Difference between MAK, KMS and ADBA activation

Last years I did multiple blogposts about activation based on MAK and KMS. Recently I did mention the ADBA license Pack too. This time some pros and cons beween these activation tools.

Multiple Activation Key (MAK) usage:
- For workgroup-joined systems (when no domain is used)
- Systems which are used outside the domain, and not connected in 180 days or more. Otherwise activation will be expired.

Key Management Service (KMS) usage:
- CMD-line based & domain wide, therefore a KMS host is need for every (child) domain.
- A minimum of 25 devices and/or 5 servers for activation
- Valid for 180 days, where every 7 days a check is done
- Windows 7 & Server 2008 support or later

AD-Based Activation (ADBA) usage:
- GUI based & forest wide, so no need to have a KMS host for every (child) domain
- No minimum on devices and/or servers (!)
- Activated during domain-join immediately, and removed when domain-join is undone or 180 days has passed.
- Windows 8 & Server 2012 support or later
- No TCP 1688 (KMS) is used, but default LDAP instead

Hope it's clear that ADBA is the way to go. Less servers needed and easier in communication and activation. Hope you like it too :-)

A setup guide can be found here: Installing Volume Activation Services Role in Windows Server 2012 to Configure ADBA

More blogposts about activation tools:
Update KMS hosts for Windows 10 activation
Usage of Microsoft Office 2016 KMS Host or ADBA License Pack
And many, many more...

Update KMS hosts for Windows 10 activation

Last month I did a blogpost on Usage of Microsoft Office 2016 KMS Host or ADBA License Pack. This time I want to show you what's needed to update existing KMS hosts for Windows 10 activation.

When KMS is installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 a hotfix is needed. It can be found here: Microsoft

After that a special key is needed. It's called Windows Srv 2012R2 DataCtr/Std KMS for Windows 10. You can find it on the following location:

On the Volume License Servicing Center go to Licenses > Relationship Summary, instead of going to 'Downloads and Keys' where you can find it normally. Navigate to the License ID and open the details of it, then select Product Keys. In that you find the key needed for Windows 10 activation mentioned earlier.

Just use the commands Slmgr -ipk <product key> and Slmgr -ato on your KMS host to update it for Windows 10 activation, and you will be fine! This also on Windows Server 2008 R2 :-)

Sources:
Activating Windows 10 on Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 KMS hosts
Windows 10 KMS Requirements (outdated)
Find and Update Your KMS Service Host Key To Activate Windows 10

Usage of Microsoft Office 2016 KMS Host or ADBA License Pack

Another blogpost about licensing. Before this 4 other blogposts where available, just have a look at that one also:
Key Management Services (KMS) explained
Using KMS Client Setup Keys during deployment
Usage of Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack
Usage of Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host License Pack

The Microsoft Office 2016 KMS Host License Pack must be installed before importing the KMS key. It can be downloaded at this location: Download Center. During installation the Office 2016 KMS key can be imported successfully.

Volume license editions of Office 2016 client products require activation. This download enables IT administrators to set up a Key Management Service (KMS) or configure a domain for Active Directory-Based activation (ADBA). Either of these volume activation methods can locally activate all Office 2016 clients connected to an organization’s network.

Just make sure your KMS host is running on Windows 7/8.x/10 or Windows Server 2008R2/2012/2012R2.

Active Directory-Based activation (ADBA)
For environments in which all computers are running Windows 8.x/10 or Windows Server 2012/2012R2, and they are joined to a domain, ADBA is the best option for activating all client computers and servers, and you may be able to remove any KMS hosts from your environment.

If you are using both KMS and ADBA, it may be difficult to see whether a client computer has been activated by KMS or by ADBA. Consider disabling KMS during the test, or make sure that you are using a client that has not already been activated by KMS. The slmrg.vbs /dlv command also indicates whether KMS has been used.

For future scenarios, ADBA is the way to go!

More on KMS activation: HERE
More on AD-based activation: HERE

How to setup a MS Office 2013 KMS Host on Windows Server 2012

Last month I did a blogpost about "Usage of Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host License Pack". This one is needed to activate Microsoft Office 2013 through KMS. When using the License Pack things can still go wrong. Let's have a look how to setup Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host on Windows Server 2012 first.

The KMS activation process for MS Office 2013 is the same as what it was for MS Office 2010. However, the interface to setup the KMS host for MS Office 2013 on a Windows Server 2012 has been updated to use the Volume Activation Tools.

1: Download the Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack from the Microsoft Download Center (MSDL) site;
2: Double-click the downloaded EXE to run it;
3: Once the EXE finishes running, the Volume Activation Tools wizard will appear;
4: On the next screen, choose Key Management Service (KMS) and browse to, or specify the name of, the system running Key Management Service. Typically, this would be the system you are running the Volume Activation Tools on;
5. Next, enter the KMS host (CSVLK) key;
6. Choose activation method, online or phone;
7. Activation Succeeded (or not);

When the activation fails because of STATUS_SUCCESS error, change the KMS listening port from 0 to 1688. Then it will be fine after all!

Configuration succeeded! Yeah!!

To trigger activation manually on the KMS client, run ospp.vbs /act at the command prompt. cscript "%installdir%\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\ospp.vbs" /act

Source (partly): How to setup Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host on Windows Server 2012

How to update an existing KMS Host (based on Windows Server 2008)

Last week it was needed to update an existing KMS host. This because new Operating Systems based on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 (both Windows 6.3) must be activated. Because an error message is displayed on Windows Server 2008, an hotfix must be installed first before importing the key. Let's have a look.

KMS (Key Management Service) activates computers on a local network, eliminating the need for individual computers to connect to Microsoft. To do this, KMS uses a client–server topology. Commands for setting up a KMS host can be found here: Key Management Services (KMS) explained. When using Windows Server 2008, an update is needed to activate Windows 6.3 systems.

This update extends KMS for Windows Vista, for Windows Server 2008, for Windows 7, and for Windows Server 2008 R2 to enable the enterprise licensing of Windows 8 / 8.1 and of Windows Server 2012 / R2. The update can be found here: Microsoft Support. After installing the update it's possible to update the KMS host finally.

Other blogposts about KMS available:
Using KMS Client Setup Keys during deployment  
Usage of Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack
Usage of Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host License Pack

Usage of Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host License Pack

Another blogpost about KMS again. Before this 3 other blogposts where available, just have a look at that one also:
Key Management Services (KMS) explained
Using KMS Client Setup Keys during deployment  
Usage of Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack

The Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Host License Pack must be installed before importing the KMS key. It can be downloaded at this location: Download Center. During installation the Office 2013 KMS key can be imported successfully.

Volume license editions of Office 2013 client products require activation. This download enables IT administrators to set up a Key Management Service (KMS) or configure a domain for Active Directory-Based activation. Either of these volume activation methods can locally activate all Office 2013 clients connected to an organization’s network.

Just make sure your KMS host is running on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012.

Usage of Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack

Another blogpost about KMS again. Before this 2 other blogposts where available, just have a look at that one also:
Key Management Services (KMS) explained
Using KMS Client Setup Keys during deployment  

When setting up KMS a Windows Server KMS key can be installed at first try. When using a Office (2010) key afterwards an error message is displayed.
Error: 0xC004F050 The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid

This because the Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack must be installed first. It can be downloaded at this location: Download Center. During installation the Office 2010 KMS key can be imported succesfully.

More information can be found on Microsoft TechNet also.