KMS License Authentication

Outline of License Authentication

The KMS (Key Management Service) license authentication method that we use has following features.

It does not require the user to enter a product key when installing
Instead, it requires a periodic license authentication granted by the license authentication servers (KMS Host) in the university.

License authentications must be done in the following time spans.

The first license authentication must be done within 30 days. (First Allowance Period: OOB)
Following authentications must be done within 180 days. (Licensed Period)

License authentication is done automatically, so normally users will not have to deal with this process.

Management Policy of the University

License cannot be verified if the product is implemented through packages provided by a third party.
License cannot be verified for the computers other than the school faculties/staffs' PCs and on-campus students PCs managed by the school office.

We do not manage KMS Host with automatic search settings.
Users are required to manage KMS Host settings manually on their computers.
However, the installation packages we supply are set to register automatically when installed.

License Authentication Procedure

After implementing the software we supply, you can verify your license by the following procedures.

Windows OS
Microsoft Office(Windows)
Microsoft Office(Mac)

Windows OS

Click “Control Panel" on your Windows Menu.
Choose “System and Security" on your Control Panel.
Click “System" on the menu.
Check your “Windows Activation" status.
If Windows has not been activated, click "View Details in Windows Activation".
Click “Activate". Finally, check the validity of KMS host and license authentication.

Microsoft Office (Windows)

Although your license cannot be verified through graphical user interface, you can check the validity of your license by the following procedure.
(The same procedure can be applied to both Microsoft Word and Excel.)

Open Microsoft PowerPoint and click "Open Other Presentations"
Click “Account" from the menu on the left-hand side.
Check your license status at "Product Information" on the right-hand side.

Microsoft Office (Mac)

Currently Microsoft Office for Mac does not require Windows License Verification.
Therefore you are not required to enter a product key or to verify your license when you install.
However, please note that updated versions might require you a verified license.

If Automatic Registration Fails

In normal conditions, the installer of our university should set KMS Host automatically.
If it fails to register, please check the following.

Check 1： Time (or time zone) settings on your computer

Check if your PC's time setting meets the following criteria.

Time zone is set to UTC+09:00.

Time is set properly to the current time.

Check 2 ： The internet connection settings of your antivirus software (including series of ESET products) *only if you are using antivirus software.

If you are using an anti-virus software (such as ESET) read the following.

Connection settings (firewall) of your anti-virus software might be restricting connection with the server outside.
If that is the case, please change your settings to allow connection.

If your problems are still unsolved, please verify your license through one of the following methods.

Method 1: By installing a registry file

Method 2: By verifying your license using the Windows CMD command line.

Method 1: Installing a registry file (Approx. 5min)

Required file

kms.zip (a text-type file which users can read the contents)

Download the ZIP file.
After checking the credibility of the file, double-click the ZIP file to extract contents.
Double-click the registry file (with the file name extension of .reg) in the ZIP file.
Your screen will black out for a moment and the system will launch UAC (User Account Control).
Once you verify, the installation will complete.
Authentication will complete a short while later. Check GUI window to see the status.

Method 2: Verifying your license using the Windows CMD command line. (Approx. 10min)

Users using Windows OS

Launch Command Prompt as an administrative authority.

Find Command Prompt using search.

Right-click Command Prompt at the search results and then click "Run as Administrator".

From Start menu, go to All Programs > Accessories to find Command Prompt.
Right-click Command Prompt and then click "Run as Administrator".

Register KMS Host on your PC. (If KMS Host you have registered beforehand, you do not need to take this step)
> slmgr /skms kms.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp:1688
Start the verification of the Windows License manually.
> slmgr /ato
To check if the verification went successfully or to see how long your license lasts, enter following command.
> slmgr /dlv

Users using Microsoft Office (on a Windows PC)

Launch Command Prompt as an administrative authority.

Find Command Prompt using search.

Right-click Command Prompt at the search result and then choose “Run as Administrator".

From the Start menu, go to All Programs > Accessories and find Command Prompt.
Right-click Command Prompt and then choose “Run as Administrator".

