14 DAY TRIAL // There are more ways than one to activate the latest Windows client from Microsoft, and enterprise customers managing complex IT infrastructures will undoubtedly opt to set up a Key Management Service (KMS) in order to manage the activation of Windows 7 computers. A new resource available from Microsoft is designed to help IT administrators that run into problems with Windows 7 KMS activation troubleshoot their way out. At the start of this year, Microsoft launched a new addition to the Volume Activation TechCenter on TechNet, dubbed “How to troubleshoot the Key Management Service (KMS).”
“It is a simple process to set up the KMS host…and the KMS clients discover and attempt to activate on their own. But what happens if it doesn’t work? What do you do next? The most common issues seen by our customers (and how to resolve them) are outlined in the Volume Activation Operations Guide, under Volume Activation Troubleshooting. This blog will walk you through the resources you need to troubleshoot, while the information in the Guide starts with the problem to be solved and the possible ways to fix it,” the company notes.
“How to troubleshoot the Key Management Service (KMS)” is designed as a cheat sheet offering guidance for IT pros on how to leverage resources such as Event Logs and slmgr.vbs in order to troubleshoot problems with KMS activation on both the KMS host and KMS clients, revealed Microsoft’s Kim Griffiths. Admins will need to remember the URL for the How to troubleshoot the Key Management Service (KMS) on TechNet just in case they’re running into any issues with the volume activation of Windows 7 via KMS.
“KMS is a client – server model. It is conceptually similar to DHCP. Instead of handing out IP addresses to clients on their request, KMS enables product activation. KMS is also a renewal model, with the clients attempting to reactivate on a regular interval. There are two roles: the KMS host and the KMS client. The KMS host runs the activation service and enables activation in the environment,” Microsoft explains. “The KMS client is the Windows operating system that is deployed in the environment and needs to activate. KMS clients can be running any edition of Windows that uses Volume Activation.”