Windows 7

Activation
Improvements
With the release of the Windows 7 Operating
System, Microsoft has appreciably improved its
Volume Activation (VA) technologies and
tools. In addition to confirming software
authenticity and providing assurance that
software is reliable and fully supported by
Microsoft and its partners, the activation
technology in Windows 7 includes the
following enhancements:
Improved interfaces for greater usability
and customization
Easier, more flexible activation, reducing
administration resources
Improved integration and manageability of
activation service and keys for more
administrative control
Help improve performance and reduced
memory footprint for greater efficiency
Most of these enhancements stem directly from
Microsoft listening to customer and partner
feedback. Accordingly, the fun-damental VA
toolset remains intact, and organizations can
take advantage of these VA improvements
without overhauling their current activation
infrastructure. Volume Activation Management
Tools (VAMT), Multiple Activation Key
(MAK), and Key Management Server (KMS)
continue to assist in license compliance while
helping to reduce the risks associated with
unauthorized key use.
Volume Activation
Windows 7s VA features build upon
foundational VA tools and services introduced
in Windows Vista

:
The Key Management Service (KMS).
KMS provides organizations the capability
for hosting and managing the activation
within a managed environment.
Organizations using KMS receive a KMS
key which can be installed on a KMS host
(or hosts) set up within the organization.
Systems connect to the KMS host and
activate transparently.
Multiple Activation Key (MAK).
With a MAK, organizations use Microsoft
hosted activation services to activate each
eligible system in the organization. Each
MAK has a predetermined number of
allowed activations, matching the number
of eligible systems throughout the
organization.
Notifications. If activation does not occur
within a predetermined timeframe, or if
activation problems arise in an existing
installation, any non-compliant machines
will display regular notifications alerting
users to the activation issue.
For more information on existing VA services
and tools, see the Volume Activation Overview
Guide at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc303274.aspx
Activation
Improvements
The following high-level summary highlights
key VA improvements in Windows 7 and
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Enhanced User Experience
Improvements in the VA user experience mean
organizations can customize the interface more
precisely, avoid potential problems better, and
resolve activation issues faster:
Interface Customization. Organizations
can change a variety of interface elements
to provide a targeted experience for their
internal users. For example, administrators
can customize a URL for a quick, managed
resolution if an activation-related issue
occurs.
Messaging Improvements. Both end-user
and administrator error messages have
been clarified and improved, including the
addition of more troubleshooting
information.
Improved Notifications. Notification
dialogs provide more action-based
information and options leading to faster
issue resolution.













Using genuine software
provides assurance that the
software is reliable and
fully supported by
Microsoft and its partners,
while helping to protect
against security threats.

Windows 7

Activation Data Sheet

Improved Activation as Part of
Deployment
The VA technologies have also been improved
to better integrate with a customers current IT
infrastructure in the following ways:
Virtual system counting. With the
Windows Vista release of KMS,
organizations could activate virtual
systems once there were a sufficient
number of physical machines. With
Windows 7, KMS now tallies both
physical and virtual systems toward the
minimum threshold required for KMS
activation, making KMS a great option for
organizations that rely heavily on
infrastructure virtualization.
Improved DNS. Since the inception of
KMS, the KMS-to-client activation
process has been automated and
transparent (to both end-users and
administrators) through use of SRV A
records. Windows 7 provides
administrators greater control over how
KMS and clients interact across their
Domain Name System (DNS)
environments, to:
Enable installation of KMS on a
single host in a zone, even though the
clients may reside throughout the
various DNS zones.
Balance traffic among multiple KMS
hosts using SRV DNS record host
priority and weight, thereby allowing
network administrators to fine-tune
KMS client behavior across
distributed environments.
Token-based activation. In unique
situations in which systems require
activation but are in a disconnected
environment (no network or phone access).
Token-based activation is an alternative
activation option available for approved
Microsoft Volume Licensing (VL)
customers. This option enables customers
to use their own public key infrastructure
(PKI) and digital certificates (the tokens,
typically stored on smart cards) to activate
Windows 7 locally without contacting
either Microsoft activation services or any
internal customer infrastructure.
Improved Manageability
Several enhancements help administrators better
manage both their activation service
deployment and their activation keys:
Expansion of Windows Management
Instrumentation (WMI) properties. With
Windows 7, the Software Licensing
Service class WMI properties and methods
have been enhanced to allow for greater
flexibility and control. For example,
administrators can access the number of
rearms remaining, avoiding a situation in
which they might be unaware that they are
low.
Modified hardware tolerance values.
With Windows 7, a need to reactivate is
less likely to be triggered by an out-of-
tolerance condition.
Consolidated management portal. All
previous VL portals have been
consolidated into the improved Volume
Licensing Service Center (VLSC). This
single portal comes with numerous
improvements designed to help
organizations identify, track, and organize
all of their keys from a single, easy-to-
access location.
Transparent MAK limit handling. With
Windows 7, if a customers MAK usage
approaches the current MAK limit, the
back-end service hosted by Microsoft
automatically revises the limit, thus
reducing the manual administration time.
Improved Efficiency
In addition to the feature enhancements listed
above, the Windows 7 VA technologies and
tools perform better and require fewer system
resources as the result of optimized service
execution, and reduced disk I/O and memory
footprint, providing a more secure and flexible
activation experience.
For additional information on Windows 7 for
enterprise customers, please visit
http://microsoft.com/windows/enterprise






































Additional Resources
Learn more about volume activation:
http://technet.microsoft.com/volumeac
tivation
Visit the Volume Licensing site:
http://microsoft.com/licensing
Learn more about the Windows
Automated Installation Kit (AIK):
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc748933.aspx
Find information on Windows 7
Enterprise Edition:
http://microsoft.com/windows/enterpri
se/products/