1. Install the VAMT on a host computer in the isolated lab workgroup. This computer can be running Windows® XP SP2, Windows Server® 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
   
   
2. Click the VAMT icon in the Start menu to open the VAMT Microsoft® Management Console snap-in.
   
   

• Ensure that the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) firewall exception has been enabled for all target computers. For more information, see Configure Client Computers.
  
  

1. Find the Add Computers pane in the center pane and expand it, if it is minimized.
   
   
2. Click the drop-down list to select the workgroup-discovery option and specify the name of the workgroup. Use the Filter by computer name field to search for a specific computer within the workgroup.
   
   
3. Click Add Computers.
   
   

The VAMT will search for computers and add the computers it finds to the CIL.

	Note
	For the VAMT to discover client computers in a workgroup, the network-discovery Windows firewall exception must be enabled.

1. In order for the VAMT to perform an action on any products, it must have current license-status data for those products. Collect status from individual products by directly selecting one or more computers in the product list-view pane.
   
   
2. Right-click the selected computers to display the context-sensitive Actions menu, or choose from the Action menu on the top menu bar, or choose from the Selected Items menu on the right-hand pane.
   
   
3. On the menu, click Update Status.
   
   
4. If you are activating products that require administrator credentials different from the ones you are currently using, choose the Alternate Credential option.
   
   
5. Provide an appropriate account and the corresponding password when prompted.
   
   

The VAMT will display the Collecting computer information dialog box while it collects the status of all installed products on the selected computers. When the process is finished, the updated status of those products will appear in the product list view in the center pane. It is possible to show more items in the product list pane after updating the status as there could be one or more Microsoft Office 2010 products installed, in addition to Windows and Windows Server.

	Note
	To retrieve the licensing status on the selected computers, the VAMT must have administrative permissions on the remote computers and WMI must be accessible through the Windows Firewall. In addition, for workgroup computers, a registry key must be created to enable remote administrative actions under User Account Control (UAC). For more information, see Configure Client Computers.

1. Click the Product Keys node under the VAMT node.
   
   
2. Find the Add Product Keys pane in the center pane and expand it, if it is minimized.
   
   
3. Enter a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) and then click Verify. Once verified, the Edition field will automatically populate.
   
   
4. Provide a meaningful description in the Remarks text box and click Add Product Key. The MAK will now be listed in the product key list view below.
   
   

	Note
	Because the VAMT is not installed on a computer with Internet access, the Refresh Product Key Data Online option will not operate.

1. Select the products installed on the isolated lab computers.
   
   
2. Right-click the selected product keys to display the context-sensitive Actions menu, or choose from the Action menu on the top menu bar, or choose from the Selected Items menu on the right-hand pane.
   
   
3. On the menu, click Install Product Key. The VAMT displays a list of available product keys in the next dialog box.
   
   
4. Select the desired MAK from the Select a key to install list and click OK. Only one key can be installed.
   
   
5. The VAMT displays the Installing product key progress window while it attempts to install the product key to the selected products. When the process is finished, the status will appear in the Action Status column of the progress window. Click Close to close the progress window.
   
   

The same status is shown under the Status of the last action column in the product list view in the center pane.

	Note
	It is possible for the MAK installation to fail due to mismatched key types or editions. The VAMT will display the failure status and continue the installation for the next product in the list. For more information on choosing the correct MAK or KMS host key, see How to Choose the Right Volume License Key for Windows (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=184603).

Note

Installing a MAK and overwriting the KMS client key on the client products must be done with care. If the RTM version of Windows Vista has been installed on the computer for more than 30 days, then its initial grace period has expired. As a result, it will enter Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) if online activation is not completed successfully before the next logon attempt. However, you can use online activation to recover properly configured computers from RFM, as long as the computers are accessible on the network. RFM only applies to the RTM version of Windows Vista or the retail editions of Microsoft Office 2010. Windows Vista with SP1 or later, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and volume editions of Office 2010 will not enter RFM.

In this step, the CIL is saved on the workgroup's VAMT host computer. In MAK proxy activation, it is critical to retain this file, because VAMT uses it to apply the Confirmation IDs (CIDs) to the proper products.

1. Select the individual products that successfully received a MAK in Step 6.
   
   
2. Choose the Save List menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display Save the Computer Information List dialog box.
   
   
3. Enter a desired CIL file name or select a directory and then enter a CIL file name such as “IsolatedLabGroup.CIL”.
   
   
4. Click Save only currently selected information if you wish to only save those selected products.
   
   
5. Click Save.
   
   

The enterprise’s security policy states that no information that could identify a specific computer or user may be transferred out of the isolated lab. Therefore, this type of data must be excluded from the CIL file to be transferred to the Core Network VAMT host.

1. Select the individual products that successfully received a MAK in Step 6.
   
   
2. Choose the Save List As menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display Save the Computer Information List dialog box.
   
   
3. Enter a desired CIL file name or select a directory and then enter a CIL file name such as “IsolatedLabGroupSecureExport.CIL”. The CIL file name must differ from the one entered in Step 7.
   
   
4. Click the Export only Installation ID and Product ID checkbox.
   
   
5. Click the Save only currently selected information checkbox, if you only wish to save those selected products.
   
   
6. Click Save.
   
   
7. Copy the IsolatedLabGroupSecureExport.CIL file to removable media, such as a disk drive, CD/DVD, or USB drive.
   
   

Note

Checking the Export only Installation ID and Product ID checkbox excludes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from being saved in the CIL file. Because of this, the CIL must be re-imported in this VAMT host computer and into the full-save CIL file, so that the CIDs requested from Microsoft (discussed in Step 10, below) can be correctly assigned to the computers in the isolated lab group. For more information on which fields are preserved in a secure export, see Computer Information List (CIL).