Go from current working directory to the directory where the Microsoft Office is installed.
- If you are using Office 2013 (on 32 bit OS)
  > cd "C:¥Program Files¥Microsoft Office¥Office15"
- If you are using Office 2013 (on 64 bit OS)
  > cd "C:¥Program Files (x86)¥Microsoft Office¥Office15"
- If you are using an unstandardized version of Office 2013 (on 64 bit OS)
  > cd "C:¥Program Files¥Microsoft Office¥Office15"
- If you are using Office 2010 (on 32 bit OS)
  > cd "C:¥Program Files¥Microsoft Office¥Office14"
- If you are using Office 2010 (on 64 bit OS)
  > cd "C:¥Program Files (x86)¥Microsoft Office¥Office14"
Register KMS Host on your PC.
> cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:kms.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp > cscript ospp.vbs /setprt:1688
Start the verification of the Windows License manually.
> cscript ospp.vbs /act
To check if the verification went successfully or to see the how long your license lasts, enter the following command.
> cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

On-campus Network that permits authentication

Below is the KMS Host managed by the university.

kms.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp
#1688 (TCP)

We currently permit the following systems for license authentication with the on-campus network.
(may subject to change based on the license compliance)

	Permitted	Not Permitted
The Name of the System	Backbone network	Student Residence Hall Network System
	Information Outlet and Network System of the University
	On-Campus Wi-Fi System
	VPN Connection System

We keep a record of time of the authentication as well as the computer's IP address, name and unique ID to shut out unauthorized license authentication.

Transition from licenses previously used

The licenses adopted before the school year of 2012 are the following.

School of Informatics: Open Value Subscription (previously called Campus Agreement)
Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering: School Agreement

You can transfer your license by entering KMS Client Setup Key provided by Microsoft Corporation and installing the registry file provided by us.

For Windows OS (you need to login as an administrative authority)
> slmgr /ipk [KMS Client Setup Key]
For Microsoft Office (you need to login as an administrative authority)
> ospp /inpkey:[KMS Client Setup Key]

List of KMS Client Setup Keys

Windows OS
- https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx
Office
- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624355.aspx

License Authentication FAQ

I have tried many times but still I cannot verify my license.
One of the following two causes may be responsible for the error you are experiencing.
1. Failure in the automatic registration of KMS host.
2. Failure in network connection required for the license authentication of KMS Host.
If your case falls under one of the above, take the following procedures.
1. If you have not registered KMS Host yet, install the registry file.
2. Ask a network administrator near you if your computer can be connected to the university's KMS Host, "kms.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp (TCP: #1688)"
Is there way to check if my license is active?
Check it using GUI or command line. See "License Authorization Procedure" for more details.
A notification appeared on my screen while I was attending a conference outside school. It is requesting me to authenticate my license. What should I do?
Authenticate your license through VPN.
(About VPN, please see this page.)
Can I check how many days are left before the expiration date?
To check your Windows OS, start from Control Panel.
For Microsoft Office, there is no way of checking it from GUI. Please use command line instead.
I don't want to receive any notices regarding the license authentication when I am attending a conference. Is there any option other than the KMS method?
Since the license is set to expire on 180th day (6 months) after the last authentication, we believe that it will not be a problem.
However, please be cautious when you go on a business trip with a laptop that you do not regularly use.
Another license authentication method is called MAK method. It provides only one product key for the whole university.
Considering the risk of product key leakage, we do not think it is worth implementing.
Can I manually perform license authentication before travelling to a conference?
You can perform the license authentication using a command line. See the “License Authorization Procedure" on this page for further details.
Another way is to connect your computer to the on-campus network for a long period of time (2 hours or more) and wait for it to update the license automatically.
How often does the automatic license authentication take place?
It is set to perform every 2 hours.
What will happen when the license expires?
- Windows: notification will appear, then your wallpaper will turn to empty-black, and finally the system will restart.
- Microsoft Office: watermark will show up on slides, and then the title bar will turn red.
As above, you will see more errors till finally you won't be able to use it.
What should I do if I will be leaving the university for a long period of time, for such cases as a sabbatical leave, etc.?
We may allow MAK method, which exceptionally does not require a periodic license authentication, as in the cases below.
- Going on a long business trip outside the university for more than 150 consecutive days, etc.