MAC vs KMS Licensing

[MatthewL]

We are just deploying Office 2010 and at the minute we noticed we need to active each copy. We are re bundling the package and have put the key in but it still doesn't activate. Do we need to install our own KMS box? It's quite a new thing so any help would be appreciated.

[Ric_]

You will find it far easier just to install a KMS server. Follow the instructions on Technet and it will be set up in under 5 minutes. You then just download and run a patch to make it dish out Office 2010 keys. Simples!

[MatthewL]

Thanks for that, I shall take a gander later.

[LeMarchand]

Having recently disinfected a teacher's key (allegedly borrowed from a friend) that had various keygens and keyfinders on, I'm moving to KMS keys as soon as possible.

[Guest salan]

The problem I see is that you need a min of five actual servers for it to work with your server. All ours are virtual and they don't count with respect to this.

So no use for us on the servers.

Would it be worth for the clients?

[Ric_]

@salan: The KMS server isn't all that clever. Yes, there's a minimum count before activation starts working but you can just rebuild the same machine 25 times (or server 5 times) and that is sorted.

 

VMs do count towards the count (assuming they run Windows) because they are just installs of Windwos Server.

 

IMHO there is no reason not to use KMS and plenty of reasons not to use MAK.

[Guest salan]

@salan: The KMS server isn't all that clever. Yes, there's a minimum count before activation starts working but you can just rebuild the same machine 25 times (or server 5 times) and that is sorted.

 

VMs do count towards the count (assuming they run Windows) because they are just installs of Windwos Server.

 

IMHO there is no reason not to use KMS and plenty of reasons not to use MAK.

Hi thanks for the reply.

I have just watched the vid that they do and it says that VM's do NOT count towards the initial number required for the KMS server to work. Only actual machines. Once the count has been reached then the VM's will be serviced.

As we have NO 'non' vm's

This would need me to build a server box up five times to get it going?

Or have I misunderstood?

Alan