Setting up KMS Server

[Stuart_C]

I'm just trying to get my head round setting up a KMS Server to allow me to activate Win7 and Office 2010. Whilst the Office bit looks reasonably straight forward (as I've found to insallter on MS website) the Win 7 bit and the initial set up confuses me a little.

 

My server in Win2k8 R2 and is registered with it's own MAK key. A lot of the instructions go on about installing the server with a KMS key (which I don't have) but I do have to do that? I wasn't looking to activate my servers via the KMS server at this time. I do have a Win7 KMS key, do I just run slmgr.vbs /ipk with my Win 7 key, run the rest of the commands necessary to activate the host properly and that's in. When I hit 25 Win7 machine they all activate?

[Stuart_C]

So I do need to change the Server Product key....

 

I found another topic on here very similar. It helped a bit but I'm still a but confused.

Assuming that I change my Server key to a KMS one that will then activate with MS and set the KMS functionality running. As I haven't got 5 2008 servers at the minute is that going to cauase problems activating the server it's installed on? I would assume the server I set the key on would work it just wouldn't process any requests for new activations.

 

I love how MS have done this to "protect end users from the dangers of unlicnced software" (I've been watching video's on MS website)

Edited October 31, 2011 by Stuart_C

[PRicho]

Changing your servers key to a KMS key from your license will automatically activate with MS. For the KMS Server to be able to activate your clients/servers you will need 30 clients / 5 servers to check in with your KMS, you need to use specific keys on your clients so they look at your internal KMS Server, these can be found here - http://www.edugeek.net/forums/licensing-questions/50536-kms-client-setup-keys.html

[cromertech]

I used this it means you can install the keys to the server and activate the clients all from a lovely (well convenient anyway) GUI.

 

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) 1.1 (x86)

[SHimmer45]

also if you are KMSing office that will require 10 activations requests (and they have to be unique) once it hits that number the software will activate.

just setup KMS where i am and the windows 7 activation prompt will actually say it has registered but there is not enough activations but will still function as it is away its attached to a license server.

 

One thing to be aware of is that other Win 7 Machines isntalled with a KMS code can publish themselves as KMS Host's which was REALLY confusing as it doesnt stop doing this until the DNS entry is modified to reflect the correct host

[hermand]

also if you are KMSing office that will require 10 activations requests (and they have to be unique) once it hits that number the software will activate.

just setup KMS where i am and the windows 7 activation prompt will actually say it has registered but there is not enough activations but will still function as it is away its attached to a license server.

 

One thing to be aware of is that other Win 7 Machines isntalled with a KMS code can publish themselves as KMS Host's which was REALLY confusing as it doesnt stop doing this until the DNS entry is modified to reflect the correct host

 

Your clients should be using the KMS client key, and not your KMS host key. For Windows 7 Pro this is FJ82H-XT6CR-J8D7P-XQJJ2-GPDD4 or Enterprise this is 33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH .

 

I've never heard of Windows 7 machines becoming KMS hosts..

Edited November 1, 2011 by hermand
Clarification

[SHimmer45]

had one Windows 7 Machine which when Querying KMS licensing on the machine i was testing KMS registration on it was pointing to the W7 machine and DNS was also pointing at it as well. This W7 machine was just a standard install which we had been running some tests on at the time.

I thought it was a bit odd