Purchasing
Departments may purchase Microsoft Vista through the Microsoft Select program or the Microsoft Consolidated Campus Agreement (MCCA). Refer to the Campus Licensing section for detailed information on each agreement. Departments participating in the MCCA may also install Vista on staff and faculty personal computers to be used for work purposes only through the Work at Home (WAH) program.

Versions
Under the Select program, departments may purchase the Vista Business edition (with Software Assurance, departments may upgrade to Vista Enterprise or Ultimate).  Under the MCCA, departments may choose either Vista Enterprise edition, or Vista Ultimate. Refer to the Vista Licensing section for more information.

Activation
There are three options for departments to activate Vista. The activation method is not dependant on which licensing agreement the department chooses—it depends on the version of Vista and the location of the system to be activated (on- or off-campus network, or on the campus network using VPN).

• Option 1: Vista Ultimate, for any systems (on- or off-campus network)
  Each installation requires a unique activation key. Multiple Activation Keys (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS) keys cannot be used. If your department is enrolled in MCCA with the desktop bundle or has purchased Software Assurance through the Select program, technical support staff may request Vista Ultimate keys online from http://download.ucdavis.edu or you may contact our SHI account team to obtain a key.
  
  To obtain Ultimate media, you may download the ISO from http://download.ucdavis.edu/.
  

• Option 2: Vista Business and Vista Enterprise, for systems connected to the campus network (or connected using VPN)
  Systems connected regularly to the campus network (or connected using VPN) should be activated using the Key Management Service (KMS) through the campus KMS server. To remain operational, these systems will need to be re-activated every 180 days. The campus server can activate up to 20,000 systems in an hour, so it is not necessary (nor is it recommended) for departments to set up their own KMS server.

Once a system is activated using KMS, it will attempt to reconnect periodically (weekly by default) to the KMS server to re-activate for the full 180 day window. If a system fails to connect to the KMS server after 180 days, it will receive warnings and will then go into a reduced-functionality mode until it is re-activated.

A system can be switched from KMS activated to MAK activated without issue. Once a system is MAK activated, it never needs to be re-activated, and there is no need to switch back to KMS.

The KMS service can be located using one of the following methods:

• Auto-discovery: If the system is using the Domain Name System (DNS) service, the Service Location (SRV) resource record will (by default) automatically locate a local KMS host.
• Direct Registration: A system administrator can specify the KMS host and communication port in the registry. Departments with systems pointed to an Active Directory DNS Server can connect to the KMS server by following the steps outlined here.

For more information on KMS activation, visit:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb892849.aspx.

Note for system administrators: A new Vista installation will not contact the KMS server during the first three days unless the administrator manually configures the system to contact the KMS server during installation. A new system can go 30 days before it needs to be activated.

• Option 3: Vista Business and Vista Enterprise, for systems located off-campus network for extended periods
  Activation by using a campus Multiple Activation Key (MAK) is the preferred method for systems that are not going to be on the campus network for extended periods (longer than 180 days at a time). A MAK can activate a specific number of machines and behaves much like a traditional retail activation key, but allows multiple activations. The key may be used to activate either Vista Business or Vista Enterprise. To request a MAK, departmental technical support staff should email software@ucdavis.edu. For more information on MAK activation, visit: www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/plan/faq.mspx#EA