domain to the contoso\svc_account service account.
Conclusion
The setspn CMD command is a Windows command line utility that allows users to manage the Service Principal Names (SPNs) associated with an Active Directory service account. It is used to register, unregister, and list the SPNs associated with a service account. The setspn command has several options that can be used to manage the SPNs associated with a service account. By managing the SPNs associated with a service account, administrators can ensure that the correct SPN is associated with the service account when clients attempt to connect to the service.