Quartz 4

Configuring VMs for Activation Servers

3 min read

Install

Make sure you have:

  • Installed the Netbird client on your host machine
  • You are connected to the TAS hosting server on your host machine
  • Your VM has FT Activation Manager installed

Configure

For your VM manager (VMWare, VirtualBox, etc.) make sure you have a NAT connection available.

VMWare:

  • Click Edit>Virtual Network Editor…
  • If you have a network with type NAT, you’re good. If not:
    • Click Add Network…
    • Select a VMNet from the dropdown box and remember the number and click OK
    • Select the new network in the list and click NAT
    • Click OK
  • While the VM is running:
    • Select VM>Settings… in the menu bar
    • Under the Hardware tab you should have at least one Network Adapter item in the Device column. If it does not have NAT under the Summary then:
      • Click the Add… button
      • Select Network Adapter and click Finish
      • Select the new Network Adapter in the list. The default is to configure new Network Adapters as NAT, but if it isn’t then make these selections:
        • Connect at power on
        • NAT
      • Click OK

VirtualBox:

  • While the VM is shutdown, select the VM and click Settings
  • Select the Network tab on the left to see the Adapters
  • In one of the Adapter tabs:
    • Click Enable Adapter
    • Select NAT from the dropdown
    • Leave Adapter type as default
    • Leave MAC address as default
    • Select Virtual Cable Connected and click OK

Borrow Activations

Now that a network adapter is available, make sure to go into the VM and ensure the IP address for that adapter is set to DHCP/Obtain an IP address automatically:

  • In your VM hit the Windows key and type View Network Connections and select the icon of that name
  • Find the newest device (They are often numbered sequentially)
  • Right click the adapter and select Properties
  • Ensure the checkbox next to Internet Protocol Version 4 is checked and click the text, then click Properties
  • Select the Obtain an IP address automatically radio button and click OK

In your VM open the FT Activation Manager and click the Manage Activations tab

  • Click the “Update Activation Search Path” hyperlink
  • Click Add Server
  • Click the box under selected for the new server row
  • Type 100.108.185.197 in the Path to Activations column
  • While that row is selected, click Up until it is at the top of the list
  • Click Save

Now you should be able to borrow activations from the TAS server. To test:

  • From the Home tab, click Find Available Activations
  • Click the row with the TAS server in the list
  • Click the Refresh Activations button

Problems:

  • If a red exclamation point appears next to the TAS server in the Find Available Activations area, check these items:
    • Are you connected to the TAS server network through Netbird on your host machine?
    • Do you have a NAT network on your VM manager?
    • Is the network adapter in your VM that is attached to the NAT port set to automatically find an IP?
    • Is the IP address for the server in FT Activation Manager correct?

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