Share via

Volume Activation 2.0 Deployment Guide

  • Article

 

for

 

Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008

Microsoft Corporation

Abstract

Volume activation is designed to automate and manage the activation process for volume licensing customers. This document is intended for IT implementers who have planned a deployment of Volume Activation 2.0 and are now ready to review and then perform the procedures needed for that deployment.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Before You Begin
KMS Activation
    Configure DNS for KMS Activation
        Change the Default SRV Permissions
        Publish Multiple DNS Domains
        Manually Create SRV Records in DNS
        Manually Create SRV Records in a BIND 9.x Compliant DNS Server
        Disable DNS Publishing
        Enable DNS Publishing
    Install KMS Hosts
    Configure KMS
        Running Slmgr.vbs Remotely
        Configure Windows Firewall
        Configure Slmgr.vbs to Run Against Computers in a Workgroup
    Configure KMS Clients
        Manually Assign a KMS Host
        Disable Automatic Activation 
        Enable Auto-Discovery for a KMS Client
        Deploy KMS Clients
        Manually Activate a KMS Client
    KMS Client Setup Keys
    Convert a MAK Activation Client to a KMS Client
Converting Retail Editions to Volume Licensing Activation
MAK Activation
    Convert KMS Clients to MAK Activation
        Install a MAK During Operating System Installation
        Install a MAK After an Operating System Installation
    Activate MAK Clients
        Activate MAK Clients over the Internet
        Activation Through a Proxy Server
        Activate MAK Clients Using the Telephone
        Activate MAK Clients Using VAMT
    Integrate MAKs with Deployment Workbench
Reactivation
Appendix 1: Optional Volume Activation Client Configurations
    Enabling Standard User Activation
    Disabling Activation Notifications
Appendix 2: Sample Unattended Installation File

Introduction

This guide contains procedures that are part of deploying Volume Activation 2.0. Volume Activation 2.0 activates Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems for volume licensing customers. You can choose to implement volume activations using Key Management Service (KMS), Multiple Activation Key (MAK), or a combination of both. The activation methods you choose depend on the needs of your organization and your network infrastructure.

Before running any of the procedures in this guide, you must plan what activation methods you need and how you want to implement these methods. For more information about planning a volume activation deployment, see the Volume Activation 2.0 Planning Guide.

Before You Begin

By default, activation requires local administrative rights. Additionally, this guide contains procedures that run scripts and make changes to the registry. As a best practice, you can delegate these rights to selected IT implementers. You can even assign the rights to change product keys and perform activations to end users, though this is not recommended.

If activation fails, you can look in the Volume Activation 2.0 Operations Guide for troubleshooting guidance. It contains a table you can use to look up error codes as well as steps you can try for resolving common issues.

KMS Activation

KMS activation is designed to work with minimal administrative action. If your network environment has dynamic DNS (DDNS) and allows computers to publish services automatically, you may not need to configure your KMS host. If you have more than one KMS host or your network does not support DDNS, you may need to perform some additional configuration tasks.

Warning: Some procedures in this section contain registry changes. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Configure DNS for KMS Activation

KMS hosts automatically publish their existence by creating service (SRV) resource records in the DNS server. If you have only one KMS host and DDNS, no action is required for the KMS host to create the SRV record that publishes the KMS service. However, if you have more than one KMS host, only the first KMS host can create an SRV record. Subsequent KMS hosts cannot change or update SRV records unless the default permissions on the DNS server are changed.

Change the Default SRV Permissions

To complete this procedure you must have administrative rights in the domain and the KMS hosts must all belong to the same Active Directory® domain.

To change the default SRV permissions on a Microsoft DNS server

1.      Create a global security group in Active Directory for your KMS hosts.

2.      Add each of your KMS hosts to the new security group.

3.      Set the permissions on the DNS server to allow updates by members of the KMS host security group.

Publish Multiple DNS Domains

By default, only the DNS domain that the KMS host belongs to is registered in an SRV record. If you have only one DNS domain in your network environment, no further action is required. If you have more than one DNS domain name, you can create a list of DNS domains for a KMS host to use when publishing its SRV record. Setting this registry value suspends the KMS host’s default behavior of publishing only in the domain specified as the Primary DNS Suffix.

