FAQ

Adobe ColdFusion 9 software enables developers to rapidly build enterprise-class Internet applications by extrapolating complex tasks into fewer lines of code. Plus, unique integration between Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash® Platform provides the easiest solution for building rich Internet applications (RIAs) from client to server.

ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) is the tag-based language that a developer uses to build ColdFusion applications. CFML is easy to learn, yet powerful enough to handle the most demanding web application logic. It uses a syntax that closely resembles HTML and XML, so it is ideally suited to programming applications that use these markup languages. For new developers, tag-based CFML syntax makes complex programming easy. Advanced developers can easily extend and customize CFML through custom tags, reusable object-based components, and user-defined functions, as well as integrate with Java™, .NET, SOAP web services, and more. ColdFusion 9 improves CFML with powerful new and extended tags.

ColdFusion is designed for developers who build dynamic websites and Internet applications with HTML-based or rich interfaces. Its intuitive scripting language, CFML, makes ColdFusion a great choice for new developers coming from static HTML page design and development. At the same time, advanced features such as ColdFusion components (CFCs), integrated debugging, XML processing, Java and .NET integration, web services, and the extensible event gateway architecture make ColdFusion ideal for developers creating complex web applications and RIAs.

ColdFusion pages are simple text files, just like HTML pages, so you can develop them with any text editor. In conjunction with ColdFusion 9, Adobe has released a new Eclipse™ based IDE that is deeply integrated with ColdFusion 9, Adobe ColdFusion Builder™ software. ColdFusion Builder provides a unified, customizable, and extensible development environment to code applications, manage servers, and deploy projects. Many developers are also using ColdFusion together with the Adobe Flex® development framework to create powerful RIAs. Adobe Flash Builder™ software is an Eclipse based IDE for developing RIAs that combines the richness of desktop applications with the cross-platform reach of the Flash Platform.

There are many online and in-person training opportunities for ColdFusion. A great place to start is our ColdFusion Getting Started Experience. Discover the power ColdFusion has to offer by browsing code snippets, examining sample applications, and seeing new features in action. Adobe also offers a number of training and certification programs.

No, we do not include printed documentation with ColdFusion 9. Electronic versions of all documents are available to install with the product and are available online at Adobe LiveDocs.

Adobe publishes a partial list of partners committed to delivering hosting solutions for ColdFusion. View the ColdFusion hosting partners page.

ColdFusion (MX 6.x, 7, and 8) applications should seamlessly migrate to ColdFusion 9. Most ColdFusion 5 applications can also be migrated easily to ColdFusion 9. For details on migrating from ColdFusion 5 or earlier to ColdFusion 9, visit the ColdFusion MX migration resources section of the ColdFusion Developer Center.

ColdFusion 9 is available for purchase online from the Adobe Store and through our network of partners and resellers. View ColdFusion 9 purchasing information.

ColdFusion 9 is sold in two editions: Standard edition at US$1,299 per two CPUs and Enterprise edition at US$7,499 per two CPUs. ColdFusion may also be used for development at no cost with the free Developer edition, a full-featured server for development use only.

ColdFusion 9 Enterprise is the solution for delivering high-performing websites and applications in a clustered or virtualized environment. Additionally, it provides deep insight into the performance of your websites and applications. ColdFusion 9 Standard is the solution for delivering a robust website or application on a single server. To learn more about the product editions, visit the product editions page.

ColdFusion 9 is licensed based on the number of physical processors (CPUs) on the server on which it is running. ColdFusion is licensed in two-CPU increments. Each license of ColdFusion, whether Standard or Enterprise, allows the software to be installed on a server with one or two CPUs. Additional CPUs on the server require additional licenses. Note that the total number of computers on which ColdFusion 9 is installed and used may not exceed the total number of licenses purchased. That means you cannot purchase one two-CPU license and use it on two separate single-CPU servers. Each server, in that case, needs its own license. Additionally, ColdFusion 9 introduces instance-based licensing which allows you to install ColdFusion 9 on up to 10 instances in the cloud environment of your choice. View more detailed information regarding the licensing of ColdFusion 9.

No. ColdFusion 9 is licensed based on physical CPUs only. Multicore chips are treated as a single processor for calculating per-CPU licensing fees for ColdFusion 9.

Special upgrade pricing is available to owners of valid ColdFusion MX 7 and 8 licenses. See the upgrade details page for more information.

Customers running ColdFusion MX 6.x or earlier are not eligible for upgrade pricing.

You may be eligible for a free upgrade to ColdFusion 9. To find out more, call Customer Service at 800-833-6687 or submit your request via the web form.

Holders of current ColdFusion maintenance/subscriptions should have received an e-mail or letter with appropriate instructions. If you did not receive an e-mail or letter, contact Customer Service and include your ColdFusion serial number in your request.

ColdFusion 8 is still available for purchase. ColdFusion MX 7 and earlier versions are no longer available.

ColdFusion 9 is available in English and Japanese versions. Of course, ColdFusion applications can run in any locale and with any character set encoding. The English and Japanese versions make the ColdFusion Administrator, product documentation, runtime exception messages, and so on available in those languages.

Adobe is committed to ColdFusion. While no specific plans have been made public yet, a future ColdFusion release is in the early planning stages. We encourage you to use our feature request form to request new features or suggest modifications to existing features.

