Microsoft Surface 3 - Manual (Page 15)

© 2014 Microsoft Page 15
Licensing
An important consideration when deploying the Windows operating system is how licensing will be managed for the
deployed devices. There are four standard solutions for the management of licenses and each has implications for the
deployment process. These four solutions, described in the following sections, are:

Single license key

Multiple Activation Key (MAK)

Key Management Service (KMS)

Active Directory-Based Activation (ADBA)
Single License Key
Single license keys are available in several varieties, including Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), retail or Fully
Packaged Product (FPP), and retail upgrade. In a deployment scenario where the devices are licensed through OEM or
FPP channels, the license key will need to be manually entered on each computer individually to properly facilitate
activation. Some computers can have operating system product keys embedded into the system firmware through OEM
Activation 3.0 (OA 3.0). This includes the product key supplied with the Windows 8.1 Professional installation included
with the Surface Pro 3. The order of precedence for product key activation is:
1. Answer file
2. OA 3.0 product key in the system firmware
3. Product key prompt
As such, in order to ensure the OA 3.0 key is used in a deployment to the Surface Pro 3, no answer key should be
specified in an answer file or included in the image.
Multiple Activation Key (MAK)
For organizations with Volume Licensing agreements, there are three methods managing licenses. The first is Multiple
Activation Key (MAK), which is a license key that can be used on more than one computer, though it must be activated
on each. To deploy Windows with a MAK, include the key in the deployment task sequence or specify they key with the
answer file. For more information about task sequences, see the
Task Sequences section in this chapter.
Key Management Services (KMS)
Another method of managing volume licenses is Key Management Services (KMS). With KMS, an organization maintains
a server that manages activation of the clients and communicates the activation data back to Microsoft. To deploy
Windows using KMS, no key is required during deployment. Volume License versions of the Windows Client are pre-
configured as KMS clients and will attempt to discover a KMS host if no other qualifying license is discovered.