2 Volume Activation Services role: kms key host 2016 & key host 2019

Question

In my infrastructure I have 2 "central" ADs where the FSMO roles are distributed, and I also have 5 more sites with their own AD in their own vlan. All the ADs see each other and I have a replication process between them. Hub-Spoke. all ADs are global catalog

In a central AD, the volume activation services role with kms is operational and I understand that a host key based on 2016 was used to register. This has been the case for several years, there is a 2016 exchange, 2016 servers and WS activated 10 this way.

Currently we obtained another key host that is 2019, we want to configure it in a new AD2019 that would be added (same domain) where the volume activation serices role would be and see if the 2019 servers are activated in it.

What we don't want is for them to miss the activation of the current exchange, because we all know what happens if emails in a company stop working :)

I don't have much experience with coexistence within 2 kms. And if the key hosts are compatible or one steps on the other, for example, the 2019 key host activates both 2016 and 2019. How can I know that? What can I obtain from the licensing portal as additional information?

I just know that we have both types of MAK and KMS licensing.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello,

To determine if a Key Management Service (KMS) host key is compatible with multiple versions of Windows Server, you can refer to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC). VLSC provides details about the specific licenses and keys associated with your organization.

Here are steps you can take to ensure a smooth coexistence of KMS activations for both Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019 without affecting the activation of Exchange:

Check the VLSC to confirm if the new KMS host key for Windows Server 2019 is backward compatible with Windows Server 2016.

Set up a new KMS host: Install the new Windows Server 2019 and enable the Volume Activation Services role with the KMS role service on the new AD. Ensure that the KMS host service is up and running.

Register the new KMS host key: Activate the new KMS host key for Windows Server 2019 on the newly installed Windows Server 2019 KMS host.

Configure DNS: Create a DNS record for the new KMS host with the corresponding SRV record (_vlmcs._tcp) to allow clients to discover the new KMS host.

Update DNS records for Windows Server 2016 KMS: Modify the DNS SRV records for the existing Windows Server 2016 KMS host to include the new KMS host as an additional SRV record. This ensures that clients looking for KMS activation can find and contact both KMS hosts.

Test activation: Test the activation of both Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019 on the respective KMS hosts. Monitor the KMS host logs and the Event Viewer to ensure successful activations.

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

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