Microsoft Products Activation [Windows Server] - Keys & Support

This topic is made only for Microsoft Windows Server Products!

Windows Server 2019 will be our starting point, but, as far as possible, we will offer support for previous editions of Windows Servers, such as Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2.

This is the right place where will be posted:

• Genuine keys for all Windows Server Products offered by my friend @vyzzer;
• Download links for all Windows Server Products (only genuine releases);
• Support in activation for Microsoft Server Products, starting with Windows Server 2008 R2.

Preamble

Windows Server is a brand name for a group of server operating systems released by Microsoft. It includes all Windows operating systems that are branded "Windows Server", but not any other Microsoft product. The first Windows server edition to be released under that brand was Windows Server 2003. However, the first server edition of Windows was Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, followed by Windows NT 3.5 Server, Windows NT 4.0 Server, and Windows 2000 Server; the latter was the first server edition to include Active Directory, DNS Server, DHCP Server, Group Policy, as well as many other popular features used today.

Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)

Windows Server operating system releases under the Long Term Servicing Channel are supported by Microsoft for 10 years, with five years of mainstream support and an additional five years of extended support. These releases also offer a complete GUI desktop experience, along with GUI less setups such as Server Core and Nano Server for releases that support them.

This channel includes the following operating systems:

• Windows Server 2003 (April 2003)
• Windows Server 2003 R2 (December 2005)
• Windows Server 2008 (February 2008)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 (July 2009)
• Windows Server 2012 (August 2012)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (October 2013)
• Windows Server 2016 (September 2016)
• Windows Server 2019 (October 2018)

Semi-Annual Channel (SAC)

Windows Server operating system releases under the Semi-Annual Channel are supported by Microsoft for 18 months. Microsoft targets two releases of Windows Server per year under this channel. These releases do not offer any GUI desktop environments, and include Server Core and Nano Server. 

Operating systems from this channel are available as part of subscription services, including Software Assurance, Azure Marketplace, Visual Studio subscriptions, and others.

This channel includes the following operating systems:

Windows Server, version 1709 (September 2017)

This version was originally available for Microsoft Software Assurance customers with an active Windows Server 2016 license.

Windows Server, version 1803

Windows Server, version 1809

Certain editions of Windows Server have a customized name. For example, all editions of Windows Server to this date had a Windows Storage Server edition. Starting with Windows Server 2012, Windows Storage Server was discontinued, as Microsoft consolidated the editions to Standard and Datacenter. Other examples include Windows Home Server and Windows HPC Server.

Microsoft has also produced Windows Server Essentials (formerly Windows Small Business Server) and the discontinued Windows Essential Business Server, software bundles which include a somewhat restricted Windows Server operating system and some other Microsoft Server products.

Source

(A) Products Description and Download Links

1. Windows Server 2019

Windows Server 2019 is the current version of the server operating system by Microsoft, as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems.

Development and release

Windows Server 2019 was announced on March 20, 2018, and the first Windows Insider preview version was released on the same day. It was released for general availability on October 2, 2018.

On October 6, 2018, distribution of Windows version 1809 (build 17763) was paused while Microsoft investigated an issue with user data being deleted during an in-place upgrade. It affected systems where a user profile folder (e.g. Documents, Music or Pictures) had been moved to another location, but data was left in the original location. As Windows Server 2019 is based on the Windows version 1809 codebase, it too was removed from distribution at the time,but was re-released on November 13, 2018. The software product life cycle for Server 2019 was reset in accordance with the new release date.

Windows Server 2019 is part of the Windows Server Family, including Windows 2000 Server (Unsupported), Windows Server 2003 (Unsupported), Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2016.

Windows Server 2019 has a longer support date than Windows 10. (Windows Server 2019 - 2029, Windows 10 - 2025)

Features

Beta Kubernetes Container Support

Kuberentes is a powerful container system that allows applications to be run in a predictable fashion. There won’t be any errors when your application is packaged in a Kuberentes container and moved from environment to environment.

