Upgrading Existing KMS Hosts

KMS hosts operating on Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 can be configured to support KMS clients running Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, it will be necessary to update the KMS host with a package containing the files supporting the expanded KMS client support. This package is available through the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads or through Windows Update and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Once the KMS host is updated, a KMS key that is designed to support Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 can be applied as described earlier in this tutorial. Note that a KMS key supporting these new versions of Windows provides backward support for all previous versions of Volume License editions of Windows acting as KMS clients.

In the case of updating a Windows Server 2003 KMS host, all necessary files are contained within the KMS 1.2 downloadable package, which is available through the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads. Once the KMS host is updated, a KMS key designed to support Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 can be applied as described earlier in this tutorial. A KMS key supporting these new versions of Windows provides backward support for all previous versions of Volume License editions of Windows acting as KMS clients.

Planning KMS Clients

By default, computers running Volume Licensing editions of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are KMS clients, and no additional configuration is needed. KMS clients can locate a KMS host automatically by querying DNS for SRV RRs that publish the KMS. If the network environment does not use SRV RRs, a KMS client can be configured manually to use a specific KMS host. The steps needed to configure KMS clients manually are described in the Volume Activation Deployment Guide at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=150083.

Activating as a Standard User

Windows 7 does not require administrator privileges for activation. However, this change does not allow standard user accounts to remove Windows 7 from the activated state. An administrator account is required for other activation- or license-related tasks, such as rearming.