Q: How often does my machine need to contact the KMS?
A: The product will attempt to contact the KMS to renew its activation period every seven days. If unable to connect after seven days, the machine will attempt to contact its KMS every two hours until it is successful. The product needs to communicate with the KMS every 180 days.
Q: What happens on the day 181?
A: Microsoft Vista will change its status from being licensed to starting a 30-day grace period. After the 30-day period expires, the product will shift to reduced functionality mode.
Q: Can I use a KMS from behind a firewall that uses NAT?
A: Yes. Communication with the KMS is originated from the client machine.
Q: Can I connect to the KMS from off campus using the TAMU VPN?
A:Yes. Microsoft has indicated that Microsoft Vista will attempt to connect to its associated KMS server after a VPN has been established, though this has yet to be tested.
Q: I run my department's firewall and need to know what port to allow.
A: KMS communication occurs on port 1688 using a TCP connection to kms.tamu.edu.
Every effort will be made to not change the IP address of the KMS.