Support for this kind of technology is critical when cloud computing is becoming more if a must-have feature than a nice to have. Modern businesses rely on scalable cross-platform cloud computing. With Microsoft’s new focus on the “hybrid” (on location servers with cloud integration) server environment support for Docker/Kuberentes is a big win for Windows Server.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

The Windows Subsystem for Linux is included with Windows Server 2019. Basically, the WSL provides a way to run a Linux user space such as Ubuntu on top of Windows.

That can give Windows users access to a lot of the tools you might find on Windows such a lot of the tools you might need such as Bash, command line tools, and potentially GUI based applications.

This will make Server 2019 more comfortable for those who have more experience with Linux hosting (VPS or dedicated server).

While Microsoft hasn’t been open source’s biggest supporter in the past, they have extended the functionality of the WSL to be compatible with multiple Linux distributions.

New Security Features

Windows Server 2019 contains a number of security features. The first is the inclusion of Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. Windows Defender ATP is already included in most versions of Windows 10 and is a welcome inclusion on the server side. With the number of threats targeting Windows platforms, the inclusion of a greatly improved malware solution is a great addition.

Shielded virtual machines which were introduced with Windows Server 2016 will also support virtual machines running Linux in Windows Server 2019. A shielded virtual machine is a virtual machine encrypted with BitLocker to prevent them from being compromised.

Adding Linux support for these VMs makes Windows Server an excellent choice if you need to leverage a mix of cloud services on the Enterprise level thanks to the enhanced security and cross-system compatibility that Windows Server 2019 is offering.

Internetwork encryption will also be supported. With Windows Server 2019 you will be able to designate encrypted networks inside of your software-defined network to protect traffic moving between your servers.

Windows Admin Center With Azure Services

The new Windows Admin Center allows you to deploy and use Azure services from your central server user interface. The following services are currently integrated with the Admin Center with more being added in the future:

• Azure Site Recovery - Allow quick recovery for sites running on Hyper-V machines
• Azure Backup - Allows for quick backup and restoration of your site in the event of data corruption/deletion
• Azure Update Management - Lets you run system updates across all the servers in your environment
• Azure Active Directory Authentication - Lets you enhance the security of the Windows Admin Center by giving you security features such as multi-factor authentication and conditional access policies.

Storage Migration Service

The Storage Migration Service helps admins migrate servers and their data into the Windows Server 2019 environment without needing to re-configure users or applications. The real goal of his feature is to help admins move out of older Windows Server 2003 and 2008 setups and onto platforms where Microsoft’s cloud offerings can be leveraged.

Older Windows Server platforms are less secure and simply don’t have the functionality of the new version of Windows Server and with support for Windows Server 2008 ending January 2020, now couldn’t be a better time to upgrade.

Azure File Sync

Azure File Sync transfers your organization's large-scale information storage to the cloud. The way it works is that your local server storage essentially becomes a “hot cache” that pulls data from the cloud.

When using the File Sync service you can have as many “hot caches” as you need worldwide. You can use any common protocol supported by Windows Server to access it including SMB, NFS, and FTPS.

This great feature removes local disk space as a limitation to your organization while providing great integration with Microsoft services.

Storage Replica

Storage replica is a disaster recovery system built with cloud services in mind. Storage allows you to sync data storage across two servers making it easy to recover from any issues or disk failures or run failover clusters across multiple sites with the storage in the nodes staying in sync.

Storage Replica supports integration with Azure in the following scenarios:

• Server to Server replication inside Azure VMs
• Server to Server asynchronous replication between Azure and your on-site servers
• Cluster to Cluster replication inside Azure
• Cluster to Cluster replication between Azure and your on-site servers

If you’re thinking about Windows Server 2019 now is the time to really start moving on getting yourself ready to migrate. The increased integration with Microsoft’s Azure service makes it one of the more significant upgrades to Windows Server in some time.

With the Storage Migration Service feature its almost a no-brainer to migrate if you are running on a much earlier Windows Server platform as much of the work will be automated.

