for
Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008
Microsoft Corporation
Published: March, 2008
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Edit Multi-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 DNS Manager.
To open DNS Manager, click Start, click Administrative
Tools, 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 Forward Lookup
Zones, right-click the domain, and then click Other New Records.
4.
Scroll down the list, click Service Location
(SRV), and then click Create Record.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Software
Licensing Service 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 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82964 for x86 systems or http://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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Software
Licensing Service 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 Key Management Service log in the Applications and
Services Logs 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
|
|
|
|
/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.vbs
TargetComputerName 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2.
Open the Security application in Control Panel.
To do this, click Start, click Control Panel, and then
double-click Security.
3.
Click Windows Firewall settings,
and then click the Exceptions tab.
4.
Click to select the Windows Management
Instrumentation (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 Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
or, if joined to an Active Directory domain, choose the Domain Profile.
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 Control
Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows
Firewall with Advanced Security.
2.
Double-click Windows Management Instrumentation
(ASync-In).
3.
On the General tab, click to select the Allow
the connection check box, and then click OK.
4.
Double-click Windows Management Instrumentation
(DCOM-In).
5.
On the General tab, click to select the Allow
the connection check box, and then click OK.
6.
Double-click Windows Management
Instrumentation (WMI-In).
7.
On the General tab, click to select the Allow
the connection check box, and then click OK.
8.
Click the Scope tab then, in the Remote
IP Address section, click allow the specific
access needed.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Value data 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Value data 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click command prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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
Windows Automated Installation Kit (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 Control Panel, and then
double-click System.
3.
Right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
4.
In the Activation section, click Change product
key.
5.
In the Change your product key
for activation dialog box, type the MAK, and then click Next.
6.
Exit the System application.
.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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Windows is activated.
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 Control Panel, 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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.
- http://go.microsoft.com/*
- https://sls.microsoft.com/*
- https://sls.microsoft.com:443
- http://crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftRootAuthority.crl
- http://crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureCommunications.crl
- http://www.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureCommunications.crl
- http://crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureServer.crl
- http://www.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureServer.crl
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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Partial Product
Key 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 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=77533. This download includes the VAMT Step by Step Guide.
Figure 2: The Volume Activation
Management Tool (VAMT)
.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 Deploy an
Image 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Value data 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 All Programs, click Accessories,
right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
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 Value data 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="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://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="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://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>