[clivebuckwheat]

Hi

In our organization we do not have active directory and we have over 1000 computers on the network. We are trying to setup a KMS server for volume activation for are Windows 7 and Office 2010 products. We have run into a snag.

The issue is as follows, when we use the vamt tool to discover new pc's it doesn't discover any pc's when we point it to the workgroup they are located in. Obviously we do not want to manually enter the ip of each pc, because all the pc's.use dhcp.

Can anyone point me into the right direction as to why the VAMT tool isn't discovering any new pc's when we point it to the workgroup all our pc's are located in?. Is there a setting on the server or client machine I need to look for to make this happen?.

Right now, we are testing the vamt tool on a windows 7 station, do we need to be using Windows 2008 server r2 for the vamt tool to work correctly?.

This post has been edited by clivebuckwheat: 22 September 2010 - 02:38 PM

[myselfidem]

Hello!
WAMT 1.2 is a part of WAIK for Windows 7. You can find some help inside "WAMT 1.2 Help" file.

Quote

Create a registry value for the VAMT to access workgroup-joined computers

Important: This section contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: http://support.micro....com/kb/256986.

On the client computer, create the following registry key using regedit.exe.

Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system
Enter the following details:
Value Name: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

Type: DWORD

Value Data: 1

Note: To discover VAMT-manageable Windows computers in workgroups, you must enable network discovery on each client.

Configure Windows Firewall to allow VAMT access across multiple subnets
KMS Activation
Regards

This post has been edited by myselfidem: 22 September 2010 - 04:03 PM

[clivebuckwheat]

Thank you, I still seem to be having majors issues with the VAMT tool. Any advice would be of great assistance.

I did the test you suggested on a windows xp workstation I added the regkey to a machine in one of my labs and did a search on that specific workgroup the machine resides in, and it didn't find the machine.

I have a couple of questions hopefully someone can shed some light upon

1. We are on a Novell Network with no active directory to speak of, can we still setup a kms server, using the vamt tool for volume activation for Office 2010, and Windows 7?

2. We have a mixture of Windows xp and Windows 7 clients both have office 2010.If we get the ip of a station and manually type it into the vamt tool it seems the windows 7 machines are found but not the Windows XP stations, any advice as to why this is happening?

3.It seems I am still unable to search using the VAMT tool by workgroup. Does this functionality require active directory?

4. The firewall is disabled on all clients I am trying to discover using the VAMT tool.

5. Does windows xp have the network discovery feature?, if so where?, could that be the reason why I can't discovery any stations using a workgroup search with VAMT?

6. Right now I am doing my test with the VAMT tool installed on a Windows 7 workstation, do I have to use Windows server 2008 r2 for my testing?

myselfidem, on 22 September 2010 - 03:19 PM, said:

Hello!
WAMT 1.2 is a part of WAIK for Windows 7. You can find some help inside "WAMT 1.2 Help" file.

Quote

Create a registry value for the VAMT to access workgroup-joined computers

Important: This section contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: http://support.micro....com/kb/256986.

On the client computer, create the following registry key using regedit.exe.

Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system
Enter the following details:
Value Name: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

Type: DWORD

Value Data: 1

Note: To discover VAMT-manageable Windows computers in workgroups, you must enable network discovery on each client.

Configure Windows Firewall to allow VAMT access across multiple subnets
KMS Activation
Regards

This post has been edited by clivebuckwheat: 22 September 2010 - 07:23 PM

[myselfidem]

Hello!
I read inside VAMT 1.2 Help

Quote

Overview
The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables network administrators and other IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the Microsoft Windows volume activation process. The VAMT can manage volume activation using Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) or the Windows Key Management Service (KMS). You can install this tool as a stand-alone application on any computer that has one of the following Windows operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008R2.

Important: The VAMT is designed to manage volume activation for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008R2. Computers installed with volume editions of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 cannot be managed using the VAMT.