With the final product getting closer to closer and a relatively stable insider build, it never been a better time to upgrade.

Source

Download(s)

Download Links for Windows Server 2019 All Editions (Credit RG Adgurad & WZor)

2. Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 is a server operating system developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NTfamily of operating systems, developed concurrently with Windows 10. The first early preview version (Technical Preview) became available on October 1, 2014 together with the first technical preview of System Center.

Windows Server 2016 was released on September 26, 2016 at Microsoft's Ignite conference[1] and became generally available on October 12, 2016. It has two successors: Windows Server 2019, and the Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel, which excludes the graphical user interface and many older components.

Benefits of Windows Server 2016:

• Built-in security features. Increased safety and reduced risk through several levels of protection built into the operating system.
• Transforming the data center. Cost savings and increased flexibility through software-defined computing technologies, and Microsoft Azure storage networking.
• Accelerated innovation. New technologies, such as Windows and Nano Server Containers for new ways to deploy and run applications locally and in the cloud.

10 reasons why you'll love Windows Server 2016:

• Manage servers in DevOps style with PowerShell and configure state
• New controls and access through Active Directory and Certificate
• Simple server management from any location using the Server Management
• Services remote desktops to improve graphics scalability and cloud-based integration
• Changing the approach to storage: software-defined storage
• Improved clustering and integrated virtualization through software-defined calculations
• Dynamic security and flexibility of a hybrid cloud due to the software-defined networks
• New levels of protection against changing threats
• The density of containers in the Windows ecosystem
• Reduction of space taken up by the data center, and attack surface through Nano Server

Download(s)

1. Windows Server 2016 Datacenter

2. Windows Server 2016 Standard

3. Windows Storage Server 2016

4. Windows Server Essentials 2016

5. Multi Language Pack for Windows Server 2016

3. Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2012 R2 is the successor to Windows Server 2012, Microsoft’s enterprise server operating system. Developed under the Windows Server Blue codename, Windows Server 2012 R2 made its official debut in late 2013.

Among its many improvements, Windows Server 2012 R2 includes an enhanced Hyper-V hypervisor (Hyper-V 2012 R2) that provides the ability to compress virtual machines (VMs) during live migrations, automatic reallocation of memory between VMs running Linux as a guest on Hyper-V hosts, remote direct memory access (RDMA) support during live migrations, VM live cloning, and support for shared VHDX files.

Windows Server 2012 R2 also features enhanced integration and interoperability with Microsoft’s Windows Azurecloud platform and the company’s cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, Office 365.

Windows Server 2012 R2 was announced on June 3rd, 2013, and a preview release became available for download later that month, on June 24th. Upon its official release, Windows Server 2012 R2 was made available in Standard, Datacenter and Essentials editions.

Top features in Windows Server 2012 R2

1. Live migration compression

• VHD and VHDX files are compressed before transfer and then decompressed upon receipt improving Live Migration performance.

2. Dynamically grow or shrink VHDX while running without downtime

• Demands on a server can vary greatly over time and sometimes includes a reduction in the resources required. The ability to change VHDX size, and especially reduce the size, is a great addition to Hyper-V.

3. Hyper-V Replica configurable replication frequencies from 30 seconds to 15 minutes

• Hyper-V Replica could be used for many different purposes with greatly different replication frequency needs. Replicating to another server on your LAN might be something you’d want to do every 30 seconds. In contrast, replicating over a relatively slow WAN interface to a disaster recovery site might only need to take place every 15 minutes.

4. Improved Hyper-V support for Linux guests

• More robust support is now provided for Linux guests than previously offered. Windows Server 2012 R2 adds dynamic memory. RHEL, SUSE, CentOS, and Ubuntu will now include Linux Integration Services (LIS) in their standard disbributions.

5. Storage Tiering

• With Storage Tiering, tier solid state drives (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD) in the same storage pool. Often used “hot” data is moved to the SSD tier optimizing performance. Infrequently accessed “cold” data, is moved to slower HDDs. This is done at the sub-file level, so “hot” and “cold” parts of a VHD file or database could reside on different drives.