After you complete this procedure, you can export the registry key and then import it to additional KMS hosts. To verify that this procedure was successful, check the application log on each KMS host. A 12294 event indicates that the KMS host successfully created the SRV record. A 12293 event indicates that the attempt to create the SRV record was unsuccessful. For a complete list of activation log error codes, see the Volume Activation 2.0 Operations Guide.

To automatically publish KMS in multiple DNS domains

1.      Log on to a KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL.

5.      In the tree pane, click SL. Right-click in the details pane, point to New, and then click Multi-String Value.

6.      Type DnsDomainPublishList as the name for the new value, and then press Enter.

7.      Right-click the new DnsDomainPublishList value, and then click Modify.

8.      In the EditMulti-String dialog box, type each DNS domain suffix that KMS should publish to on a separate line. When you are finished, click OK.

9.      Restart the Software Licensing Service using the Service application. The SRV records are then created.

Manually Create SRV Records in DNS

If DDNS is not supported, an administrator needs to manually create the SRV record that publishes the availability of a KMS host. Manually created SRV records can coexist with SRV records that are auto-published by KMS hosts in other domains as long as all records are maintained to prevent conflicts. Environments that do not support DDNS should disable auto-publishing on all KMS hosts. This prevents event logs from collecting failed DNS publishing events. You can disable auto-publishing using the Slmgr.vbs script with the /cdns parameter. See the Configure KMS Hosts section of this document for more information about the Slmgr.vbs script.

This procedure creates a KMS SRV record in Microsoft® DNS Server. This procedure uses the default KMS port, TCP port 1688. If your organization is using a different TCP port, type that port number instead.

To manually create a KMS SRV record in a Microsoft DNS server

1.      On the DNS server, open DNSManager. To open DNSManager, click Start, click AdministrativeTools, and then click DNS.

2.      Click the DNS server on which you need to create the SRV resource record.

3.      In the console tree, expand ForwardLookupZones, right-click the domain, and then click OtherNewRecords.

4.      Scroll down the list, click ServiceLocation(SRV), and then click CreateRecord.

5.      Type the following information:

a.      Service: _VLMCS

b.      Protocol: _TCP

c.      Port number: 1688

d.      Host offering the service: <FQDN_of_KMS_Host>

6.      When you are finished, click OK, and then click Done.

Manually Create SRV Records in a BIND 9.x Compliant DNS Server

If your organization uses a non-Microsoft DNS server, you can create the needed SRV records as long as the DNS server is BIND 9.x compliant.

When you create the record, include the following information:

  • Name=_vlmcs._TCP
  • Type=SRV
  • Priority = 0
  • Weight = 0
  • Port = 1688
  • Hostname = <FQDN or A-Name of the KMS host>

The Priority and Weight fields are not used by KMS and are ignored by the KMS client. However, they do need to be included in the zone file.

To configure a BIND 9.x DNS server to support KMS auto-publishing, configure the BIND server to enable resource record updates from KMS hosts. For example, add the following line to the zone definition in named.conf (or named.conf.local):

allow-update { any; };

Note: An allow-update statement can also be added in named.conf.options to allow DDNS for all zones hosted on this server.

Disable DNS Publishing

KMS hosts automatically publish their existence by creating SRV resource records in DNS. To disable automatic DNS publishing by a KMS host, perform the following procedure.

To disable publishing of KMS SRV records to DNS

1.      Log on to a KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL.

5.      In the tree pane, click SL. Right-click in the details pane, point to New, and then click DWORD (32 bit) Value.

6.      Type DisableDnsPublishing as the name of the new value, and then press Enter.

7.      Right-click the new DisableDnsPublishing value, and then click Modify.

8.      In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK. Any non-zero value disables DNS publishing.

9.      Exit the registry editor.

Enable DNS Publishing

By default, KMS hosts automatically attempt to publish the KMS service by creating SRV records in the DNS database. If this behavior is disabled, you can re-enable it at any time with this procedure.

