How to setup the Key Management Service on Windows Vista
This blog post outlines the process to setup the Key Management Service setup on a Windows Vista system. The Federal Vista Team would like to thank Joel Yoker for providing this content.
Those of you not familiar with the new Volume Activation 2.0 scenarios may want to read http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/default.mspx for some background on this technology.
1. Install Windows Vista Enterprise VL (DO NOT ACTIVATE from the UI)
2. Run the following command to install the product key
a. cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ipk <Volume License Key>
3. Run the following command to activate the product
a. cscript C:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato
4. Make the follwoing registry change
a. Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL
b. Value Name: DnsDomainPublishList
c. Value Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
5. Start and stop the Software Licensing service
a. Net stop slsvc
b. Net start slsvc
6. Validate that all domains have registered the KSM DNS SRV record entry: _VLMCS._TCP.<domain>
a. Check for the existence of the 12294 Application event log entry for both domains
b. Validate the existence of the record in DNS. E.g. -
> set type=srv
> _VLMCS._TCP.maintest.adstest.dept.mil
Server: UnKnown
Address: 10.0.0.2
_VLMCS._TCP.maintest.adstest.dept.mil SRV service location:
priority = 0
weight = 0
port = 1688
svr hostname = tismtw-kms.maintest.adstest.dept.mil
tismtw-kms.maintest.adstest.dept.mil internet address = 10.0.0.3
7. Validate by installing a client (requires 25)
8. You can also check the KMS by running the following command:
>cscript \Windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -dlv
Software licensing service version: 6.0.6000.16386
Name: Windows(TM) Vista, Enterprise edition
Description: Windows Operating System - Vista, VOLUME_KMS channel
Activation ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
Application ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
Extended PID: xxxxx-xxxxx-xxx-xxxxxx-xx-xxxx-xxxx.xxxx-xxxxxxx
Installation ID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Processor Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=57201
Machine Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=57203
Use License URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=57205
Product Key Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=57204
Partial Product Key: XXXXX
License Status: Licensed
Key Management Service is enabled on this machine
Current count: 5
Listening on Port: 1688
DNS publishing enabled
KMS priority: Normal
