Activate an individual device over a private network by using VAMT 3.0 (Industry 8.1)

7/8/2014

Learn how to activate an individual Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry (Industry 8.1) device on a private network by using the Volume Activation Management Tool 3.0 (VAMT 3.0).

If your device is (or can be) connected to a private network, but does not have direct access to the Internet, you can use the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) 3.1 running on a proxy server to act as an intermediary between the device and the Internet. The proxy server functions as a bridge between the private network and the Internet, and enables the device to communicate indirectly with the Microsoft licensing servers.

For more information on options for activation, see Select an activation method.

Prerequisites

• A device operating as the VAMT host (acting as the proxy server), which includes the following:
  • Windows 8.1 Assessment and Deployment Kit is installed.
  • An SQL database is installed.
  • The VAMT host has internet access.
  • The VAMT host has private network connectivity.
  • The VAMT host has access to TCP ports 80 and 443.
• The device to be activated contains the following:
  • Configured WMI and Windows PowerShell remote access. For more information, see Allow WMI and Windows PowerShell remote access on a device.
  • Private network connectivity.
  • An administrator account with a password.

To activate an individual device over a private network using VAMT

1. On the VAMT host, open VAMT.

2. In the left pane, expand the Products node, right-click the Windows node, and then click Discover Products.

   

3. In the Discover Products dialog box, select Manually enter name or IP address, and then enter the name or IP address of the device you are going to activate.

   

   When VAMT successfully locates the device, it will display it in the center pane.

   Note

   You can search for the device or devices you want to activate in several different ways. For information about the other options, see Volume Activation Management Tool Technical Reference.

4. Right-click the device in the center pane, click Update license status, and then click Alternate credential.

   

5. In the Windows Security dialog box, enter the user name and password for an account with administrator user rights on the device, and then click OK.

   Note that the administrator account must have a password or VAMT will fail.

6. A window will open and display the status of VAMT’s attempts to update the device’s information. This update can take several minutes to complete.

   

7. When the process has completed, click Close.

   Note that the center pane will now have the value Notification in the License Status column for this device.

8. Right-click the device in the center pane, click Activate, and then click Proxy activate.

   

9. In the Proxy Activate dialog box, select Acquire confirmation ID, apply to selected machine(s) and activate, select Use Alternate Credentials when applying confirmation ID, and then click OK.

   

10. In the Windows Security dialog box, enter the user name and password for an account with administrator user rights on the device and click OK.

11. A window displays the status of VAMT’s attempts to activate the device over the Internet. After a few minutes, the device will be activated.

    Note that the value in the Licensed Status column has now changed to Licensed.

    

See Also

Concepts

Manage activation by using Volume Activation Management Tool