To enable publishing of KMS SRV records to DNS

1.      Log on to a KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this. click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL.

5.      In the tree pane, click SL. Right click the DisableDnsPublishing value, and then click Modify.

6.      In the Value data box, type 0, and click OK.

7.      Exit the registry editor.

Install KMS Hosts

To enable KMS functionality, a KMS key is installed on a KMS host, then the host is activated using Microsoft hosted services. Computers running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 can all serve as KMS hosts.

To install a KMS host on a Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 computer

1.      Log on to the computer that will serve as the KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      To install your KMS key, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <KmsKey>

4.      Activate the KMS host with Microsoft® using one of the following:

a.      For online activation, type the following at the command prompt and then press Enter:
cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

b.      For telephone activation, type the following at the command prompt and then press Enter:
slui.exe 4

5.      After activation is complete, restart the SoftwareLicensingService using the Service application.

To install a KMS host on a Windows Server 2003 computer

1.      Download Key Management Service for Windows Server 2003 from the Microsoft Download Center at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82964 for x86 systems or https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83041 for x64 systems.

2.      Log on to the computer that will serve as the KMS host.

3.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

4.      To install your KMS key, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <KmsKey>

5.      Activate the KMS host with Microsoft.

6.      For online activation, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

7.      For telephone activation, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
slui.exe 4

8.      After activation is complete, restart the SoftwareLicensingService using the Service application.

To verify that the KMS host is configured correctly, you can check the KMS count to see if it is increasing. Run slmgr.vbs /dli on the KMS host to obtain the current KMS count. You can also check the KeyManagementService log in the ApplicationsandServicesLogs folder for 12290 events, which records activation requests from KMS clients. Each event displays the name of the computer and the time-stamp of an individual activation request.

Configure KMS

Service license manager (Slmgr.vbs) is a script that comes with Volume Activation 2.0 and is used to retrieve volume licensing information. This script can be run locally on the target system or remotely from another computer. You should run Slmgr.vbs from a command prompt that is using elevated privileges, unless activation is enabled for standard users. If a standard user runs Slmgr.vbs, some license data may be missing or incorrect.

Note: Even for the display-only options, all script functions must be run from a command prompt using elevated permissions unless activation is enabled for standard users.

Slmgr.vbs can use wscript or cscript. You can specify which script engine you want to use. If no script engine is specified, Slmgr.vbs runs using the default script engine, wscript. You must restart the Software Licensing Service for changes to take effect. To restart the Software Licensing Service, use the Service application, or you can run the following command at an elevated command prompt:

net stop slsvc && net start slsvc

Slmgr.vbs requires a parameter. If the script is run with no parameters, help information for the script appears. Table 1 lists Slmgr.vbs parameters along with a description of each.

Slmgr.vbs general syntax:

cscript [path]\slmgr.vbs /parameter

Table 1: Slmgr.vbs parameters

 

Parameter

Description

/sprt <PortNumber>

Sets the TCP communications port on a KMS host. Replace <PortNumber> with the TCP port number you want to use. The default setting is 1688.

/cdns

Disables automatic DNS publishing by a KMS host.

/sdns

Enables automatic DNS publishing by the KMS host.

/cpri

Lowers the priority of KMS host processes.

/spri

Sets the priority of KMS host processes at Normal.

/sai <ActivationInterval>

Changes how often a KMS client attempts to activate by contacting a KMS host. Replace <ActivationInterval> with a number of minutes. The default setting is 120.

/sri <RenewalInterval>

Changes how often a KMS client attempts to renew its activation by contacting a KMS host. Replace <RenewalInterval> with a number of minutes. The default setting is 10080 (7 days).

/dli

Retrieves the current KMS activation count from the KMS host.

 

Running Slmgr.vbs Remotely

To run Slmgr.vbs remotely, additional parameters are required. You must include the computer name of the target computer, as well as a username and password of a user account that has local administrative rights on the target computer. If run remotely without a specified user name and password, the script presents the credentials of the user that executes the script.

