CC Deployment on Static Image (WDS)

[Tanner_Jotblad]

We are an educational institution with device licenses of the full CC suite. Since the full suite takes ~1 hour to install, I want to include the software on an image for the lab computers that are supposed to have the software installed rather than install it on each computer individually. We use Windows Deployment Services and PXE booting for imaging, making my question basically identical to this one: Deploy Creative Cloud with WDS image

However, for that question as well as others like it (e.g., Deploying CC in Symantec Ghost images , Re: CS5 Production Premium build into lab base image , Proper way to install Creative Cloud, Education, Device License in a Master Image ), the answer always seems to be a link to the APTEE documentation (Creative Cloud Help | Using Adobe Provisioning Toolkit Enterprise Edition ) without any further explanation .

My question, then, is how exactly APTEE fits into a deployment scheme that uses static images to lay down software within the image rather than something like MDT to lay down software on top of a base image after the fact (e.g., do you still use the Creative Cloud Packager? Where/when do you run APTEE? What is the output of the APTEE command with the --stream parameter?). Perhaps alisterblack​, who seems to be the one pointing to APTEE for this kind of scenario, can comment directly?

Thank you!

[alisterblack]

The real issue here is that you are using Device Licensing, which ties to a machine and not a user.

So you can install software on the image without licensing it, then roll out the license file to each machine.

Create a license file for your device licenses using the 'Create License' feature of Creative Cloud Packager. No need to use --stream in this scenario or APTEE.

Creative Cloud Help | Using Adobe Provisioning Toolkit Enterprise Edition

Create packages with Adobe Creative Cloud for education device licenses

Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise deployment scenarios for educational institutions

Common Deployment Options and Methods — Enterprise Administration Guide (Acrobat specific but useful)

[Tanner_Jotblad]

Thank you for responding directly and providing a good number of resources. In reading them, it seems like we would fall under scenario 2 of the EDU deployment document, but the solution there and yours are slightly different. If the applications haven't been launched (and thus licensed) on the image I capture, is the license file still necessary, or can I just launch the software on the imaged computers and accomplish the same thing? If it would accomplish the same thing, is there a reason that using a license file would be preferred?

Thanks again.

[alisterblack]

Again, the issue is that this is not an image that utilises a serial number or a named user sign in, but rather a device license which is tied to the machine. Applying the license after imaging is necessary to correctly link the license to the machine.

[Tanner_Jotblad]

Okay, I think I see the difference that you're pointing out. So in terms of the complete process, does this sound right for a device license:

1. Create a device-license package using Creative Cloud Packager.
2. Install the package on a machine, and capture an image from that machine.
3. Deactivate the license for the captured machine (if it appears in the admin console).
4. Deploy the image to other computers.
5. Create a license package using Creative Cloud Packager.
6. Install the package on all of the deployed machines.

Thank you.

[alisterblack · Accepted solution]

So I would not create a device license package, but just a regular named-user package. This is just a package with no entitlement attached (via serial number or device license) and deploy that.

Then use the Create License feature to create a device license and after deploying the image, run the license on the required machines.

[Tanner_Jotblad]

Okay, that makes sense. I think my last question then would be about the Creative Cloud desktop application, since it's recommended not to install it in the education/device-licensing scenario, but it's required for named licensing. Will installing the license package remove the CC application, or will that have to be done as a separate step if we don't want it to be present?

Thank you.

[alisterblack]

No the license package will not remove the Desktop Application. So that would be an additional step.

Uninstall the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application

[Tanner_Jotblad]

That should work. Thank you for all your help!