<s>
In	O
software	B-License
licensing	I-License
,	O
a	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
is	O
the	O
practice	O
of	O
selling	O
a	O
license	O
authorizing	O
one	O
computer	O
program	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
computers	O
or	O
by	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Customers	O
of	O
such	O
licensing	O
schemes	O
are	O
typically	O
business	O
,	O
governmental	O
or	O
educational	O
institutions	O
,	O
with	O
prices	O
for	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
varying	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
type	O
,	O
quantity	O
and	O
applicable	O
subscription-term	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
software	O
available	O
through	O
volume-licensing	O
programs	O
includes	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Traditionally	O
,	O
a	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
key	O
(	O
VLK	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
supplied	O
to	O
all	O
instances	O
of	O
the	O
licensed	O
computer	O
program	O
,	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
practices	O
,	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
customers	O
only	O
supply	O
their	O
software	O
with	O
credentials	O
belonging	O
to	O
an	O
online	O
user	O
account	O
instead	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
other	O
aspects	O
of	O
services	O
and	O
provisioning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Traditionally	O
,	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
has	O
been	O
supplied	O
with	O
computer	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
key	O
(	O
VLK	O
)	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
several	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
efforts	O
are	O
called	O
product	B-License
activation	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Volume	B-License
licenses	I-License
are	O
not	O
always	O
transferable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
only	O
some	O
types	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
volume	B-License
license	I-License
can	O
be	O
transferred	O
,	O
provided	O
a	O
formal	O
transfer	O
process	O
is	O
completed	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
register	O
the	O
new	O
owner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
very	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
software	O
vendors	O
specialize	O
in	O
brokering	O
such	O
transfers	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
selling	O
of	O
volume	B-License
licenses	I-License
and	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
notable	O
of	O
these	O
,	O
Discount-Licensing	O
,	O
pioneered	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
volume	B-License
licenses	I-License
in	O
this	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
been	O
engaged	O
in	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
since	O
its	O
inception	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
enterprise	O
sector	O
is	O
its	O
primary	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
Microsoft	O
Product	B-License
Activation	I-License
,	O
a	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
scheme	O
to	O
curb	O
software	O
piracy	O
among	O
consumers	O
by	O
verifying	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
entitlement	O
to	O
the	O
product	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
volume-licensed	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
were	O
exempt	O
from	O
this	O
measure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
two	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
methods	O
for	O
IT	O
professionals	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
installing	O
Windows	O
in	O
organizations	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
covered	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Product	B-License
Activation	I-License
:	O
The	O
first	O
is	O
Multiple	B-License
Activation	I-License
Keys	I-License
(	O
MAK	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
's	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
keys	O
but	O
require	O
product	B-License
activation	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
is	O
Key	B-License
Management	I-License
Server	I-License
(	O
KMS	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
corresponding	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hosts	O
activated	O
via	O
a	O
KMS	O
have	O
to	O
report	O
back	O
to	O
a	O
software	B-Application
license	I-Application
server	I-Application
once	O
every	O
180	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
the	O
SLIC	O
data	O
are	O
complementary	O
;	O
a	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
is	O
still	O
supplied	O
with	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
needs	O
in	O
the	O
event	O
of	O
reinstalling	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
Office	B-Operating_System
365	I-Operating_System
licensing	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
in	O
which	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Exchange	I-Operating_System
Server	I-Operating_System
and	O
Skype	B-Protocol
for	I-Protocol
Business	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
products	O
are	O
licensed	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
model	O
:	O
In	O
exchange	O
for	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
fee	O
,	O
software	O
,	O
its	O
updates	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
them	O
,	O
provisioning	O
,	O
administration	O
,	O
licensing	O
and	O
additional	O
services	O
are	O
all	O
provided	O
through	O
an	O
online	O
web-based	O
dashboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
scheme	O
,	O
licensed	O
apps	O
communicate	O
recurrently	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
;	O
as	O
such	O
,	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
needs	O
not	O
be	O
issued	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Introduced	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
Adobe	O
Creative	O
Cloud	O
is	O
a	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
offering	O
in	O
which	O
software	O
produced	O
by	O
Adobe	O
,	O
their	O
updates	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
them	O
,	O
provisioning	O
,	O
administration	O
,	O
licensing	O
and	O
additional	O
services	O
are	O
all	O
provided	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
Office	B-Operating_System
365	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
user	O
account	O
registered	O
with	O
Adobe	O
is	O
all	O
that	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
authorize	O
software	O
and	O
store	O
payment	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
blocked	O
several	O
volume	B-License
license	I-License
keys	I-License
that	O
have	O
been	O
abused	O
in	O
service	O
packs	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
even	O
developed	O
a	O
new	O
key	O
verification	O
engine	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
that	O
could	O
detect	O
illicit	O
keys	O
,	O
even	O
those	O
that	O
had	O
never	O
been	O
used	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
existing	O
installations	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
can	O
also	O
change	O
their	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
by	O
following	O
instructions	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
volume	B-License
license	I-License
key	I-License
that	O
was	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
bypass	O
product	B-License
activation	I-License
in	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
was	O
FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
key	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
warez	B-Application
release	O
of	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
by	O
a	O
group	O
called	O
devils0wn	O
,	O
35	O
days	O
before	O
the	O
official	O
retail	O
release	O
on	O
28	O
August	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
made	O
famous	O
partly	O
because	O
it	O
featured	O
in	O
a	O
popular	O
image	O
circulated	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
before	O
the	O
retail	O
launch	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
image	O
,	O
the	O
key	O
is	O
written	O
on	O
a	O
CD-R	O
containing	O
the	O
leaked	O
operating	O
system	O
and	O
held	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
a	O
digital	O
Microsoft	O
sign	O
counting	O
down	O
the	O
days	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
using	O
these	O
keys	O
will	O
receive	O
an	O
error	O
message	O
when	O
they	O
install	O
the	O
latest	O
service	O
pack	O
,	O
and	O
such	O
users	O
are	O
told	O
to	O
obtain	O
a	O
legitimate	O
license	O
and	O
change	O
their	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
situation	O
,	O
a	O
business	O
can	O
make	O
it	O
accessible	O
through	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
private	I-Application
network	I-Application
(	O
VPN	B-Application
)	O
known	O
only	O
to	O
the	O
devices	O
outside	O
the	O
corporate	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
