How to set KMS server on client?

CTX219672

{{tooltipText}}

Article | Licensing | {{likeCount}} found this helpful | Created: {{articleFormattedCreatedDate}} | Modified: {{articleFormattedModifiedDate}}

Information

Sometimes after properly following the preparation steps, on start up the Operating System shows only 3 days remaining to be activated, or Office prompts users to activate now, or similar. This doesn’t necessarily indicate an issue with PVS image preparation, or with the streamed image.  It’s up to the KMS client (OS or Office) to start the activation process, which can be triggered at any time from KMS client product start up. To expedite this process, the following commands can be utilised:

  • Operating Systems: slmgr /ato
  • Office installations: launch the Office application and run cscript ospp.vbs /act

The KMS clients come with a key pre-installed, called the Generic Volume License Key (GVLK) or KMS Client Setup Key. The presence of the GVLK is what makes a system a KMS client. The KMS clients find the KMS host via a DNS SRV record (_vlmcs._tcp) and then automatically attempt to discover and use this service to activate themselves. When in the 30 day Out of Box grace period, they will try to activate every 2 hours. Once activated, the KMS clients will attempt a renewal every 7days.

To identify if a KMS activation has been triggered by the client, we can look for the events in the event log of the KMS client machine. Below you will see a snippet from Application event log from my machine. A successful activation/reactivation on the client will have two events, 12288 and 12289. If you only see the 12288 event (without a corresponding 12289) it means that the KMS client was not able to reach the KMS host or it did not respond/response was lost. In this case, confirm that the KMS host is discoverable and reachable by the KMS client systems.

How to set KMS server on client?

In the 12288 event entry, the most relevant piece of information is data in the Info section. For example, the FQDN and TCP port used by the client to attempt activation is shown, along with the current state of the client. The FQDN can also help to troubleshoot cases where the count on a KMS host is not increasing. For example, if there are too many KMS hosts available to the clients (either legitimate or rogue systems) then the count may be distributed over all of them.

An unsuccessful activation will not always mean that the client has 12288 and not 12289. A failed activation/reactivation may also have both events. This is where you need to examine the second event to confirm the reason for the failed attempt.

How to set KMS server on client?

In the 12289 event entry, the Info section is also where you will look to find what you need:

  • Activation Flag

    • This will be a 1 (successful) or 0 (failure) on the attempt.

  • Current Count on the KMS Host

    • The client will log the count received by the KMS host. If activation fails, it may be because the count is not sufficient for this client OS or that there are not enough systems in the environment to build the count.

You can also look for the above information by running the slmgr /dlv command. Below is a snippet of the output of the command.

How to set KMS server on client?

It’s important to understand that PVS has no control over when the activation will take place. If the/ato command is successful, Windows will show as ‘activated’ shortly. If it does not, this should be troubleshot as a KMS client activation issue outside of PVS. Remember PVS involvement is only to ensure unique CMID generation.


Additional Resources

KMS with PVS: https://www.citrix.com/blogs/2014/05/01/demystifying-kms-and-provisioning-services/

How to troubleshoot the Key Management Service (KMS): https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee939272.aspx

Volume Activation Troubleshooting: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793439.aspx

KMS Activation Timing and Discovery for Volume Activation: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn502530(v=ws.11).aspx


Disclaimer

Citrix is not responsible for and does not endorse or accept any responsibility for the contents or your use of these third party Web sites. Citrix is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Citrix of the linked Web site. It is your responsibility to take precautions to ensure that whatever Web site you use is free of viruses or other harmful items.

What is a KMS client setup key?

To use KMS, you need to have a KMS host available on your local network. Computers that activate with a KMS host need to have a specific product key. This key is sometimes referred to as the KMS client key, but it is formally known as a Microsoft Generic Volume License Key (GVLK).

How to configure KMS in DNS?

Manually create a KMS SRV record To open DNS Manager, select Start, select Administrative Tools, and then select DNS. Select the DNS server on which you have to create the SRV resource record.