Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of timgreen7077
timgreen7077

asked on

KMS Server

We have a lot of dekstops computers and we initially installed a MAK Key with the desktops. Now we have a KMS server we would like to use, and I was reading about the thresholds before for the KMS server will active desktops. Is there a way for force all desktops and servers to check the KMS server to for key authentication. slmgr.vbs /ato is going to be a problem to run on all the computers. can this be scripted or is there a different way?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of CubeOver
CubeOver

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
If I understand you, you're trying to get clients to check in to push you over the activation limits. Really, the load placed on the KMS host by a client activating is minimal, and the limits are low. I'd manually activate the 10 or so clients that you need to get over the limit. This isn't something you need to do on an ongoing basis.
Avatar of CubeOver
CubeOver

Peter, I think the Author wants to move away from MAKs to KMS activation, but the clients that are already MAK-activated are needed to form quota of 25 Windows 7 machines required for  KMS host activation. E.g. he has less than 25 un-activated machines, but with those that are already MAK-activated, he will get over the threshold.

Hence he needs to install his unique KMS host key on one of domain members that have Internet access, publish it in DNS, and then remove specific MAK keys from clients and replace them with generic ones. I do not think the /ato command is necessary as the client will try to activate automatically anyway. Moreover, /ato on clients will do no good unless KMS host has reached the threshold, contacted MS clearinghouse and grabbed specific tokens for each of the machines. This all will happen in due time, no need to rush.

The only issue may be that MAK clients are already past the 30 day grace period.
This is why activation requires proper planning. Or just stick to the MAK keys, there is no drama unless people take machines away from the company and use them at home like after being parted with. MAK activations are typically have very high maximum count, like 5000 per key (at least on our Enterprise Select).
Thanks CubeOver.. that makes sense.

The KMS host does not request specific tokens for clients, it simply needs to check in with Microsoft with your KMS host key, and once that is ok, then clients can start attempting to activate, but will fail until the threshold is met.

Install your KMS host, activate it against Microsoft and then switch your clients over to KMS.

To switch the clients over to KMS use:
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <ProductKey>

Open in new window

where the product ID is from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx. If you need to do this for all your clients, I would script it.

You can manually run /ato to quickly get your KMS host over the threshold, but as CubeOver points out, after they are converted to KMS clients, they will check in by themselves given time.