First published on TECHNET on Oct 08, 2018
Hi! I'm Graeme Bray and you may remember me from previous articles such as KMS Activation for Windows Server 2016 . Today's installment will coincide with a new Windows Server release. I'm going to focus on getting you to enable AD Based Activation for those of you who have not yet done so.
The location for the KMS Host Key is the same as Windows Server 2016. You need to find the key on the Microsoft Volume License Service Center.
KMS Activation for Windows Server 2019 can be run from the following Operating Systems with the appropriate prerequisites:
** Note** - Updated on Dec 4, 2018 with latest KB's resolving some known issues. **Note**
Windows Server 2012 R2
July 2016 Servicing Stack Update: KB3173424
November 27, 2018 Preview of Monthly Rollup: KB4467695
*Note* - If you're reading this after a subsequent Patch Tuesday, the most recent Cumulative Update will include these changes as well. They were originally introduced in KB4343891.
Windows Server 2016
May 2018 Servicing Stack Update: KB4132216
November 27, 2018 Cumulative Update: KB4467684
*Note* - You can install any future Windows Server 2016 Cumulative update and get these fixes. Most Organizations would have installed KB4457131 as part of their patching process. All fixes for Windows Server 2016 are cumulative.
Retrieve KMS License Key from the VLSC for Windows Server 2019
To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
Install the Volume Activation RSAT Tools
Log into a Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016 Machine
I know, you need *what* to enable AD Based Activation? Stay tuned for a future article (from yours truly) on how to delegate THAT access.
This is the *only* time that you need to use the CSVLK (KMS Key) to activate a system, at least in this forest.
Client Licensing
Now, if you're like me, you always do a search for "Appendix A KMS" on your favorite search engine (Bing, of course!). That takes you to the below link which gives you the appropriate Generic Volume License Key (GVLK) that is hardcoded to each OS to activate. If you download the ISO from the Volume License Service Center, this key is already in the OS and ready to activate.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/kmsclientkeys
A couple of caveats as far as AD Based Activation:
For more details: Activate Using Active Directory-based Activation
Windows Server 2019 Activation: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/get-started-19/activation-19
Now, get going! Activate Windows Server 2019 in your environment. Use it in a lab, see what use case scenarios you can find to implement some new features. You should expect to see more from us on Windows Server 2019 features in the future.
Thanks!
Graeme
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