Kim Griffiths Sr. Product Manager Microsoft Corporation Seven things to know about volume activation Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Office 2010 Kim Griffiths Sr. Product Manager Microsoft Corporation Ty Balascio Sr. Program Manager Microsoft Corporation Session Code: CLI323

7 Things to Know What is Volume Activation? How does Volume Activation affect me? What methods exist to activate in the enterprise? What do I need to do to prepare for deployment? Which method is right for my scenario? How do I choose the right product key? Where do I go to get more information?

Activation: Why is it Important? Assurance Integrity and reliability of the software that you purchased is from a trusted source Manageability Avoid key leakage and the need to reactivate deployed systems Integrated into deployment process and tools Supportability Limited support - Software found to be non-genuine will not receive the full range of updates and support available to genuine software Requires low deployment/ management effort License Compliance Being out of compliance can result in financial penalties, and impact to reputation Assurance Manageability Supportability License Compliance

Volume Activation - Overview Activation required for Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008, and all subsequent editions and channel distributions Executed by IT pros Represents transparent end user activation experience Office 2010 will also require activation Key Management Service (KMS) for enabling local activation Eliminates the need for individual machines to connect and activate with Microsoft® Capable of activating unlimited number of systems, as long as the minimum threshold is established and maintained Client must connect with KMS host at least once every 180 days to keep activation current Multiple Activation Key (MAK) for activating with Microsoft One time activation with Microsoft hosted activation service Supports online, phone or proxy activations

Scenario Walkthroughs with Dave Choices… Scenario Walkthroughs with Dave

Activation?

The Easy Scenario - Core, Well-connected Environmental Characteristics All clients are always connected to the organization’s network (or connect on a regular basis) Assumes central or strong IT Most common scenario: Large number of systems to activate Server and client operating systems; Office 2010

The Easy Scenario - Core, Well-connected Solutions KMS with DNS auto-discovery Single service can support multiple products and editions Firewalled environments (e.g. labs) that can open TCP 1688 Use the same KMS host(s) as Core Auto-discovery vs. direct connection depends on lab DNS configuration

Key Management Service (KMS) demo Key Management Service (KMS)

Core - Solved

But what about my test and development environments?

The Moderate Scenario - Smaller Networks, Still Connected Environmental Characteristics All clients are connected to the lab or test network Not managed and may not be standardized High turnover of systems Can be made up of physical, virtual or both Unknown lifetime

The Moderate Scenario - Smaller Networks, Still Connected Solutions If used <120 days, do not activate Where a sufficient number of systems exist, use KMS KMS key has limited number of activations, may require exception handling Security concerns about delegating the KMS key to every isolated lab owner Use MAK and VAMT Save CID for rebuilds

demo Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) and Multiple Activation Key (MAK) Activation

Dev and Test - Solved

But what about my disconnected or isolated users?

The Complex Scenario - Disconnected or Isolated Environmental Characteristics Locked down firewalled environments without any external access Completely disconnected/unreliable communications Minimal number of systems

The Complex Scenario - Disconnected or Isolated Solutions Where a sufficient number of systems exist, use KMS KMS key has limited number of activations, may require exception handling Security concerns about delegating the KMS key to every isolated lab owner Admin must activate KMS host by phone Where you can connect to them, MAK proxy activation with VAMT Where you cannot connect, MAK - Activate with phone call May not be scalable

Disconnected - Solved

Configuration Recommendations Principles Keep it simple Use KMS as much as possible, and minimize the number of KMS hosts Central KMS for all, if politically possible Two hosts should be sufficient for most Best solution for virtual machines Use MAK only where needed OK in small organizations and deployments In medium and large organizations, use MAK only where you cannot use KMS Customers will probably need to use both methods KMS port (TCP 1688 by default) should never be exposed outside the organization Access to a KMS host is the same as handing out free volume licenses

Activation – Solved!

Choices… The Right Product Key

Some “Key” Points Sorry for the pun Product keys are available on the Volume License Service Center (VLSC) Portal Need to know the information required to choose the right product key from VLSC Understand how the product keys are grouped What products are being activated? Understand the nature of product keys Which method are you going to use (KMS or MAK)?

Product Key Groupings Windows Client VL Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Enterprise Server Group A Windows Web Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Server Group B Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Server Group C Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems

The Right Key for Core - KMS KMS keys are hierarchical in nature Choose the highest in the hierarchy to meet your needs Single KMS host to support multiple products Each key activates the products in a product group, as well as the groups lower in the hierarchy Also activates the products in the previous generation Question to Ask: What products are being activated? Server C Server B Server A Client VL

The Right Key for Dev/Test and Disconnected MAK keys are lateral in nature Product keys for MAK activations are directly associated with a single product group and can only activate the Windows editions within that specific product group Each “generation” has a specific MAK (e.g. Windows 7 client VL MAK will only activate Windows 7, not Windows Vista) Server C Server B Server A Client VL

Session Summary – Things to Know What is Volume Activation and how does it affect me? Activation is required for all editions of Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 (and Office 2010) What methods exist to activate Windows in the enterprise? KMS, MAK, MAK Proxy with VAMT What do I need to do to prepare for deployment and how do I know which method is right for my scenario? Know what is being deployed and how the systems connect Choose the method that best suits the environmental characteristics How do I choose the right product key? Know the method that you will use and which editions of Windows are being activated Where do I go to get more information? Windows Volume Activation TechCenter: http://www.technet.com/volumeactivation

Related Content Required Slide Speakers, please list the Breakout Sessions, TLC Interactive Theaters and Labs that are related to your session. Related Content Breakout Sessions CLI323 Seven Things You Need to Know about Volume Activation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Interactive Theater Sessions CLI01-IS Activating Windows: What You Need to Know When Deploying Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in the Enterprise

Track Resources Required Slide Track PMs will supply the content for this slide, which will be inserted during the final scrub. Track Resources Volume Activation TechCenter on Springboard http://technet.microsoft.com/volumeactivation

question & answer

Resources Required Slide Speakers, www.microsoft.com/teched TechEd 2009 is not producing a DVD. Please announce that attendees can access session recordings at TechEd Online. Resources www.microsoft.com/teched Sessions On-Demand & Community www.microsoft.com/learning Microsoft Certification & Training Resources http://microsoft.com/technet Resources for IT Professionals http://microsoft.com/msdn Resources for Developers

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