Quote

Key Management System (KMS) activation: use the VAMT to configure client computers for KMS activation. KMS client keys are the default product keys used by Volume License editions of Windows Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008R2.

What's New in Group Policy
How to configure RPC dynamic port allocation to work with firewalls

[clivebuckwheat]

Thanks Myselfidem, but every time I do a search via workgroup using the VAMT TOOL. Nothing shows up, but if I manually type in the ip of a computer or the computer name into the vamt tool it will find the computer. Would you know of what I have to do to be able to use the search by workgroup feature in the VAMT?

myselfidem, on 23 September 2010 - 03:15 AM, said:

Hello!
I read inside VAMT 1.2 Help

Quote

Overview
The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables network administrators and other IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the Microsoft Windows volume activation process. The VAMT can manage volume activation using Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) or the Windows Key Management Service (KMS). You can install this tool as a stand-alone application on any computer that has one of the following Windows operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008R2.

Important: The VAMT is designed to manage volume activation for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008R2. Computers installed with volume editions of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 cannot be managed using the VAMT.

Quote

Key Management System (KMS) activation: use the VAMT to configure client computers for KMS activation. KMS client keys are the default product keys used by Volume License editions of Windows Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008R2.

What's New in Group Policy
How to configure RPC dynamic port allocation to work with firewalls

[myselfidem]

Hello!

Quote

Note: To discover VAMT-manageable Windows computers in workgroups, you must enable network discovery on each client.

Regards

[clivebuckwheat]

how would I do this on windows 7 and xp stations?

myselfidem, on 23 September 2010 - 05:28 AM, said:

Hello!

Quote

Note: To discover VAMT-manageable Windows computers in workgroups, you must enable network discovery on each client.

Regards

[myselfidem]

Hello!
You can find some help here:
http://www.howtogeek...-windows-vista/
http://www.howtogeek...ndows-7-and-xp/
http://www.intel.com...tween-computers

[clivebuckwheat]

Network discovery is file and print sharing in XP?

myselfidem, on 23 September 2010 - 06:07 AM, said:

Hello!
You can find some help here:
http://www.howtogeek...-windows-vista/
http://www.howtogeek...ndows-7-and-xp/
http://www.intel.com...tween-computers

[cluberti]

Network discovery is a firewall rule set in Vista and Win7, so if you go looking for it you won't find it. Basically, it's an amalgamation of firewall rules for allowing in (on a Vista/Win7 machine) Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD), Netbios, Functional Discovery Resource Publication (FDRP), Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP), and Web Services for Devices (WSD) requests. Windows XP obviously doesn't have FDRP or WSD at all, nor LLTD by default - but you *can* install the LLTD listener for XP by installing the update in 922120 (you should do this on any mixed networks where XP and Vista or Win7 will co-exist).

However, if VAMT isn't discovering your machines and you're *in a workgroup setting*, you need to have both netbios and LLTD working - otherwise, you won't find anything (DNS isn't a broadcast medium, so LLTD and netbios are used for discovery).

[clivebuckwheat]

Thank you sir i will try, and let you know.

cluberti, on 23 September 2010 - 08:05 AM, said:

Network discovery is a firewall rule set in Vista and Win7, so if you go looking for it you won't find it. Basically, it's an amalgamation of firewall rules for allowing in (on a Vista/Win7 machine) Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD), Netbios, Functional Discovery Resource Publication (FDRP), Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP), and Web Services for Devices (WSD) requests. Windows XP obviously doesn't have FDRP or WSD at all, nor LLTD by default - but you *can* install the LLTD listener for XP by installing the update in 922120 (you should do this on any mixed networks where XP and Vista or Win7 will co-exist).

However, if VAMT isn't discovering your machines and you're *in a workgroup setting*, you need to have both netbios and LLTD working - otherwise, you won't find anything (DNS isn't a broadcast medium, so LLTD and netbios are used for discovery).