The following syntax shows the additional parameters that are needed to run Slmgr.vbs remotely:

cscript [path]\slmgr.vbsTargetComputerName UserName Password /parameter

Configure Windows Firewall

Slmgr.vbs uses WMI. The following procedures configure the Windows Firewall to allow WMI traffic.

To configure Windows Firewall for remote Slmgr.vbs functionality within a single subnet

1.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

2.      Open the Security application in Control Panel. To do this, click Start, click ControlPanel, and then double-click Security.

3.      Click WindowsFirewallsettings, and then click the Exceptions tab.

4.      Click to select the WindowsManagementInstrumentation(WMI) check box.

5.      Click OK.

Note: Windows® Firewall Exceptions in the Private and Public profiles only apply exceptions to traffic originating on the local subnet, by default. To expand the exception so that it applies to multiple subnets, change the exception settings in WindowsFirewallwithAdvancedSecurity or, if joined to an Active Directory domain, choose the DomainProfile.

Configure Windows Firewall for remote Slmgr.vbs functionality across multiple subnets

1.      Open the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security application in Control Panel. To do this, click Start, click ControlPanel, double-click AdministrativeTools, and then click WindowsFirewallwithAdvancedSecurity.

2.      Double-click WindowsManagementInstrumentation(ASync-In).

3.      On the General tab, click to select the Allowtheconnection check box, and then click OK.

4.      Double-click Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In).

5.      On the General tab, click to select the Allowtheconnection check box, and then click OK.

6.      Double-click Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In).

7.      On the General tab, click to select the Allowtheconnection check box, and then click OK.

8.      Click the Scope tab then, in the RemoteIPAddress section, click allowthespecificaccessneeded.

9.      Click the Advanced tab to verify the selection of all profiles that are applicable to the network.

10.  Click OK.

Configure Slmgr.vbs to Run Against Computers in a Workgroup

To allow Slmgr.vbs to run remotely against computers that belong to a workgroup, you must set a value in the registry key that modifies the User Access Control to allow remote administrative operations.

Warning: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

To configure Slmgr.vbs to run against computers in a workgroup

1.      Log on to the client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.

5.      In the tree pane, click System. Right-click in the details pane, point to New, and then click DWORD (32 bit) Value.

6.      Type LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy as the name of the new value, and then press Enter.

7.      Right-click the new LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy value, and then click Modify.

8.      In the Valuedata box, type 1 and then click OK.

9.      Exit the registry editor.

Configure KMS Clients

This section includes procedures for installing and configuring computers as KMS clients. By default, volume editions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 install as KMS clients. If the computers you would like to activate using KMS are using either of these operating systems and your network allows DNS auto-discovery, no further configuration is needed.

Manually Assign a KMS Host

If your network does not support DDNS, you need to manually assign a KMS host to your KMS clients. Manually assigning a KMS host disables auto-discovery of KMS on a KMS client.

To manually assign a KMS host to a KMS client

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type one of the following options and press Enter:

a.      assign a KMS host using the host's FQDN, type:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <KMS_FQDN>:<port>

b.      To assign a KMS host using the host's version 4 IP address, type:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <IPv4Address><:port>

c.      To assign a KMS host using the host's version 6 IP address, type:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <IPv6Address><:port>

d.      To assign a KMS host using the host's NETBIOS name, type:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <NetbiosName><:port>

Disable Automatic Activation

An administrator can disable activation attempts on any client computer by setting the following registry key.

Warning: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

To disable automatic activation

1.      Log on to a KMS client.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL\Activation.

5.      In the tree pane, click Activation, and then right-click the Manual value.

6.      In the Valuedata box, type 1 and then click OK.

7.      Exit the registry editor.

Enable Auto-Discovery for a KMS Client

By default, KMS clients automatically attempt to discover KMS hosts. You can disable auto-discovery by manually assigning a KMS host to a KMS client. If you disable auto-discovery, you can re-enable using the following procedure.

