[VISTA] FAQ: Windows Vista Volume Activation: Can a Windows 2003 Server SP1 machine run Key Management Services for Windows Vista?
- From: "Jim Kenzig ThinHelp.com" <jkenzig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: vista@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 20:26:35 -0400
Well as you start to get Windows Vista systems in, the question of licensing
is going to come up. I've had to do some research on this topic to answer
my own questions and now am sharing my results.
In the enterprise you mainly have a choice of either Vista Business or Vista
Enterprise. The big difference in Vista Enterprise over Business is that
Enterprise will allow you to make up to 3 VM's with the same license on one
Vista Machine. Useful for developers!
At any rate you have a choice of licensing Vista with either a what is
called a Mutilple Access Key(MAK) or setting up your own Key Managment
server (KMS) on site. Microsoft tries to explain its Vista licensing for
volume activation users a bit at:
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/default.mspx
Vista licensing is unlike other versions of Windows in that it will want to
be reactivated every 3 months. It does this either by contacting Microsoft
Servers using the MAK or by contacting a KMS server you have set up in your
environment. There is a stipulation about havint the ability to have a KMS
and it is there must be at least 25 Vista nodes to run it. Obviously if you
do not allow internet access to your users your choice is limited to KMS.
If you have less than 25 machines in your Office and don't allow internet
access you probably will be SOL after 3 months time. : (
So the rumour going around I have been gettingt told is that a Vista KMS can
only be run on either a Vista Machine or on Server 2008 (formerly code named
Longhorn and still not available yet!). This is not the case though!
Microsoft in March of this year released Key Management Server software that
WILL run on Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later Servers. You can go out and
get it now from:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=81d1cb89-13bd-4250-b624-2f8c57a1ae7b&DisplayLang=en
You will also want to have a look at the Windows Vista Volume Activation
Technical guide which also has included a web page you can set up to recover
licenses that have gone into Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) (go read up on
that one!) Check it out at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9893F83E-C8A5-4475-B025-66C6B38B46E3&displaylang=en
Hope this gets a few of your questions answered about Windows Vista Volume
licensing and gets you pointed in the right direction to get started as
Windows Vista Systems will be coming your way sooner than later!
--
Jim Kenzig
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Services
http://www.thinhelp.com
Citrix Technology Professional
Provision Networks VIP
CEO The Kenzig Group
http://www.kenzig.com
Blog: http://www.techblink.com
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