Is it possible to relocate a KMS server once it has been put into production? The issue we face is this, we are starting our 2008 deployment and would like to make our dns, dc and dhcp servers based on core roles. The problem is, we dont have a server where we can really host this that wont be touched within the 6-12 months due to upgrade. Its starting to look like we are going to be required to install a gui instance of 2008 running our DC and DHCP just to host the KMS service so its on a machine that will be remaining static going forward. I cant believe this is the only viable option?I am aware that this can be run on a vista client, 2003 or 2008 server and on these OS's in a virtual environment but I dont want to be forking out for a license just to run this service.Please instruct.Thanks

Yes, you can relocate. The KMS key that you received is good for starting up to five (or six, I forget) KMS servers. Part of the installation writes an SRV record into your DNS, and that's how Vista and 2008 clients find a KMS server. (You can force them to specific server if you want, but you can also let them look things up in DNS.) There is no information that is shared among the KMS servers - each one needs the 5 2008 servers and/or 25 Vista clients (all physical) to start activating clients. Information that is kept for each physical server/client is kept only for about 30 days and then it is flushed from that KMS server, so you need to keep those physical boxes on the network to keep the KMS server activating. I don't understand your comment about a license. KMS doesn't require a license. tgc

Thanks for your answer. I was referring to an OS license just to have a dedicated static machine to keep and run the KMS service.

Just put KMS on another box/virtual machine that you know will be up most of the time. The volume of traffic to/from the KMS is very, very light. We scaled up thousands of machines renewing their requests to minutes instead of the default of seven days. It hardly affected the machine. That test threw more traffic on the network, but the KMS server wasn't even breathing hard! It's something like one IP packet to/from the server from each client every seven days. tgc