Windows Vista Volume Activation Tools Released

On February 19th, 2007, Microsoft publicly announced the release of ‘new’ Windows Volume Activation tools, including the Volume Activation Management Tool, the Key Management Service for Windows Server 2003, and the KMS Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005.

For a brief description and links to the ‘new’ Windows Volume Activation tools, please see below:

· The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the volume activation process using a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). VAMT can perform both MAK proxy and MAK independent activation of single or multiple remote computers running volume editions of Windows Vista at once. Additionally the tool provides the activation status of computers running any edition of Windows Vista in the environment, and also can return the remaining activation count for MAKs. This tool is available on the Microsoft Download Center.

· The Key Management Service (KMS) for Windows 2003 (x86) provides customers with much requested functionality of running KMS on Windows Server 2003. KMS enables customers to host a local service within their environment which can be used by volume editions of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise for activation. KMS is currently available in x86 and x64 versions in English, German, and Japanese, for use with these Windows Server 2003 editions: Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter, Service Pack 1 or 2. Additional support for all standard Windows Server 2003 languages is expected to become available in March 2007. Customers can download the 64-bit version from the Microsoft Download center at Key Management Service (KMS) for Windows 2003 (x64).

· The third tool, the KMS Management Pack for Management Operations Manager 2005 allows enterprise customers to monitor and report the health of the KMS host that is fulfilling the activation requests within their organization. System administrators can create alerts for conditions that could indicate KMS outages or impending problems. When coupled with other data sources, such as System Center Configuration Manager, IT professionals can have a complete view of all volume-licensed machines in their environment. The MOM pack is available in x86 and x64 versions in English only as of February 2007.

Next Steps:

Links to the tools are as follows:

v Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)

o https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=77533

v Key Management Service (KMS) for Windows 2003 (x86)

o https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82964

v Key Management Service (KMS) for Windows 2003 (x64)

o https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83041

v KMS Management Pack for Management Operations Manager 2005

o https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83014

Link to More Information:

For more information about Windows Vista Volume Activation 2.0, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/plan/volact1.mspx

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft US Senior Manager
Small Business Community Engagement
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights