ESX and MIcrosoft KMS

[NeelR]

Hello All,

Does anyone have KMS running on VMware? Our desktop department tried to get the KMS system running on VMware Workstation/GSX/Server and has no luck. Apparently it doesnt work on virutal servers...or at least VMware. We dont have ESX yet to test, so was wondering if anyone here has gotten it to work.

If anyone is unfamiliar with KMS it is the Key Managment Service for Vista.

"The idea behind KMS is that you have a single Server running KMS which can then handle activation for all your Vista clients, so that they don't have to connect back to Microsoft every single time."

Cheers,

Neel

[EshuunDara]

I know the version that ships with Win2k8 can be used in a VM -- my current KMS server is running Win2k8 standard for my Win2k8 servers and my Vista PCs... works just fine.

[brad_ault]

Are you using DRS? what happens if the KMS server is moved from one ESX server to another? Does is continue to work or does the KMS server need to be reactivated?

Thanks

[Shmern99]

I don't know about workstation/server, but with ESX3.5 KMS works fine, we have a KMS on Windows 2008 server installed on ESX 3.5 installed our split site Data Centers, and are able to VMotion, even across to the other Data Center with no issues, Storage VMotion also works fine.

Hope that helps.

Darren

[Datarad]

I have a followup question.

I have two esx 3.5 hosts and serveral virtual servers. Will KMS work even though I don't have five physical machines?

In your case i guss that you have more than 5 physical machines.

Thanks in advance

[fontyyy]

No, he means he's running the KMS service itself on a VM, that's no big deal but the server won't start handing out activations untill it receives 5 requests for activation from 5 servers running directly on hardware. You could have 5 Server 2008 VM's running on 5 different ESX hosts and it still won't count them, you need 5 physical Server 2008 machines to get a KMS activation, it will then activate anything (virtual or not) fine.

Why I don't know (other than the obvious to stop you running everything on ESX theory).

[cfizz34]

Have you had to move it move than 9 times?

Figure 2 Core network scenario

Note A KMS host can be installed on a virtual machine, but select a virtual machine that is unlikely to be moved to a different host computer. If the virtual KMS host is moved to a different host computer, the operating system detects the change in the underlying hardware, and the KMS host must reactivate with Microsoft. KMS hosts can activate with Microsoft up to nine times.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd878528.aspx