Windows Server 2022 Standard activation on ESXi with Windows Sever 2022 Datacenter

Question

Hi,

We bought 3 DELL servers, for each of them we have Windows Server 2022 Datacenter ROK 16 core licenses..

According to the license terms, having a Datacenter license for the hosting server, I can install any number of VMs with Windows Server 2022 Standard.

I can install VMs with a GVLK key, but I can't activate them because I don't have a KMS server, and I can't have it because I don't have a MAK key, and the original Datacenter is not accepted.

How can I activate Standard version servers on VMs?

Answer 1

Hello  Jakub Brodecki,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Since you don't have a KMS server and can't use the Datacenter license key for activation, you can use a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) for the Standard edition on your VMs. Here's how you can proceed:

1. Purchase a MAK:

Obtain a MAK for Windows Server 2022 Standard from a licensed vendor or Microsoft.

1. Install the Standard Edition:

Install Windows Server 2022 Standard on your VMs.

1. Activate Using the MAK:

Open Command Prompt as an administrator on each VM and run the following commands:

slmgr /ipk [your-MAK]

slmgr /ato

Replace with your actual MAK key[your-MAK].

1. Verify Activation:

Ensure that the activation was successful by checking the activation status in the System Properties or by running slui in the Command Prompt.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan

Answer 2

Use AVMA Keys - if you are using Hyper-V as the Hypervisor.Automatic Virtual Machine Activation in Windows Server | Microsoft Learn