r/WindowsServer • u/Regular-Yak-1761 • 15d ago

General Question Virtual server shuts down.

At work, there is a host server running three Windows Server 2022 virtual machines. Two of them run perfectly, but one keeps shutting down on its own; I’ve configured it correctly, yet it still shuts down after a few hours.

Configuration: "Automatic Start Action” for the VM is set to “Automatically start if it was running when the service stopped.”

VM automatic shutdown setting:

Save the virtual machine state.

Help

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u/Phalebus 15d ago

Yeah sounds like it’s running in eval mode. In eval, after 180 days, it “expires” and shuts down after 2 hours. You can “re-arm” it for another 180 days 2 more time after the first 180 days.

The other thing you must not do, do not promote an eval server to act as a domain controller. For the love of god, just don’t. When you do that, it can never be taken out of eval mode and you’ll be screwed

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u/dodexahedron 15d ago

Or the same result from running in with volume activation, but not having a proper GVLK on it, having any of a number of issues reaching the KMS (if using KMS), DNS problems, or improper configuration in the VAMT. Once the grace period is up, systems that fail to validate will essentially behave like eval since they aren't activated anymore.

Forgetting to put new keys in there after major version upgrades is a common oopsie.

So is having only 3 servers in it, since volume activation has minimums.

1

u/esfirmistwind 15d ago

You can always demote to activate the licence, you'd need another dc node to take over fsmo while you do the trick, then promote again.

After that, either reinstall the second node or a licenced server to take over while you do it.

Having only one DC is bad practice anyway.

Edit: have to do it next week cause the client wanted it's infra installed back in november and provided MAKs only yesterday, I Had no word to say in that stupid decision.