Volume license key mak vs kms

Activations still last for days. When a re-activation event, the client will query AD for the Activation Object. In the event that the Active Directory object is unreachable, clients will attempt to use the next available activation method which is the KMS activation method.

If you unjoin a client from the domain, activation will fail on the next license evaluation. This typically occurs when a system is rebooted or the Software Protection Service is restarted. It leads to wonky behavior. You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in.

Otherwise, register and sign in. Products 72 Special Topics 41 Video Hub Most Active Hubs Microsoft Teams. Security, Compliance and Identity. Microsoft Edge Insider. Azure Databases. Autonomous Systems. Education Sector. Microsoft Localization. Microsoft PnP. Healthcare and Life Sciences. Internet of Things IoT. Enabling Remote Work. Small and Medium Business.

Humans of IT. Green Tech. MVP Award Program. As part of your installation, it is important to plan and manage deployment of any product using Volume Activation. The Key Management Service KMS is an activation service that allows organizations to activate systems within their own network, eliminating the need for individual computers to connect to Microsoft for product activation. It does not require a dedicated system and can be easily co-hosted on a system that provides other services.

KMS requires a minimum number of either physical or virtual computers in a network environment. These minimums, called activation thresholds, are set so that they are easily met by Enterprise customers. For more information about activation thresholds, see the Volume Activation Planning Guide. Each KMS host can activate an unlimited number of computers.

A Multiple Activation Key MAK activates systems on a one-time basis, using Microsoft's hosted activation services which requires connection with a Microsoft activation server. Once computers are activated, no further communication with Microsoft is required. Each MAK has a predetermined number of allowed activations, based on your Volume Licensing agreement. KMS is the preferred activation method for large scale deployments. Many factors determine the number of activations associated with each MAK, including licenses purchased, the customer purchase pricing level, and their Volume Licensing program.

The number of activations available for a product may not always match the number of licenses purchased. Usually you will receive a higher number of activations in case you need to reinstall and activate some of your products. Please check the Licensing Summary section of your agreement to see your number of licenses. Customers are free to use a combination of activation methods as desired.

Refer to the following resources for assistance in determining which key to use when activating a Microsoft Volume License product:. Read these Microsoft documents about Windows licensing and activation prior to deploying Windows or Windows Server. Additional resources include this video on Fundamentals of Volume Activation. Alternatively, for Offline Servers the activation wizard offers Phone or Web Activation as alternatives. During activation, you are requested to select the License Program and Agreement Number.

Note for Open License customers, you should enter your Authorization Number. License compliance and Asset Management are independent of key activation. Customers do not have to use the keys provided under a specific Licensing ID agreement, enrollment, affiliate, or license for use only with the licenses specified under that Licensing ID. If a parent organization which owns a chlld organization has an individual agreement, it can use the same key to deploy a product across both parent and child organizations.

Re-imaging rights are granted to all Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Under these rights, customers may re-image Original Equipment Manufacturer OEM or Full Packaged Product FPP licensed copies using media provided under their agreement as long as copies made from the Volume Licensing media are identical to the originally licensed product.

You can also request your keys through a Microsoft Activation Center. If you are an Open License customer, you must purchase at least one unit of the product that you want to re-image to obtain access to the product media and receive a key. For more information on Re-imaging Rights, see article on this page about reimaging rights.

However, if you download keys from the Licensing ID specific view on the Relationship Summary page, the file contains only the keys associated with the Licensing ID you are viewing. A downloadable Product Key file is in a tab-delimited format and can be opened in Excel to sort and view keys. What's new New posts New profile posts Latest activity. Members Current visitors New profile posts Search profile posts. Log in Register.

Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. New posts. Search forums. Log in. Install the app. Stay safe in your bubble! JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.