6. Storage QoS

• Storage QoS allows an administrator to dynamically throttle disk IO for VMs. This can be helpful when you want to control minimum or maximum throughput.

7. VHD De-Duplication

• Nice feature that de-duplicates common parts of VHD files saving drive space.

8. Resource Metering

• Resource metering, a feature targeted towards larger-scale providers, enables the use of logical containers that collect all VM resources belonging to a single client. This provides a central location for querying of resource use.

1. Average CPU (MHz)
2. Average, Lowest, and Highest physical memory (MB)
3. Highest Disk Space Used (MB)
4. Total Incoming or Outgoing Network Traffic (MB)

9. Remote Device access

• A few features have been added making domain resources more acceptable to BYODs.
• Workplace Join provides a mechanism for users to register their personal device for single sign-on and access to corporate data. What is interesting is that a certificate gets installed on the device and a new object is created in Active Directory. The device object links the device to the user easing administration for IT.
• Work Folders allows a remote user to synchronize files located on a file server. The white paper suggests leveraging Active Directory Rights Management services to the protect the user’s files
• Automatic VPN connections launch a VPN connection whenever the user application requires a VPN to access organization data. The process prompts a user for credentials rather than relying on the user understanding the need to go outside the application to create the VPN connection.

10. Active Directory Virtualized

• Active Directory has been enhanced to be more “virtualization aware” including the support for using snapshots adding flexibility.

Download(s)

1. Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter (Volume)

2. Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (Volume)

3. Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter (Retail)

4. Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (Retail)

5. Windows Storage Server 2012 R2

6. Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation

7. Windows Server Essentials 2012 R2

8. Multi Language Pack for Windows Server 2016

Additional Downloads for Windows Server 2012 R2

1. Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 Premium

2. Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 Standard

4. Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. This Assembling made on the basis of original images from MSDN. Integrated languages: English, Russian, and updates on February 20, 2016 (without espionage). The system is completely on the original installer. It is possible to install both from under the BIOS and system.

A reviewer guide published by the company describes several areas of improvement in R2. These include new virtualization capabilities (Live Migration, Cluster Shared Volumes using Failover Clustering and Hyper-V), reduced power consumption, a new set of management tools and new Active Directorycapabilities such as a "recycle bin" for deleted objects. IIS 7.5 has been added to this release which also includes updated FTP server services.

Security enhancements include encrypted clientless authenticated VPN services through DirectAccess for clients using Windows 7, and the addition of DNSSEC support for DNS Server Service. Even though DNSSEC as such is supported, only one signature algorithm is available: #5 / RSA/SHA-1. Since many zones use a different algorithm – including the root zone – this means that in reality Windows still can't serve as a recursive resolver.

The DHCP server supports a large number of enhancements such as MAC address-based control filtering, converting active leases into reservations or Link Layer based filters, DHCP Name protection for non-Windows machines to prevent name squatting, better performance through aggressive lease database caching, DHCP activity logging, auto-population of certain network interface fields, a wizard for split-scope configuration, DHCP Server role migration using WSMT, support for DHCPv6 Option 15 (User Class) and Option 32 (Information Refresh Time). The DHCP server runs in the context of the Network Serviceaccount which has fewer privileges to reduce potential damage if compromised.

Windows Server 2008 R2 supports up to 64 physical processors or up to 256 logical processors per system. (Only the Datacenter and Itanium editions can take advantage of the capability of 64 physical processors. Enterprise, the next-highest edition after those two, can only use 8.) When deployed in a file server role, new File Classification Infrastructure services allow files to be stored on designated servers in the enterprise based on business naming conventions, relevance to business processes and overall corporate policies.

Server Core includes a subset of the .NET Framework, so that some applications (including ASP.NET web sites and Windows PowerShell 2.0) can be used.

