Re: License keys: RTL vs MAK
Hi
You can find two kind of licence keys: the retail/oem keys and the VLK
(Volume License Keys).
First ones are those keys that should be individually activated by phone or
internet. Retail keys are distributed with retail boxes that you can buy in
stores, and oem ones are distributed with hardware (i.e. with a new PC).
With these keys, one key activates only one install in one machine. MSDN and
Technet Subscriptions Retail Keys are a special "Not Volume" keys that being
Retail Keys, allow 10 activations with the same key, allways under the MSDN
or Technet EULA.
VLK (Volume License Keys) are divided in three types: MAK 1 and 2, and KMS.
MAK 1 (Multiple Activations Key) is the first kind of VLK keys, and is used
with special media that allows to be activated without any communication to
license servers over the internet. The software recognizes the MAK 1 Key and
goes activated. With this kind of key and media, you have no technical
limitation to the number of installs activated, and is your responsability
to install the software only in as much hardware as licenses you bought.
MAK 2 is a new version of MAK Keys that allowa multiple activations, but
oppossed to MAK1, each installation must be activated over the internet (or
phone call). A Microsoft Server validates the activation and takes count of
the licenses bought. The benefit is that owners of MAK2 Keys take much care
with their keys not to be stolen and distributed over pirate forums. Vista
Enterprise and Server 2008 can use this kind of keys.
KMS (Key Management Service) is a new kind of Volume activations (used by
Vista Enterprise and Server 2008 too) that is targeted to great Enterprise
LANs. There, you install the licenses in a Server that has the Key
Management Service installed. The requisite is that KMS activated machines
must communicate with the KMS Server at least one time every six months. You
don't need to write the key on the Vista or 2008 install (useful in large
distributed organizations), but you need to have at least 25 Vista or 5 2008
Server machines to use this kind of VLK activations.
Regards
Jose Antonio Quilez
"mme000 (add @yahoo.it to my nick)" escribió en el mensaje de
noticias:uom0kchyIHA.4772@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> I'm the owner of a MSDN Premium (with Visual Studio Pro) license.
> Looking at the MSDN Subscriber Download site, I noticed that I have two
> different license keys for Windows Vista.
> There is one RTL license and one MAK license (which can be used for Vista
> Enterprise only).
> In the Subscriber Downloads FAQ
> (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/manage/cc137104.aspx) I
> can read:
>
> MAK - This volume license key (MAK) allows multiple activations.
> RTL - This retail key allows multiple activations.
>
> Which is the difference between these two keys if both "allows multiple
> activations"?
>
> Thanks,
>
> mme000
>
date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:34:42 +0200
author: José Antonio Quílez [MS MVP]
