Activating Windows Server VMs with a Windows Datacenter License Key

[admin-sdk]

Hi,

we have been experiencing serious SES-related problems with our Hyper-V-Failovercluster for a couple of weeks now.
Since this is really annoying and we do not want to trouble our heads about it anymore we thought extending one of our Proxmox-Clusters and migrating all the virtual machines (vhdx) to it could be a good idea.

We should be able to handle the migration itself but have some questions about proper licensing of our Windows VMs.

The first question is: Are there any known issues when it comes to licencing Windows Server VMs on third-party-hypervisors? And how is it done technically?
As far as we know it should be no legal problem to run Windows Server VMs on another hypervisor since the Windows license refers to bare metal and not to the operating system running on it.
We have two nodes with two six-core-CPU´s each and two Windows Server Datacenter Licences (16 cores each - which is the minimum).
Licence - Activation on a Windows Server WM is quite easy if it runs on a Hyper-V-Server: You simply type in "slmgr /ipk <AVMA_Key>" in an elevated cmd-shell and it is done. AVMA stands for Automatic VM Acitvation, it is the default way to activate Windows VMs on Hyper-V (https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/windows-server/get-started-19/vm-activation-19). On the other hand the purchased licence is used to activate the Hyper-V-Server. So slmgr makes sure that there is a properly licenced Hyper-V-Server. Which just works fine if you use one.
But what will do the trick on a proxmox cluster? Where to type in the Windows Datacenter licence to acitvate our Windows Server VMs? Do we have to use our Datacenter Licence to activate the guest operating sytems?

The second question: Is it sufficient licensing only two of five Proxmox nodes with a Windows Datacenter License if we make sure that all of our Windows Server VMs run exclusively on those two nodes? Could we move the VMs to one of the other three nodes in an emergency (failover case - this should be possible with failover rights, I think)?

Any help is highly appreciated.

Cheers!

Gergö

 

[wolfgang]

Hi,

KVM has AFIK no mechanism to provide the Microsoft Datacenter Key to the VM's.
This is mainly a legal problem, so I would contact a Microsoft Licence Manager and ask if this is allowed.

 

[admin-sdk]

Hi Wolfgang,

many thanks for your fast reply! We are in contact with Microsoft. It seems that we have to activate our VMs directly with our Datacenter license key, although I am not quite sure about this yet. I will keep you all updated.

Meanwhile ... if any of you out there has any experience with activating Windows Server VMs with a Datacenter key (it is pretty clear with Standard) on Proxmox, please let me know...

thanks and bye

Gergö

 

[johng]

Hi,

Newbie here in Proxmox Forum. Wonder if someone was able to activate Windows Server 2019 DataCenter on Proxmox?

We have a 12 Core host and inside is a VM with Windows Server 2019 DataCenter Evaluation version. I am looking to activate it using the MAK key we have for our Windows Server 2019 DataCenter Volume Licensing but getting error running the PowerShell Script to activate the license.


PS C:\Users\Administrator.XXXXXXXXXXXXX> DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.17763.1282

Image Version: 10.0.17763.1432

Current edition is:

Current Edition : ServerDatacenterEval

The operation completed successfully.

PS C:\Users\Administrator.XXXXXXXXXXXXX> DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.17763.1282

Image Version: 10.0.17763.1432

Editions that can be upgraded to:

Target Edition : ServerDatacenter

The operation completed successfully.

PS C:\Users\Administrator.XXXXXXXXXXXXX> DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.17763.1282

Image Version: 10.0.17763.1432


Error: 1168

The specified product key could not be validated.
Check that the specified product key is valid and that it matches the target edition.

The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log

 

[christian.g]

Hi Wolfgang,

many thanks for your fast reply! We are in contact with Microsoft. It seems that we have to activate our VMs directly with our Datacenter license key, although I am not quite sure about this yet. I will keep you all updated.

Meanwhile ... if any of you out there has any experience with activating Windows Server VMs with a Datacenter key (it is pretty clear with Standard) on Proxmox, please let me know...

thanks and bye

Gergö

Hi,

what was the outcome?

Regards

 

[johng]

Hi All,

Just to give an update about this WIndows Server DataCenter licensing to a VM on Proxmox host. I had to ring Microsoft Licensing Support as well for a case to be created and was passed to one of their technical support engineers.

They sent me the instructions below and have provided a KMS Datacenter setup key (AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEE - not the exact key/s)

As you are using a MAK key, the steps below for your reference:

1. Please backup important data before making changes
2. Here let’s proceed with the help of Windows Server 2019 KMS Datacenter client setup key,
3. Please run Powershell as admin, run the command below:
dism /online /set-edition:ServerDatacenter /productkey:AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE /AcceptEula
4. After the command completed, please run the commands below to install your product key

Slmgr /upk
Slmgr /ipk <Your MAK Product key>
Slmgr /ato


With this; we were able to activate Windows Server 2019 DataCenter on one of the VM's on a Proxmox host.

I just quite confused as Windows Server 2019 DataCenter license suppose to be able to activate unlimited VM's per host. I imagine that the license should be activated on the host rather to the individual VM. There are a number of online references about licensing the host but mostly on a Hyper-V which is a microsoft product all together (may this is why it's possible for them to integrate). Can find much either if you need to activate the DC license to a VMware host and not on a VM...so quite lost on that part.

And also how CAL licenses would be adminstered and managed on a Proxmox VE. Can't find much info on this either. Hoping to get some information about these here..

Thanks
John

 

[gogi100]

my company has Volume licence for Windows server data center 2019. can i use this key for activating Windows server 2019 virutale machines on the kvm proxmox and how?

 

[birdy]

If MAK key was entered into clients during installation, is KMS activation still possible?

I think so. If you have your KMS-activation server in place, newly installed clients/servers (with their default keys) are automatically activated within AD. Clients that have a MAK-key installed can be switched back to the default (KMS-)key. Either by hand or scripted (see also commands used in earlier replies in this thread).

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/kmsclientkeys

 

[wahrwolf]

Hi All,

Just to give an update about this WIndows Server DataCenter licensing to a VM on Proxmox host. I had to ring Microsoft Licensing Support as well for a case to be created and was passed to one of their technical support engineers.

They sent me the instructions below and have provided a KMS Datacenter setup key (AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEE - not the exact key/s)

As you are using a MAK key, the steps below for your reference:

1. Please backup important data before making changes
2. Here let’s proceed with the help of Windows Server 2019 KMS Datacenter client setup key,
3. Please run Powershell as admin, run the command below:
dism /online /set-edition:ServerDatacenter /productkey:AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE /AcceptEula
4. After the command completed, please run the commands below to install your product key

Slmgr /upk
Slmgr /ipk <Your MAK Product key>
Slmgr /ato


With this; we were able to activate Windows Server 2019 DataCenter on one of the VM's on a Proxmox host.

I just quite confused as Windows Server 2019 DataCenter license suppose to be able to activate unlimited VM's per host. I imagine that the license should be activated on the host rather to the individual VM. There are a number of online references about licensing the host but mostly on a Hyper-V which is a microsoft product all together (may this is why it's possible for them to integrate). Can find much either if you need to activate the DC license to a VMware host and not on a VM...so quite lost on that part.

And also how CAL licenses would be adminstered and managed on a Proxmox VE. Can't find much info on this either. Hoping to get some information about these here..

Thanks
John

It seems that you can actually use the GVLK (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/kms-client-activation-keys) to set the correct edtition and than activate it with the MAK.