To enable auto-discovery for a KMS client

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ckms

Deploy KMS Clients

This procedure is for organizations using Microsoft's imaging services. It gives you the option of running Sysprep.exe or a script. The /generalize parameter for Sysprep.exe resets the activation timer, security identifier, and other important parameters. Resetting the activation timer prevents the image’s grace period from expiring before the image is deployed. Running Sysprep.exe does not remove the installed product key and you are not prompted for a new key during mini-setup.

If running Sysprep.exe causes changes that complicate your deployment, you can run the Slmgr.vbs script with the /Rearm parameter instead. This script resets the activation timer, but makes no other changes to the system. You can reset the activation timer three times for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 computers. You can reset the activation timer for computers running Windows Vista Enterprise edition five times.

You should run this procedure only after the reference system for your image is completely configured.

Deploy KMS clients for KMS activation

1.      Log on to the computer that serves as the reference for your image.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type one of the following options, and then press Enter:
sysprep /generalize
or
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /rearm

4.      Capture your image.

5.      Deploy the image using standard techniques such as disk duplication or Windows Deployment Services (WDS).

Manually Activate a KMS Client

KMS clients automatically attempt to activate, by default, at preset intervals. If you need to manually activate some KMS clients, such as roaming clients, before distributing them to users, you can run one of the following two procedures. To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated these rights. Your computer must have access to a KMS host on your organization's network to complete this procedure.

To activate a KMS client manually using the System application

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      Click the option Click here to activate Windows now.

 

To activate a KMS client manually using the Slmgr.vbs script

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato
The script reports activation success or failure, along with a result code.

KMS Client Setup Keys

By default, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems use KMS for activation. You can change the activation method of a KMS client to MAK and then change it back by installing the corresponding product key. Table 2 lists the KMS client setup keys for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 volume editions.

Table 2: KMS Client Setup Keys

Operating System Edition

Product Key

Windows Vista Business

YFKBB-PQJJV-G996G-VWGXY-2V3X8

Windows Vista Business N

HMBQG-8H2RH-C77VX-27R82-VMQBT

Windows Vista Enterprise

VKK3X-68KWM-X2YGT-QR4M6-4BWMV

Windows Vista Enterprise N

VTC42-BM838-43QHV-84HX6-XJXKV

 

Windows Server 2008  Datacenter

7M67G-PC374-GR742-YH8V4-TCBY3

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V

22XQ2-VRXRG-P8D42-K34TD-G3QQC

Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems

4DWFP-JF3DJ-B7DTH-78FJB-PDRHK

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise

YQGMW-MPWTJ-34KDK-48M3W-X4Q6V

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V

39BXF-X8Q23-P2WWT-38T2F-G3FPG

Windows Server 2008 Standard

TM24T-X9RMF-VWXK6-X8JC9-BFGM2

Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V

W7VD6-7JFBR-RX26B-YKQ3Y-6FFFJ

Windows Web Server 2008

WYR28-R7TFJ-3X2YQ-YCY4H-M249D

Convert a MAK Activation Client to a KMS Client

By default, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are KMS clients. You can convert a KMS client to a MAK client and back again to a KMS client at anytime. Your computer must have access to a KMS host on your organization's network to complete this procedure.

To convert a MAK activation client to a KMS client

1.      Log on to the MAK client.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click commandprompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      To install the KMS key, at the command prompt type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <KmsSetupKey>
Be sure to include the dash between each set of five characters.

4.      To activate the computer as a KMS client, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato
This script reports the success or failure of the procedure, along with a result code.

Converting Retail Editions to Volume Licensing Activation

You can convert retail editions of Windows Vista Business and all editions of Windows Server 2008 into MAK or KMS clients, provided that your organization has acquired the appropriate volume licenses and conforms to the Product Use Rights. To convert Windows Vista Business and all editions of Windows Server 2008 from retail to a KMS host or KMS client, skip the Product Key Request page during installation of the operating system. After installation completes, open an elevated command prompt and type Slmgr.vbs /ipk SetupKey. Replace SetupKey with the KMS setup key for the appropriate version of Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. To convert a retail edition to a MAK client, skip the Product Key Request page during installation of the operating system. After installation completes, perform the To configure a client computer for MAK activation through the System application procedure.

