Forgive my n00b question but how do I use the KMS key to activate windows 7?
I'm running windows 2003 standard on my domain.
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Forgive my n00b question but how do I use the KMS key to activate windows 7?
I'm running windows 2003 standard on my domain.
open cmd.
Type slmgr for the list of commands you can perform.
Just opening mine and i will type the commands needed to install and activate a KMS key with DNS advertising enabled.
Si
edit: jsut read Server 2003, will find you a link to install.
KMS Service V1.2 (Windows 7, Server 2008 etc...)
An update is available that installs Key Management Service (KMS) 1.2 for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and for later versions of Windows Server 2003
Install this then launch CMD.
Type slmgr for a list of commands.
slmgr -ipk PRODUCTKEYGOESHERE (Use the KMS key from MVLS)
slmgr -ato (Activates the KMS key)
slmgr -sdns (Enable DNS publishing of a _SRV record for the KMS)
slmgr -dli (display license information)
When you install the clients for Windows7, Windows Vista, Server08, do not type any product keys into the image. The default key that is on the disk will auth with the KMS.
KMS keys are for the service
MAK keys are manual activations
Key pre-installed on the MVLS disc will automatically work.
KMS will not work until 25 (i think) clients auth with it. The message when you click "Activate windows now" will say "You have not reached the required amount of clients" or something along those lines.
Hope this helps.
Si
PS - little guide i wrote a while back - http://www.edugeek.net/forums/window...rvice-kms.html
Note: you don't activate Windows directly, you install the server service somewhere and activate that, then Windows picks it up from your DNS infrastructure and works some magic itself.
Thanks for the explanation Si, this is something that I have always meant to ask but never got around to. I have been manually inserting the licence key on each installation prior to this :(
if the kms service is running on a windows 2008 box it requires only a minimum of 5 activations to work.
On another note, does anyone know what sort of dns srv records are created?
SVR recordsQuote:
Originally Posted by Zer0kbps
KMS Auto Discovery
Quote:
vlmcs._tcp.<your DNS domain>. 3600 IN SRV 0 100 1688 kms1.oit.ncsu.edu.
_vlmcs._tcp.<your DNS domain>. 3600 IN SRV 0 100 1688 kms.ncsu.edu.
The individual parts of the records mean the following:
- Service name: vlmcs (this is what Microsoft decided to call it)
- Protocol: TCP
- Domain in which service is to be available: <your DNS domain>
- Time-to-live: 3600 seconds (recommended by Microsoft)
- Record type: SRV
- DNS priority: 0
- DNS weight: 100
- Service port number: 1688
- Hostname: kms1.oit.ncsu.edu, kms.ncsu.edu
For example, if your workstations are registered in the mydept.cop.ncsu.edu DNS domain, you will need to request that the following be appended to the mydept.cop.ncsu.edu domain:
_vlmcs._tcp.mydept.cop.ncsu.edu. 3600 IN SRV 0 100 1688 kms1.oit.ncsu.edu.
_vlmcs._tcp.mydept.cop.ncsu.edu. 3600 IN SRV 0 100 1688 kms.ncsu.edu.
You cannot simply configure a parent DNS domain with the KMS information and have computers registered in child domains automatically locate the service. Each DNS domain must be configured individually. If you only had appended the cop.ncsu.edu domain, computers in the mydept.cop.ncsu.edu domain would not be able to automatically locate the KMS service.
Hi,
I've been messing around with KMS and I've set up 6 servers on Windows Server 2008 R2 using the appropriate KMS key from MVLS. I also have a key for Windows 7 on MVLS, but when I go to install the key into the KMS server it suggests that the exisiting key will be replaced. If this is the case how can I install both keys on the server or do I not need to?
Perhaps I need to run a seperate server for Windows 7?
You will have 4 KMS keys in your Volume Licensing website.
1 - Win Srv 2008 R2 Data Ctr/Itan KMS C
2 - Windows Server 2008R2 Std/Ent KMS B
3 - Windows Web Srv 2008R2 KMS A
4 - Win 7 - KMS
Works like the hierarchy above, keys can activate their peers and below, none of the class above.
DataCentre / Itanium can activate all servers and clients including other Itanium / Datacentre installs.
Standard / Enterprise can activate other Standard / Enterprise Servers, Web Server installs and all clients, but not any keys above it (Just Datacentre / Itanium)
Web Srv can activate other web servers, and clients, but not Std / Enterprise / Datacentre
Win7 can activate other clients only, no servers.
Your best bet is to install 1 KMS server with the Datacentre KMS key, job done then can activate everything in the school.
Hope this helps,
Si
Thanks that makes it all a bit clearer. Fortunately that is more or less what I have done. Might start experimenting with a Windows 7 client then!
Hmm I tried SLMGR -IPK OURWINDOWS7KMSKEY
but get the software license service reported that the product key is invalid
Am I doing something wrong? I just copy and pasted the KMS key from the website.
EDIT: Never-mind, I just found the "request MAK key" button on the licensing website, Problem solved :D
Exactly the same thing happened to us, validation error 0xC004F050 and when we run slui.exe it says the product key is invalid.Quote:
Originally Posted by ittech
We have been using KMS to licence Vista since it came out and not had a problem.
We have installed the update (KB968912) for KMS on our Windows 2008 server this morning.
Emailed Microsoft Volume Licencing asking if they know why it would say it wasn't a valid key, no response yet. Definately the KMS key off our licence agreement.
Any ideas?
Problem solved
Microsoft replied to us telling us just request MAK keys but last night on MVLS our KMS keys changed. Windows 7 is just KMS, Vista and the different versions of Server 2008 are either KMS A, KMS B or KMS C. Looks like microsoft changed the machines you can run KMS on last night:
KMS can be hosted on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2003 R2 -> activates 7 and Vista
KMS_A can be hosted on Web Server 2008 -> activates Vista, 7, Web Server 2008 and HPC Server 2008
KMS_B can be hosted on Server 2008 Standard -> etc
KMS_C can be hosted on Server 2008 Enterprise -> etc
So our KMS key for Windows 7 will only work on a Windows 7 PC or Server 2003 R2 machine.
Setup a Windows 7 PC and put entered:
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk ****-****-****-**** (where * is key)
This morning all machines say they are activated.
Looks like for 2008 R2 we will have to setup a Server 2008 R1 Enterprise machine to activate it.
Sucks you have to have 2003 R2 to use this :(
Can I ask how, people plan to test Windows 7 without having to set up 25 machines?
I would like to test it on a couple of machines in a classroom before going for a whole classroom, but as soon as I join them to the domain, they immediately lose their 30 day grace period and start popping up all sorts of warnings about my software not being genuine.
My KMS server is all set up and working, but I don't really want to install on 25 machines yet.
What are others doing?