KMS Server role on a desktop, is it even possible?


  1. Posts : 56
    whatever
       #1

    KMS Server role on a desktop, is it even possible?


    Hello, i was going back and forward trough many toutorials and tips and trics articles about using KMS licencing for office. And i am getting more and more confused.
    I would like to know if am i even on a good tracks.
    Long story short
    School i work at have 60 microsoft office licences it is volume licence MAK type.
    Activation counter is set to 0 of 100 so far but i didn't activate anything yet in fear of using up the counter.
    I wanted to setup a KMS server, because i had read it can be done on windows 7/10pro for office, but i quickly run into a wall of not having microsoft domain controller(s) and installation asked for server remote tools.(i used that before i know what it is for)
    None of the toutorials shows clearly what are system requirements of KMS server anyway so i don't even know if it can be done on standalone workstation let alone desktop operating system, or do i require dedicated windows server with a server role as a kms provider.
    I do not know what is the difference between KMS key and generic volume licencing key listed in those toutorials, so i need help understanding the basics of how it works. Even a simple answer why it would never work without ... insert apropriate item name , would be a great help.

    If not a KMS server, what are my options? How to expand that 100 activations limit or how to reset it when i use them all when for instance i am forced to reinstall 2 classrooms in a day because some students bypased antivirus to install counterstrike.

    If you need to know i am not from united states , my school is located in Poland , Europe and my english skills might be lacking, so please keep this in mind before bashing me for poor manners or spelling. i am basically typing it phonetically how i hearit without english autocorrect and 90% of words are red because they don't fit polish dictionery plus i am dislectic.
    But enough excuses. Any help is welcome. if you can point me in the right direction i follow it until i find solution.
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  2. Posts : 3,453
       #2

    KMS can run on any workstation - it needs to be set up with a CSVLK (from VL centre)

    It sets up the IP port (1688 if I remember correctly) and clients with the client setup key polls that IP for activation - the initial pirate KMS stuff ran on in a standard VM as KMS host (no server components) so it's quite simple.

    MAK's do not need to be re-installed on the same PC it get's a Digital licence (incorrectly ot not)

    My work notebook was initially MAK installed and got a generic MAK digital licence after upgrade. I haven't tried clean install though but pretty certain one can skip the key and the generic will take over.
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  3. Posts : 56
    whatever
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Ok now we are getting somewhere. i have additional questions though.

    1 Whan i log in to volume licencing centre i have no CSVLK listed below any version of office, i have volume licencing tools avalable to download (key mannagment service host) for every version but no mention of CSVLK key for any of them, only MAK keys are listed. Do i have to buy such option from microsoft or do they issue CSVLK key to me if i ask them for free?
    Or perhaps i looking for it in the wrong place?

    2 Is the KMS dedicated computer required to be part of a domain network? If not is there any toutorial of how to set up stand alone KMS server, because i can only find domain bound ones (which use remote domain mannagments tools to install kms on workstation but still pull autorisations from the domain controller)
    Activating hosts to a KMS server which is outside a domain is much easier though, it can use simple script with server ip in it so even if i can't auto discover the server it can still be activated via script that is run once or on startup weekly

    To be honest i have open licence for the school, so even "3rd party" activation server could possibly work in legal grey zone if we won't exceede number of copies we own.
    At least this is what i was told by the seller in 2014 when we bought office 2013 for another 40 computers. Then again we never did that. We installed office 2010 on all the vista boxes and 2013 on all the win7>>win10 boxes so we kind of had 200 activations for 40 computers total with mak keys, and now we have 100 with 60 keys , quite a different ratio.
    There was also office 2007 molp key so we used that where was no internet or if the computersa were often restored

    To be perfectly honest we stand very strong if it goes for sheer number of separate licences for the office, but that MAK activation method is messing us up. i miss molps.
    We have 29 office 2000 pro licences, 20 office xp pro, 40 2007 pro split in two 20 licences packs, 40 for 2013 pro and now 60 for 2019/2016 standard i am getting a bit overwelmed. Even though we only have 130 computers inentire campus including mannagment.
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  4. Posts : 3,453
       #4

    I don't have any practical experience with it - my knowledge is what I have picked up during 'covert operations under-cover' getting 'intell' on piracy - so that's all I know unfortunately...
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  5. Posts : 56
    whatever
    Thread Starter
       #5

    darn, microsoft really like to make piracy happen instead of just give people tools they need with the product they paid for
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,068
    Windows 10 Pro
       #6

    I used MAC keys in a prior job and whenever our counter got near the max, we just called MIcrosoft and they reset it for us. We used to upgrade physical hardware but bring the OS and office with us. Thus, 100 installs became 200 and 300 over time.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 56
    whatever
    Thread Starter
       #7

    solution for owning legal volume licence and not owning volume licence server ended up being half grey matter.
    1 since our school phisically own legal volume licences for software we have the licence to have x copies of that software activated
    2 software should not remain activated if computers with it would wander out of our school with it to uphold volume licencing terms of licencing, licence remain with the school not with the hardware
    3 we don't really care who issue activation token on the school own device, what we care about is the absolute number of activated copies of the software for any given open licence we own (regardless of which version of office is activated , a total number of copies must be smaller than the number of licences)
    that being said we gone grey route, by installing py-kms via docker on one of our file servers with no auto discovery option enabled, i need to point to the server for activation and keep track of how many copies is activated at any given time (or restrict the number in server settings)
      My Computer


 

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