You can run a KMS host on any physical or virtual system that is running a supported Windows Server or Windows client operating system. KMS hosts do not need to be dedicated servers, and KMS can be co-hosted with other services.
Most organizations can operate with as few as two KMS hosts for their entire infrastructure. If you have more than 50 clients, we recommend that you have at least two KMS hosts in case one of your KMS hosts becomes unavailable. PrerequisitesĪ single KMS host can support an unlimited number of KMS clients. To learn more about KMS and the initial planning considerations, see Key Management Services (KMS) activation planning. This article walks you through the steps you need to create a KMS host.
The KMS clients that a KMS host can activate are dependent on the host key used to activate the KMS host. KMS clients connect to a KMS server, called the KMS host, for activation. KMS uses a client-server model to active Windows clients and is used for volume activation on your local network.