MAK Activation

MAK is used for one-time activations through Microsoft’s hosted activation services with no renewals required.

Convert KMS Clients to MAK Activation

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 install automatically as KMS clients. To convert a KMS client to a MAK activation client, you need to install a Multiple Activation Key or MAK. You can install a MAK during or anytime after the operating system is installed.

You can install a MAK key onto a reference image of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) as well as the initial release of Windows Server 2008, to make all installations from that image default to MAK activation. This alleviates the need to specify a MAK key in an unattended installation file.

Install a MAK During Operating System Installation

You can convert a KMS client to a MAK client during the initial installation of Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 by including a MAK in an unattended setup file. You can use the unattended text file with Setup.exe or the Windows® Deployment Service (WDS). For more information, see the Unattended Windows Setup Reference help file in the WindowsAutomatedInstallationKit(Windows AIK). For a sample unattended installation file, see Appendix 2 of this document.

Note: The MAK is stored in clear text in the unattended text file, as required by the setup process. During an unattended installation, the file unattend.xml or autounattend.xml is copied to the %systemroot%\panther folder of the target computer. However, at the end of the setup process, the MAK is deleted and replaced with “SENSITIVE*DATA*DELETED”

Install a MAK After an Operating System Installation

You can configure a volume edition of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 to use MAK activation using the System application or by running the Slmgr.vbs script. You must have administrative rights on the client computer to complete either of these procedures. After you complete either procedure, the MAK client attempts to activate over the Internet at the next scheduled interval. If activation is not successful, the computer continues to attempt MAK activation automatically every 2 hours, by default. The user does not need to be an administrator for automatic activation attempts to continue.

To configure a client computer for MAK activation through the System application

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open the System application in Control Panel. To do this, click Start, click ControlPanel, and then double-click System.

3.      Right-click Computer, and then click Properties.

4.      In the Activation section, click Changeproductkey.

5.      In the Changeyourproductkeyforactivation dialog box, type the MAK, and then click Next.

6.      Exit the System application.

0x13.jpg

Figure 1: Windows Activation dialog box

To convert a client computer to MAK activation using a script

1.      Log on to the KMS client computer.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <MultipleActivationKey>

Activate MAK Clients

After a client is converted to MAK activation, it attempts to activate over the Internet at the next scheduled interval. You can force an immediate activation through the System application, over the Internet, using a telephone, or using the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT).

To confirm that your computer is activated, check the bottom right corner of the desktop for Windowsisactivated. You can also run Slmgr.vbs /dli from a command prompt to view the activation status of a computer.

Activate MAK Clients over the Internet

To complete the following procedures, you must have administrative rights on the MAK client computer and the MAK client computer must have access to the Internet. Windows reports whether the activation was successful or a failure. If you are unable to activate, the wizard presents additional options.

To activate MAK manually using System properties

1.      Log on to the MAK client.

2.      Open the System application in Control Panel. To do this, click Start, click ControlPanel, and then double-click System.

3.      Click the option Click here to activate Windows now.

To activate a MAK client manually over the Internet

1.      Log on to the MAK client.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

5.      The script reports whether activation was a success or failure and includes a result code.

Activation Through a Proxy Server

Activation over the Internet may be blocked if your proxy server requires user authentication. In Microsoft ISA Server, this setting is called Basic Authentication. Since activation requests do not present the user's credentials to the proxy server, it is recommended that you do not use Basic Authentication with ISA or other proxy servers. However, if you need to use Basic Authentication or a comparable mechanism on the proxy server, add the following URLs to the Proxy Authentication exclusion list.

Activate MAK Clients Using the Telephone

Use this procedure to activate computers that are connected to the organization’s network, but do not have Internet connectivity. If you need to perform activation frequently or activate multiple computers, it may be more useful to automate the process using the Slmgr.vbs script.

To activate a MAK client manually using the telephone

1.      Log on to the MAK client.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      To obtain the information ID (IID), at the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs <ComputerName> <Username> <Password> /dli

4.      Copy the section in PartialProductKey that lists the last five characters of the MAK. This section also includes the Product ID and IID required for telephone activation.