Performance improvement was a major area of focus for this release; Microsoft has stated that work was done to decrease boot time, improve the efficiency of I/O operations while using less processing power, and generally improve the speed of storage devices, especially iSCSI.

Active Directory has several new features when raising the forest and domain functional levelsto Windows Server 2008 R2: Two added features are Authentication Mechanism Assurance and Automatic SPN Management. When raising the forest functional level, the Active Directory recycle bin feature is available and can be enabled using the Active Directory Module for Powershell.

Download(s)

1. Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard, WEB with Service Pack 1 X64 (Volume)

2. Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard, WEB with Service Pack 1 X64 (Retail)

3. Windows Storage Server Essentials 2008 R2 X64

4. Additional Downloads for Windows Server 2008 R2

5. Additional Downloads for Windows Storage Server Essentials 2012 R2

(B) Key (s) and how to get them

B.1 Key(s)

1. Keys for Windows Server 2019

1.1 Windows Server 2019 Datacenter

Will be updated!

1.2 Windows Server 2019 Standard

Will be updated!

1.3 Windows Server 2019 Essentials

Will be updated!

1.4 Windows Storage Server 2019 Standard

Will be updated!

1.5 Windows Storage Server 2019 Workgroup

Will be updated!

1.6 Windows Server 2019 Remote Desktop Services Device Connections 

Will be updated!

1.7 Windows Server 2019 Remote Desktop Services User Connections

Will be updated!

2. Keys for Windows Server 2016

2.1 Windows Server 2016 Datacenter

Will be updated!

2.2 Windows Server 2016 Standard

Will be updated!

2.3 Windows Server 2016 Essentials

Will be updated!

2.4 Windows Storage Server 2016 Standard

Will be updated!

2.5 Windows Storage Server 2016 Workgroup

Will be updated!

2.6 Windows Server 2016 Remote Desktop Services Device Connections 

Will be updated!

2.7 Windows Server 2016 Remote Desktop Services User Connections

Will be updated!

3. Keys for Windows Server 2012 R2

3.1 Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Will be updated!

3.2 Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

Will be updated!

3.3 Windows Server 2012 R Essentials

Will be updated!

3.4 Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard

Will be updated!

3.5 Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Workgroup

Will be updated!

3.6 Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation

Will be updated!

3.7 Windows Server 2012 R2 Remote Desktop Services Device Connections 

Will be updated!

3.8 Windows Server 2012 R2 Remote Desktop Services User Connections

Will be updated!

3.9 Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 Premium

Will be updated!

3.10 Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 Standard

Will be updated!

4. Keys for Windows Server 2008 R2

4.1 Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter

Will be updated!

4.2 Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise

Will be updated!

4.3 Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard

Will be updated!

4.4 Windows Server 2008 R2 WEB

Will be updated!

4.5 Windows Storage Server Essentials 2008 R2 X64

Will be updated!

B.2 How to get key(s)

We won't offer in here keys into the standard format: some values need to be converted before the obtain the full key that activates the desired product.

For this objective the following web tools will be used:

• For MD5  :  https://md5.gromweb.com
• For SHA1 :  https://sha1.gromweb.com

In our example, we'll use a gvlk key for Windows Server 2019 Datacenter: 6NMRW-2C8FM-D24W7-TQWMY-CWH2D

Staff, do not panic, please: it has been published on the official Microsoft website here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/kmsclientkeys

Our full key will have the following format(s):

• For MD5  : a2d6c2285d8bc61bdc2a6db5c79aeb25
• For SHA1 : 46a56b2b5bb95797f472db7f87329fb24bc982dd

In case that we are getting an MD5 key, we need to choose MD5 from above (web tools) and to provide the value into the "Reverse a MD5 hash" webform, like in the screenshot from below:
 

Into the next step, we need to press the button " Reverse " and the web application gives us the full key that will be able to activate the product in question:

The same procedure is valid for SHA1, as well, with the unique condition to choose before the web application associated with SHA1, from above (section web tools).

