I have setup and activated my KMS server. I know that there is a threshold amount before the service begins to activate cleints. I have been adding window 7 clients and the "Current Count" is still at 0, as shown below:C:\WINDOWS\system32>cscript slmgr.vbs /dliMicrosoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.6Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 1996-2001. All rights reserved.Name: Windows(TM) Server 2003 KMS, Kms3 editionDescription: Windows(TM) Server 2003 KMS, VOLUME_KMS_B channelPartial Product Key: *****License Status: LicensedKey Management Service is enabled on this machine Current count: 0 Listening on Port: 1688 DNS publishing enabled KMS priority: NormalIs there any way to check the number of cleints that have attempted to activate through the KMS? The KMS server looks to be in DNS and the firewall on the KMS server is turned off. Also, I have been using the KMS cleint key for windows 7 that I was given. This allows computers to activate even if the KMS server is turned off. Something seems to not be working right but maybe everything is correct. Can anyone shed some light on this issue for me?Thanks in advance.

Hello JoeyC646,From the open elevated CMD prompt run slmgr /dlv on both the KMS host the KMS clients.Make sure the KMS clients are pointing to the expected KMS host machine.You may want to download the WAIK and install it. It contains the VAMT ( Volume Activation Management Tool) You can use this to query the machines make sure they are running the correct product keys to be KMS clientsThanks, Darrell Gorter This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Thanks Darrell. When I attempt to activate from the cleint, I get the following message: Code: 0x8007232B Description: DNS name does not exist When I run slmgr /dlv from the cleint I get the following info under the description: Windows Operating System - Windows(R) 7, VOLUME_KMSCLEINT channel So i beleive that to be the right key...I have been using a couple keys though. One key that is labeled "KMS Windows 7" under my licensing area. Not sure if this is meant for use on my host machine or my cleint machine but that one works on the cleint BUT the count doesn't increase on my KMS server. It prompts you with message stating that it is a KMS key.. I THOUGHT you were supposed to use the keys that are publically distributed to work with KMS? The one I was testing Win7 Pro machines with was: FJ82H-XT6CR-J8D7P-XQJJ2-GPDD4 Another couple things. When I add the computer to the domain and try to activate, I get a different error: 0xC004F074 The Software licensing service reported that the comptuer could not be activated. No Key Management Services could be contacted. When I check the KMS host, the count still remains at 0. Lastly, when I do an nslookup from the cleint, running the following: nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp, I get the correct output. It lists the kms server name, ip address, and port information. So, I guess my question is what key should I be using on my cleints? What am I missing here??? Many of these windows 7 machines are virtual machines, that shouldn't be an issue, should it? Any help would be greatly appriciated! Thanks, Joe

Hi Joe, Please refer to this article: When trying to activate you get 0xC004F074 with description "The Key Management Server (KMS) is unavailable" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974998/en-us You have to install an update first to enable your Windows Server 2003 KMS host to activate Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 clients. Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFT

Thanks Tim. I already have that update installed. I reinstalled it and tried again but the issue still remains. I am running my KMS server on a windows 2003 server. Any other ideas? I can use the "KMS Windows 7" Key that I have on my microsoft licensing page but that key seems to not increment the count on my KMS server...

I think I may have found the issue. The KMS key that I used on the host machine was meant for a Windows 2008 R2 server not a Windows 2003 server. I am going to install the software on a Win2008 R2 server and I will let you guys know if that resolved the issue. Thanks

Ok. So I installed a new windows 2008 r2 server with a win2008 r2 KMS host key. Everything looks good on the host now but I still have a few issues: 1. Computers appear to no be able to contact the KMS host unless the host is specifically set with the -skms switch on the cleints. 2. Cleints don't activate, which is normal since the threshold hasn't been hit. THe Error code on my cleints is 0xC004F074. 3. When they do contact the host, it regesters the request BUT doesn't increase the "Current Count". I am using lab manager to try and get the count over 25 by deploying customized vms, should this work?? Or do I need to use physical machines to get this count up. Any help with this would be great, been trying to get this thing running for days..

Hello JoeyC646, 1) Check the DNS server and see whether the new KMS host is registered with the correct RR for _vlmcs.tcp, I suspect it's not registered 2) I suspect the KMS clients are pointing to the incorrect KMS host yet, open and elevated cmd prompt, run slmgr /dlv on the KMS client and see which KMS host it's pointing to. Also check the firewall to make sure the 1688 port is open 3) Were the VMS sysprepped with the generalize switch? I suspect the CMIDs are the same so they appear as the same KMS client machine to the KMS host. It should count both Virtual and Physical machines Thanks, Darrell Gorter This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Ok..So I am getting closer.. it looks like when I specify the specific KMS server to use using the slmgr /skms 192.168.1.28:1688, then try to activate, I get a different error BUT the count does go up. SO, I guess the issue is with my local machines not pointing to the correct KMS server. I have the record in DNS and it looks correct. This is what it has listed: Domain: mydomain.com Service: _VLMCS Protocol: _tcp Priority: 0 Weight: 0 Port Number: 1688 Host offering this service: kmsserver.mydomain.com. 2 things to note. This record was created from the first KMS server that I had setup using windows 2003. I created a windows 2008 server with the same name, is this not ok to do? Also, the computers that I am trying to activate are not in the domain, could this have something to do with the issue? I have the dns servers specified in the network card.. Thanks for your help, we are almost there!

Hi Joe, Since your computers are in a workgroup (not a domain), you have to manually assign the KMS host to the clients. At the command prompt, type one of the following options and press Enter: a. To assign a KMS host using the host's FQDN, type: cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <KMS_FQDN>:<port> b. To assign a KMS host using the host's version 4 IP address, type: cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <IPv4Address><:port> c. To assign a KMS host using the host's version 6 IP address, type: cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <IPv6Address><:port> d. To assign a KMS host using the host's NETBIOS name, type: cscript \windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms <NetbiosName><:port> What’s the error you get when manually assigning a KMS host? Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFT

Thanks Tim and Darrell for your help. I guess my question is answered. I would like computers that are not part of the domain to activated automatically without having to specify the KMS server manually. I thought setting their DNS servers to DCs in my domain with the KMS server would allow this to happen BUT I may have just misunderstood how the KMS server worked. In my test enviroment, I tried setting the KMS server manually, then cloning the machine BUT the static KMS entry doesn't stick. I guess I could create a batch file on the desktop of the template machine that would statically assign the KMS server then activate the machine?? I am marking this issue as answered but if you have any other ideas on how to automatically activate KMS cleints in a workgroup, I am all ears. Thanks again. Joe

Hello JoeyC646, The machines in a workgroup do not have to be in a domain to be activated automatically. The KMS host is published to your DNS server, your workgroup machines should be able to pull the information from the DNS server. You may want to check the KMS clients and see what record they are getting from the DNS machine. Check this article, in particular method three and four to check the records from the client. 929826 Error message when you try to activate Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Business, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008: "Code 0x8007232b" http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;929826 Also run ipconfig /all check the primary DNS suffix entry, is it correct?Thanks, Darrell Gorter This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Thanks Darrell, you were spot on with primary DNS suffix info not being there. The root of this whole issue was that in the DHCP settings of my test enviroment, there wasn't a "DNS Suffix" specified. Once I set it to the KMS server's domain, all the computer's activated normally. Thanks again. Joe