1. Copy IsolatedLabGroupSecureExport.CIL file from the removable media (see Step 8) to a drive on a VAMT host that has Internet access.
   
   
2. Open the VAMT Microsoft Management Console snap-in.
   
   
3. Choose the Open List menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display Open a CIL File dialog box.
   
   
4. Locate and select the IsolatedLabGroupSecureExport.CIL file and then click Open to load the CIL into the VAMT.
   
   
5. Confirm that the computer, group, and workgroup names are not visible.
   
   

1. Select the products and right-click to display the context-sensitive Actions menu, or choose from the Action menu on the top menu bar, or choose from the Selected Items menu on the right-hand pane.
   
   
2. On the menu, click Proxy Activate to open the Proxy Activate dialog box.
   
   
3. Clear the Apply Confirmation ID and Activate option, because this VAMT host is not on the same network as the selected computers.
   
   
4. Click OK.
   
   
5. The VAMT displays the Acquiring Confirmation Id dialog box while it contacts Microsoft and collects the CIDs.
   
   
6. Once the CIDs have been retrieved for all products, confirm the Pending Confirmation ID column has values. If this column is not shown in the center pane, click Add/Remove Columns under the View menu on the top menu bar and add Pending Confirmation ID to the Displayed Columns.
   
   

1. After confirming all products have received CIDs, save the CIL file.
   
   
2. Choose the Save List As menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display the Save the Computer Information List dialog box.
   
   
3. Provide a new name for the file, such as “IsolatedLabGroupSecureExportwithCID.CIL”.
   
   
4. Copy the updated IsolatedLabGroupSecureExportwithCID.CIL file to removable media, such as a disk drive, CD/DVD, or USB drive.
   
   

1. Copy the IsolatedLabGroupSecureExportwithCID.CIL file from the removable media (see Step 11) onto a drive on the VAMT host in the isolated lab.
   
   
2. Open the VAMT MMC snap-in.
   
   
3. Choose the Open List menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display the Open a CIL File dialog box.
   
   
4. Locate and select IsolatedLabGroup.CIL (saved in Step 7) to load the CIL into the VAMT. This displays the previously-discovered products and their license states in the product list-view pane.
   
   
5. Choose the Import List menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display the Open a CIL File dialog box.
   
   
6. Browse to the file that contains the CIDs, which was named "IsolatedLabGroupSecureExportwithCID.CIL” in the example above. This will start the merge process that matches the Confirmation IDs to the IIDs of the products.
   
   
7. Choose the Save List As menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display the Save the Computer Information List dialog box.
   
   
8. Enter a file name, such as “IsolatedLabGroupwithCID.CIL”, to save this file that associates the IIDs with the corresponding CIDs.
   
   

	Important
	Saving this file is critical for reimaging scenarios, as described below in Step 14. We strongly recommended that you back up this file and protect it from being overwritten.

1. Select the products that have been merged with the CIDs in Step 12.
   
   
2. Right-click to display the context-sensitive Actions menu, or choose from the Action menu on the top menu bar, or choose from the Selected Items menu on the right-hand pane.
   
   
3. On the menu, click Apply Confirmation ID to open the Apply Confirmation ID dialog box.
   
   
4. If you are activating products that require administrator credentials different from the ones you are currently using, select the Use Alternate Credentials check box.
   
   
5. Click OK.
   
   

The VAMT will display the Applying Confirmation Id dialog box while it installs the CIDs on the selected products.

If the computers in the isolated lab have been reimaged but the underlying hardware has not changed, the VAMT can reactivate them using the IsolatedLabGroupwithCID.CIL file (see Step 12).

1. Redeploy products to each computer, using the same computer names as before.
   
   
2. Open the VAMT MMC snap-in.
   
   
3. Choose the Open List menu from the context-sensitive Actions menu or from the Action menu on the top menu bar when the focus is on a node. The VAMT will display the Open a CIL File dialog box.
   
   
4. Select the IsolatedLabGroupwithCID.CIL file.
   
   
5. Right-click to display the context-sensitive Actions menu, or choose from the Action menu on the top menu bar, or choose from the Selected Items menu on the right-hand pane.
   
   
6. On the menu, click Apply Confirmation ID to display the Apply Confirmation ID dialog box.
   
   
7. Select the Force exact IID match check box, if the hardware has not changed since the initial proxy activation and you are using the same MAK to reactivate the computers. Clear this checkbox if the hardware has changed, but you would still like VAMT to attempt a reactivation using the previously stored CID. Note that the products might not be successfully reactivated in this scenario.
   
   
8. If you are activating products that require administrator credentials different from the ones you are currently using, select the Use Alternate Credentials check box.
   
   
9. Click OK.
   
   

The VAMT will display the Applying Confirmation ID dialog while it installs the CIDs on the selected products.

Note

Installing a MAK and overwriting the KMS client key on the client products must be done with care. If the RTM version of Windows Vista has been installed on the computer for more than 30 days, then its initial grace period has expired. As a result, it will enter Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) if online activation is not completed successfully before the next logon attempt. However, you can use online activation to recover properly configured computers from RFM, as long as the computers are accessible on the network. RFM only applies to the RTM version of Windows Vista or the retail editions of Microsoft Office 2010. Windows Vista with SP1 or later, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and volume editions of Office 2010 will not enter RFM.

	Note
	Reapplying the same CID conserves the remaining activations on the MAK.

• VAMT Step-by-Step Scenarios