5.      Save both of these values to a text file, along with %COMPUTERNAME%.

6.      If needed, obtain the telephone number for an Activation Call Center, then at the command prompt type the following, and then press Enter:
slui.exe 4

7.      Call the automated telephone system for your region. You can use the Interactive Voice Response system to obtain the confirmation ID (CID) you need for activation. When prompted, provide the corresponding IID from the MAK client.

8.      To install the CID, at the command prompt type the following, and then press Enter:
cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs <ComputerName> <UserName> <Password> /atp <CID>

Activate MAK Clients Using VAMT

VAMT allows you to automate MAK deployment and activation over the network. It distributes MAKs from a centralized console. VAMT keeps a current activation count and lists the activation status of all MAK-activated systems in the environment. You can download VAMT at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=77533. This download includes the VAMT Step by Step Guide.

Figure 2: The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)

 

Cc303280.Volume_Activation_20_Deployment_Guide-New_image002(en-us,TechNet.10).gif

Integrate MAKs with Deployment Workbench

Microsoft Deployment also provides a solution, Deployment Workbench, which runs the Windows Installation Wizard and applies MAKs during client computer setup. The reference image can be prepared for KMS activation, but activated using a MAK as long as it does not detect a KMS infrastructure. The automated MAK application is executed after computer imaging. For more information about using Imagex.exe, see the DeployanImage section of the Getting Started with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) Guide.

Reactivation

As part of the logon process, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 each check the hardware configuration of the computer. If the operating system detects that the hardware is substantially different, reactivation is required. The actual weighting factors and threshold values can vary, since these values must keep pace with the constantly evolving computer hardware market. In general, computers that use MAK activation use the same reactivation rules as retail activation, while KMS activation clients focus more on hard disk changes to determine the need for reactivation.

Appendix 1: Optional Volume Activation Client Configurations

Volume Activation 2.0 supports optional configurations that may work in some environments, but are not recommended for most. The procedures in this appendix require a Software Licensing Service restart before they take effect.

Warning: This section contains procedures that change settings in the registry.  Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Enabling Standard User Activation

An administrator can create a registry key that allows a standard user to apply a MAK and activate a computer. After you complete this procedure, administrative rights are no longer required for product activation. This means that a standard user can switch a KMS client to MAK activation, manually activate a computer, and, if necessary, replace an existing MAK with a new MAK. This procedure is not recommended because it lowers security on the computer.

Note: If a standard user installs a MAK or KMS key, the ProductID registry values are not updated. This primarily affects product support and Microsoft Customer Support Services is aware of this situation.

To enable standard user activation

1.      Log on to a KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL.

5.      In the tree pane, click SL. Right-click the details pane, point to New, and then click DWORD (32 bit) Value.

6.      Type UserOperations as the name for the new value, and press Enter.

7.      Right-click the new UserOperations value, and then click Modify.

8.      In the Valuedata box, type 1 and then click OK.

9.      Exit the registry editor.

Disabling Activation Notifications

Although not recommended, an administrator can turn off software licensing notifications by adding a new value to the registry. This value disables all software licensing notifications including balloons, wizards, and task dialog boxes.

To disable activation notifications

1.      Log on to a KMS host.

2.      Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click AllPrograms, click Accessories, right-click CommandPrompt, and then click Runasadministrator.

3.      At the command prompt, type Regedit.exe and then press Enter.

4.      Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL\Activation.

5.      In the tree pane, click Activation. Right-click the details pane, point to New, and then click DWORD (32 bit) Value.

6.      Type NotificationDisabled as the name for the new value, and press Enter.

7.      Right-click the new NotificationDisabled value, and then click Modify.

8.      In the Valuedata box, type 1, and click OK.

9.      Exit the registry editor.

Appendix 2: Sample Unattended Installation File

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

    <settings pass="windowsPE">

        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="https://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="https://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

            <UserData>

                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>

            </UserData>       

</component>

    </settings>

    <settings pass="specialize">

        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="https://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="https://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

            <ProductKey>MAK Product Key</ProductKey>

        </component>

    </settings>

<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />

</unattend>