HOW-TO : Use VAMT 3.1 for Windows Server activation 2016 through 2022 and license management

VAMT looks like legacy, albeit being updated and tremendously helpful:

Do you use VAMT to manage your Office and Windows Server licensing, modern Windows Server or Office ADBA, traditional KMS or MAK? License assignment and reporting at scale? You should. In many cases it can also assist to get rid of KMS Server altogether and making it super easy to determine activation methods, migrate to other keys or from KMS to ADBA where appropriate. 

Whatever your usecase is, VAMT 3.1 is still being updated with every release of Windows ADK. One reason is the appearance of new OS or Office LTSC releases, but also added support to manage your Windows Client and Windows Server ESU at scale. WS 2012 / 2012 R2 ESU will be next. 

The issue:

If you are using it, you might be currently on a release that may not allow to add Windows Server 2019 GVLK, or otherwise one that does not allow to add Windows Server 2022 GVLK. 

How to adress this:

I found a workaround for this, without fiddling in the files. 

- Install ADK Windows 10 before 22H2 > VAMT 

- Install all needed GVLK keys in VAMT 3.1.

- Windows Server 2008-2019, Windows 7-10

- uninstall ADK. 

- install Windows 11 ADK (currently latest 22H2) > VAMT

- run VAMT, choosing the same database, 

- add Windows Server 2022 GVLK keys to VAMT.

- now is a good time to backup the database using the latest SQL Management Studio (SMSS) 

Hint: Preferably place the VAMT database into an appropriate central SQL Standard instance, instead of the default SQL Express 2019 or later (e. g. Citrix Studio / PVS / License DB instance).

The VAMT DB is a quite compact, mostly static database. Running an SQL Express instance for just this matter increases RAM and management overhead, even though SQL Server (Express) 2017 - 2022, can now be directly and automatically patched via WU / WSUS / Azure Update Manager etc.