[clivebuckwheat]

I got the search by workgroup working, but I am still not out of the woods yet.The machine that the VAMT tool was installed on didn't have Netbios over tcp/ip enabled. Once I enabled it the search worked by workgroup using the vamt tool.

My next issues are below,

I have a couple of issues that I am hoping will be answered here.

1. To have clients connect to my kms server and auto activate. I need to use one KMS key for Office 2010 and one KMS key for Windows 7?. is this correct?. From the research I have done Office 2010 and Windows 7 can be hosted on one kms server as long as I have the proper kms keys? which I plug into the server. Is this correct?

2. Do I still need to use an activation script in my post configurations after imaging to connect to the kms server?, or is there somewhere on the client pc's I need to point it to the kms server?

Thanks for all the great assistance and advice.

[cluberti]

#1 - Auto activation should work if your KMS is discoverable. The VAMT docs should have guided you through that setup, but if not, it's always easily found on Technet.

#2 - No, KMS is auto activation (both Windows and Office) as long as you meet the minimum number of activations and the KMS server is discoverable by hosts on the network (which ties back to #1). You don't have to do anything (you can, but you don't have to).

[clivebuckwheat]

I have gotten the search working via workgroup, but I have a lot of unknown fields in my machine list. When I say use current credentials within the VAMT tool . I get the following error "Unable to connect to wmi service on remote client"

Is there anything I must do on the clients to have them populate the data fields in the VAMT tool.

See attached screen shot.  VAMT Tool.jpg (196.15K)
Number of downloads: 12

cluberti, on 23 September 2010 - 08:02 PM, said:

#1 - Auto activation should work if your KMS is discoverable. The VAMT docs should have guided you through that setup, but if not, it's always easily found on Technet.

#2 - No, KMS is auto activation (both Windows and Office) as long as you meet the minimum number of activations and the KMS server is discoverable by hosts on the network (which ties back to #1). You don't have to do anything (you can, but you don't have to).

[cluberti]

Connecting to remote WMI means you must allow remote WMI management, and the account connecting to the remote machines must have access in DCOM (dcomcnfg) and WMI (wmimgmt). Also, if the firewall is enabled, you must enable WMI traffic through the firewall as well.

[clivebuckwheat]

Cluberti, a couple more questions

1. When you say the account connecting to the remote machines must have access to DCOM and WMI. Do you mean the local account on the client pc's or the account on the server?

2. The dcom service is on, on my xp clients, as well as the wmi service

3. The firewall is off on the clients trying to connect to the VAMT tool

I am still getting access denied, when I say use current credentials in the VAMT tool. Can you suggest anything else. As always thanks for everything you have been a great help to me in learning all this.

cluberti, on 30 September 2010 - 02:22 PM, said:

Connecting to remote WMI means you must allow remote WMI management, and the account connecting to the remote machines must have access in DCOM (dcomcnfg) and WMI (wmimgmt). Also, if the firewall is enabled, you must enable WMI traffic through the firewall as well.

Attached File(s)

•  Screen shot 2010-10-02 at 12.37.46 PM.png (21.51K)
  Number of downloads: 4

This post has been edited by clivebuckwheat: 02 October 2010 - 10:38 AM

[clivebuckwheat]

I still seem to be getting access denied it has to be a wmi problem. I have scoured the net and tried many solutions. Does anyone have any advice, to point me into the right direction.

[clivebuckwheat]

Solved.

[cluberti]

Sorry, have been out of town and haven't been back to see your responses since my last post. Mind re-posting what you did to resovle it?

[clivebuckwheat]

Thank god your back. I spoke to soon, I will post where I am in the process. Maybe you can help me shed some light on my error / lack of knowledge in this kms debacle

cluberti, on 08 October 2010 - 12:09 PM, said:

Sorry, have been out of town and haven't been back to see your responses since my last post. Mind re-posting what you did to resovle it?