(C) Tools

1. MSAct Plus

  

The program is intended for installation key and activate Windows 7-10 and Office 2010-2016. If the set key enables activation over the network, via the Internet, the product is activated automatically, if this does not happen and the key is not blocked - the code is issued to transfer M$ Activation Center to activate by phone. Unlike MSAct in the program MSAct Plus has the ability to create groups of keys for different products.

Download(s)

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9190145/MSAct_Plus_1.0.7.7z.html

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9190138/MSAct_Plus_v1.0.8_b3.7z.html

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9190152/MSAct___2.07.7z.html

2. PIDKey

  

PIDKey Lite The program is intended to show the renovation and conservation in the database of key information products to M $.It allows you to replace PIDKey by Ratiborus and VAMT. Program PIDKey LiteIt is the successor of PIDKey. and I took out of it the best program ideas (Allowing you to add new keys to the two modes of adding key modes).

Download(s)

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9207855/PIDKey_v2.1.2.1017.7z.html

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9190200/PIDKey_Lite_v1.63.1_RU_EN.7z.html

3. MSActBackUp

 

MSActBackUp - a program to save and restore activation Windows editions: Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019 and Office 2010, 2013,2016,2019.

Download(s)

Site: https://www.upload.ee
ShareCode: /files/9190217/MSActBackUp_Portable_v1.2.3.7z.html

(D) The Knowledge Base

We will post here useful things related to the main topic!

1.   Self Service for Mobile Web Portal (Similar method like phone only for retail products)

2.   Tutorial: "How to activate Windows products through Self Service for Mobile Web Portal" :

3.   Official Homepage for Microsoft Windows Server Products
4.   What's New in Windows Server version 1809

5.   KMS Client Setup Keys

6.   Windows Server 2019 Datasheet

7.   Microsoft Update Catalog

8.   Checksums for original iso(s) (via rg-adguard.net platform)

9.   Compare Windows Server Editions

10. Windows Server Documentation

11. Windows Server Upgrade Center

12. Get Started with Windows Server 2019

13. Comparison of Standard and Datacenter Editions of Windows Server 2019

14. Features removed or planned for replacement starting Windows Server 2019

15. Windows Server 2019 and Microsoft Server application compatibility

16. Windows Server 2019 Activation

17. Release Notes - Important issues in Windows Server 2019

18. Windows Server Technical Library

19. Windows Server Technical Blogs

20. Windows Server Community

21. Windows Server Blog

22. Tutorial: " How to play with svf patches " (Made it by an IT Pro )

(E) Topic Administration: Announcements & Rules!

1. Important Announcements:

To be updated accordingly to our needs....

2. Rules of the topic:

1. Here will be posted ONLY links for genuine release(s); If you need to share anything else, I suggest you to start new topic(s) to Software Updates forum or maybe to Software [Archive] ; 
2. The key(s) will be offer by @vyzzer;
3. We will not share in here any " cracks / fixes / activators....etc!";
4. Some keys will be given only to preferred members. Definition of the preferred member: A member who has a solid background (contribution) in helping others in these forums;
5. We do not share in here any homebrew iso(s);
6. We will update the keys as far as possible. Please do not ask for keys on here, and also via our personal messenger(s). All requests will be ignored apart the case(s) in which we asked you to do it in such way;
7. The key(s) offered in here are ONLY for personal use, not for sharing on others sites / forums / social media pages.....etc..!;
8. We will condamnate any tentative to sale these keys. Them are offered free of charge for the members of these forums;
9. In some situations, the valuable members can receive some key(s) for their needs even when them (the keys) are not available for the general public, with the condition to follow the above rules. It is our commitment to motivate the good work;
10. If you are not pleased by something use always the Report button but be sure you checked before the Guidelines of the forums; 
11. This topic will be periodically updated! We will keep in touch: do not forget to subscribe to it! There is a button called "Follow" to the right corner of this page.

The whole subject cannot be done without the support from our friend, @vyzzer !

Please do not forget to thank him !