Can I run Creative Cloud on Windows Server?

Report · Feb 25, 2014

Owing to an unusual hardware setup in my company it would considerably simplify things if we could run Creative Cloud on a Windows Server machine (it's to do with TCP/IP share limits). We are well aware that Windows Server is not officially supported, but would it work anyway? Windows 2008 R2 is the same code base as Windows 7, Server 2012 the same as Windows 8 and Server 2012 R2 the same as Windows 8.1, so can we do it? Or will the Creative Cloud simply refuse to install on any of those platforms?

Report · Feb 25, 2014

Hi GC CC1,

We currently do not recommend using CC apps in a streamed virtualized environment. Each time an end user is presented with a streamed virtualized instance, from our perspective it looks like a new machine. What this means is that a user may be able to login, active and use that app for that instance but if the user closes that instance and comes back and logs into a new instance, that will count as new machine towards their activation count. After doing this more than three times, they are locked out of using the app since they have hit their activation limit. We are looking at ways of overcoming this limitation but don't have a date on when we will be able to support it.

Regards,

Romit Sinha

Report · Feb 25, 2014

Hi Romit,

Thanks for the speedy answer. In our instance, there would be no virtualisation required, CC would be installed on the machine with a locally logged in user account that wouldn't change, ever. Think of it exactly like a workstation that only one person ever uses, that just so happens to run Windows Server. Would this work?

Best regards

Report · Feb 25, 2014

Hi GC CC1,

I am sorry but CC app's are not designed to run on servers. Please find the tech specs for more information: http://www.adobe.com/in/products/creativecloud/tech-specs.html.

You may even refer the Adobe Virtualization document for more information: http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/technical-support-boundaries-virtualized-or.html.

Regards,

Romit Sinha

Report · Feb 26, 2014

Hi Romit,

Thanks for the reply. You haven't answered my original question. We're aware that CC is not designed to run on servers, my original question states "We are well aware that Windows Server is not officially supported", that's not what I was asking. What we want to know is will CC install and run locally on Windows Server? Somebody at Adobe must have tried to do it.

Report · Feb 26, 2014

Hi GC CC1,

We have conducted a limited/basic testing in server based environment for CC products. These tests usually include basic functionality: the ability to open the application, create a document, save the document, and quit. Adobe recommends that you test your workflow's in an evaluation version of these products before deciding whether to use one of these products. I think testing is the only way to truly ensure that this kind of solution meets your needs.The virtualization product must meet the Adobe solution's system requirements. Pay particular attention to any resource or performance constraints that could impact your productivity or efficiency. You may install it on your server and share your observations.

Regards,

Romit Sinha

Report · Feb 27, 2014

Ok, great, thanks for the reply. We'll give it a go and share our observations

Report · Sep 11, 2017

Hi, 3 years later I have the same question. How did the tests work out?

Report · Mar 21, 2023

5 years later i have the same question. How did the tests work out...

Report · Mar 21, 2023

5 years since the last user posted, but they posted 4 years after the original post. ie, this thread is too old to contain useful current info.

locking

Report · Feb 01, 2018

This is a best effort to answer to this old thread without either judgement or recommendation. Adobe Creative Suite 4 and 6 both did and still do run without any obvious limitations on Windows 2008 R2 subject to desktop experience being activated, all dependencies being installed and security and performance settings being adjusted to resemble Windows 7 as closely as can be done. Obviously CS4 and CS6 are long superseded but of course do still work if you have licenses for them. I do not know if Creative Cloud would work on 2008 R2 but have every reason to think that it would do so long as it were configured as a workstation and was not being run within any form of virtualization (noting the guidance from Adobe given early in this thread). Among the many good reasons for not doing so is that it will be virtually impossible to find anyone who can help you solve any problems that may come up, even informally, simply because no one else or almost no one else is doing it! Certain other software that you might plausible want to use in conjunction with Creative Suite/Cloud won't run. A couple of not particularly good examples would be Nero (the CD/DVD burning software) and client versions of antivirus software products. This may be be due to both licensing restrictions as well as due to the hardened security in the Server OS. There is a real possibility you will run into a component of Creative Cloud that will not run for similar reasons and this discovery may well come to light at critical moment of an involved project. In regard to Server 2012, 2012 R2 and 2016 I have reasons to think it would be increasingly less satisfactory leaning towards perhaps not possible. There may be more of a divergence and less compatibility in the desktop experience modes of those editions of Windows Server compared to the client versions of Windows. I am not even certain that Server 2016 has the desktop experience option. An additional bit of info is that Adobe Flash player can be installed in Server 2012 so long as desktop experience is activated. To install it in 2016 requires a more awkward workaround. That may be because the desktop experience mode is limited or entirely absent. I appreciate there can be reasons for wanting to run this kind of unusual configuration, one of which can simply be wanting to make use of an old but still functional computer along with old but still valid licences for software even though they don't match the original recommendations! Anyway, hope this helps someone!