[windows software] The KMS server isn't that clever.

[kennysarmy]

Found on a previous post on the forum:

 

: 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

 

So once I have my KMS server installed and running I can test it's functionality by reghosting the same PC 25 times and adding it to the domain in a test OU and that should fool KMS on the 25th instance to activate win7 from then on?

 

?

[morganw]

You might have to regenerate the SID for each installation for it to count but eventually the hosts get removed from KMS (after 30 days of not checking in) and if the number of installs falls below the threshold the server will stop activating.

 

Allegedly if your KMS server is 2008R2 then it will also activate virtual machines, if you KMS server is running on anything older it will only activate physical machines.

[kennysarmy]

Thanks.

 

KMS now set up on server 2003.

 

How do I now test it's working?

 

Do I just intall win7 on a test PC, sysprep it, boot it up join it to the domain then sysprep again 25 times

 

 

 

 

Intall win7 from scratch on a test pc and see what happens?

[morganw]

Yes but you won't get much benefit from having the server actually activated unless you W7 testing goes over the grace period. You can always just install every 30 days, it would stop working after 60 days anyway as you wouldn't have enough clients contacting it to keep it running.

 

You can run this to check exactly what the server has registered to it:

 

cscript c:\Windows\System32\slmgr.vbs /dli

[Slartibartfast]

You also can't sysprep 25 times.

[kennysarmy]

You also can't sysprep 25 times.

 

What do you mean?

 

I can install win7, sysprep, ghost and then boot the PC, then reghost and boot again....