Products sold through Volume Licencing require a Volume Licence Key (VLK) to activate. Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 and Office 2010 use a new type of VLK: either Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Services (KMS).

KMS

KMS allows you to activate products from a KMS host on your own network. Windows Server 2008 is not supported as a KMS host for Windows 7 or Office 2010 - use Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 R2 instead.

KMS is a client-server application. The KMS key is installed on a KMS host and then activated. KMS clients have a pre-installed key - either a Generic Volume Licence Key (GVLK) or a KMS Client Setup Key. KMS clients discover KMS host systems using DNS lookup, querying for a _vlmcs._tcp DNS SRV record. KMS hosts listen on port 1688 by default, although this can be changed on the KMS host. The status of the KMS host can be verified by checking the Software Licencing Service:

SLMGR.vbs /dlv

The current count will be somewhere between 0 and 50. A count of 0 means that no valid clients have connected to the host. The count will never increase above 50 for client operating systems. If all the clients are server operating systems, then the count will not increase above 10. The maximum count values are determined to satisfy the KMS client licence policy settings.

The Software Licencing Service on a KMS client can also be checked to diagnose client problems using the same 'dlv' switch. If the installed GVLK key is incorrect this can be corrected using:

 SLMGR.vbs /ipk 'correct-gvlk-key'

MAK

MAK is recommended for installations of 50 or fewer clients, and can be used to activate clients that are not connected to the organisations network.

MAK clients attempt to activate over the internet and may be blocked by proxy server authentication requirements. To check activation status, use:

slmgr.vbs /dli

Manual activation of MAK clients requires two commands: one to collect the information to activate, and the second to install the CID.

slmgr.vbs TargetComputerName <username> <password> /dti
slmgr.vbs TargetComputerName <username> <password> /atp <CID>

VAMT

The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) 1.2 was released as part of the Windows AIK and supports OS activations for Windows Vista or later products.

VAMT 2.0 was released in April 2010 and runs on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 or later and adds support for activating Office, Visio and Project 2010.

VAMT 2.0 is a free download from Microsoft which can be used to centrally manage Windows activation. Key features:

• Product keys are stored on the VAMT console rather than in images or text files
• Activations are performed on the local network, rather than by contacting Microsoft servers over the internet
• Centralises inventory of activations, helping with licence compliance
• Allows remote activation of products using WMI
• Can be used to activate VLK and retail versions of products
• Allows you to convert MAK-activated clients to KMS-activation.

VAMT 2.0 runs as an MMC. Configuring VAMT starts with discovering clients and adding them to the VAMT.

VAMT supports either online or proxy activation. With online activation each client activates by contacting Microsoft's activation servers. With proxy activation, the VAMT hosts contacts Microsoft's servers on behalf of its clients. To perform proxy activation:

• Add a key to VAMT
• Install the key on target computers
• Select Proxy Activate
• Installation ID (IIDs) data is automatically sent to Microsoft activation servers
• Confirmation IDs (CIDs) are retrieved by VAMT from the Microsoft servers and distributed to the corresponding clients
• Activation information is stored in a Computer Information List (CIL) file in xml format by the VAMT server

CILs are not stored by VAMT when using online activation. CILs are required for re-activating a re-imaged client

To activate clients on a network not connected to the internet, use the following procedure:

• Install a VAMT on the disconnected network
• Use proxy activation to activate all clients
• Transfer the IIDs to a VAMT on the internet-connected part of the network
• Once CIDs have been obtained, transfer these to the VAMT on the disconnected network, to complete the activation

VAMT tasks can also be complete using the VAMT command line tool