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Eric29392351e9yo
Known Participant
Oct 6, 2026 2:18 PM UTC
Answered

Recent Engineering changes to Admin Console make offline downloads require online access

Recent intentional changes by engineering changed the package downloads created for offline networks.  The files used to be self contained .zip files, and are now .exe files that pull down the application from the network.  Working with tech support I found this was intentional change, but it defeats the purpose of having an offline license and ability to create a package. Additionally, the workaround for this is to go into pre-generated packages and find the appropriate package to download. while this does function, it does not allow us to use the packages screen to see the most recently downloaded application and version, and does not allow us to see whether an application is “up to date” or “not up to date” as displayed on the packages main page.  While the workaround provided will suffice temporarily, it does not provide the functionality we have come to expect from our Adobe contracts. Through years of continued use.

    Tariq Ahmad DarCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    Oct 7, 2026 12:29 PM UTC

    @Eric29392351e9yo 

    After the change instroduced, the file you now get immediately after creating a package is a small downloader, not the installer itself.
    It is meant to run once, on the same admin machine you used to build the package in Admin Console, the machine that already has internet access. Running it fetches the actual installer ZIP, the same self-contained file you got directly before.
    From that point forward, nothing changes; you take that ZIP to your offline or air-gapped machines exactly as you always have, through your deployment tool, a file share, or removable media. The offline environment itself was never expected to reach the network, only the admin machine generating the package needs that one extra step.

    So the flow is: create the package, then run the downloaded exe on that same connected admin machine to produce the ZIP, rather than the ZIP downloading automatically during creation. If you were going through pre-generated packages to work around this, you should not need to, running the downloader right after creation gets you the ZIP directly.

    Let us know if the ZIP you get from the downloader is not behaving as a normal self contained package once you have it, that would be a different issue worth raising separately.

    Tariq

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    22 replies

    Eric29392351e9yoAuthor
    Known Participant
    Oct 7, 2026 12:42 PM UTC

    OK, so that is good information.  we cannot run an .exe here AND have it access the internet. I was able to get around one portion of this process, and attempted to run the .exe, and as expected it is blocked from reaching out to the internet. the process fails at 0%

     

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    Community Manager
    Tariq Ahmad DarCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 7, 2026 12:51 PM UTC

    ​@Eric29392351e9yo - that is now a different challenge. 
    Could you please collect the network logs and share them with us? If so, you can send them via email. I will share my email id via private message. 
    Also, could you confirm if the exe file is being run on machine with Admin rights or we are running this exe on user machine? 

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    Eric29392351e9yoAuthor
    Known Participant
    Oct 7, 2026 1:03 PM UTC

    I tried to run it as a user, as our admins have ZERO access to the internet. I will look for and see if I can get snapshots of the network logs.

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    Eric29392351e9yoAuthor
    Known Participant
    Oct 6, 2026 4:43 PM UTC

    Photoshop27.11_en_US_WIN_64_Downloader.dmg   (SILO) 2.9.27.8

    Photoshop27.11_en_US_WIN_64_Downloader.exe    (Chrome) 154.0.8037.98

    approx 1240pm EST

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    Community Manager
    AnkitVermaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 6, 2026 3:29 PM UTC

    Hi ​@Eric29392351e9yo,

    Thank you for reaching out. I understand how much a self-contained package matters in an offline environment, especially when the earlier workflow has worked for you for years.

    So I can look into this properly, could you please share:

    1. Which package type are you creating (Feature Restricted Licensing with Offline activation, or Named User Licensing), and for which platform (Windows 64-bit, Windows ARM, or macOS)?

    2. Roughly when did you last get the .zip, and when did the .exe first show up? A screenshot of the package row and the download would help too (please blur any org or user details).

    Once I have these, I'll check this from our side. Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks,
    ^AV

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    Eric29392351e9yoAuthor
    Known Participant
    Oct 6, 2026 3:40 PM UTC

    First, thank you for your time. It is greatly appreciated.  This issue occurs with all applications I’m currently trying to create packages for in the Admin Console.  These are: Feature restricted licensing, Offline, Windows (64-bit).  Last week, Sep 29 (Illustrator) was the last time I downloaded an application through the Admin Console that was a .zip file. Today, when I tried to download Photoshop I received a lot of odd behavior.  Depending on the browser I use, the file type changes. From Silo, no matter what I select (Windows (64 bit)) I get prompted to download a .dmg file.  If I use Chrome or Edge, I am prompted for a .exe at least, but our network blocks the download of .exe files.

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    Eric29392351e9yoAuthor
    Known Participant
    Oct 6, 2026 3:43 PM UTC
    [personal information removed by moderator]

     

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