The ColdFusion 9 runtime environment is a Java application that takes advantage of the many powerful services in the J2EE platform to connect to databases, manage security, and process application requests. When ColdFusion 9 Enterprise edition is installed in the J2EE configuration on top of a Java application server, it uses that server's J2EE infrastructure to execute ColdFusion applications as pure Java bytecode. Developers can then continue to develop and deploy ColdFusion pages while easily managing ColdFusion server settings using the ColdFusion Administrator.

ColdFusion 9 supports IBM® WebSphere, Oracle WebLogic, Oracle Application Server, Adobe JRun™, JBoss. Visit the system requirements page and download the systems support matrix for details.

ColdFusion 9 introduces instance-based licensing which allows you to install ColdFusion 9 in the cloud environment of your choice. With Standard edition you can install one cloud instance in addition to your 2 CPUS and with Enterprise edition you can install a maximum of 10 concurrent instances in addition to your 2 CPUs.

Cloud environments provide hardware cost savings, allow you to seamlessly scale applications on demand and simplify the management of your application environment by removing the need to procure and manage servers. With a few clicks, you can have a new instance up and running and be ready to deploy your ColdFusion applications.

ColdFusion 9 supports most major databases, including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, IBM® DB2, Sybase, and IBM Informix. For a complete list of supported databases, see the system requirements page and download the systems support matrix.

ColdFusion 9 supports most major web servers, including IIS, Apache, and Sun Web Server. For a complete list of supported web servers, see the system requirements page and download the systems support matrix.

ColdFusion 9 supports most major operating systems, including Microsoft® Windows®, Sun Solaris™, Linux®, IBM AIX®, and Mac OS. For a complete list of supported operating systems and versions, see the system requirements page and download the systems support matrix.

Yes. All ColdFusion 9 editions can run as 64-bit applications on the 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows, Sun Solaris, Linux, and Mac OS. For detailed information about supported platforms, see the ColdFusion system requirements.

Sixty-four bit computer architectures can provide higher performance than 32-bit architectures by handling more information in the same clock cycle. In addition to performance, the size of the memory space an application can use is significantly larger. Thirty-two bit computing architectures can address approximately 4GB of memory; 64-bit computing architectures can address 16EB of memory. For practical purposes today, this is an "unlimited" amount of memory, which allows memory-intensive operations such as reading in large files or returning large data sets to operate more efficiently. Applications that require more memory and execute more computations will perform better on 64-bit systems than on 32-bit systems.

No. ColdFusion 9 uses CFML to build applications. ColdFusion makes it possible to take advantage of the power of Java application servers without having to learn complex technologies, such as the Java language, JavaServer Pages (JSP), Java servlets, or Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB). Of course, if you are already using Java, ColdFusion can use virtually any existing Java libraries or classes since it is compiled straight to Java Virtual Machine bytecode, just like Java source code.

Yes. You can use ColdFusion to call local or remote Microsoft .NET assembly classes as CFML objects. This means that ColdFusion applications can use .NET assemblies to directly access and control Microsoft products (such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint), use existing .NET components, or use .NET assemblies that you create to leverage features that are difficult to use or not available in ColdFusion or Java.

ColdFusion pages are simple text files, just like HTML pages, so you can develop them with any text editor. In conjunction with ColdFusion 9, Adobe has released a new Eclipse based IDE that is deeply integrated with ColdFusion 9, ColdFusion Builder, that provides a unified, customizable, and extensible development environment to code applications, manage servers, and deploy projects. Additionally, ColdFusion Builder includes integrated workflow and features with Flash Builder 4 to quickly and easily create rich interfaces for ColdFusion applications.

Yes. Adobe has created a deep level of integration and productivity tools for the Flash Platform and ColdFusion 9. ColdFusion 9 includes faster Flash Remoting and exposes many ColdFusion 9 enterprise services as a web service that can be accessed via the Action Message Format (AMF). Additionally, ColdFusion Builder includes integrated workflow and features with Flash Builder 4 to quickly and easily create rich interfaces for ColdFusion applications.

BlazeDS enables developers to easily connect to back-end distributed data and push data in real time to rich interfaces. Previously available only as part of Adobe LiveCycle® Data Services ES software, the technologies included in BlazeDS and the AMF protocol specification are being contributed to open source under the Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v3.

ColdFusion 9 is available for free to all eligible education customers for learning purposes only and not for production purposes. Students, faculty, and staff can get serial numbers to activate downloadable trial versions by registering on the registration site. During registration, you will be prompted to upload a copy of your student ID, faculty ID, or employee ID, or you can upload a letter on institutional letterhead proving your current affiliation with an educational institution. Once validated, you will be e-mailed a free educational serial number for ColdFusion 9. It may take up to two weeks after the request for you to receive the serial number.

One of the following documents must be uploaded during registration to prove eligibility:

• A valid student ID showing current enrollment
• A valid faculty ID showing current employment
• A valid employee ID showing current employment
• A letter on an educational institution letterhead stating that the individual is either a current student or a faculty member of the institution

A scanned copy of any of these documents should be uploaded to the ColdFusion 9 registration site. The scanned copy should be formatted as a GIF or PDF file.

If you are a faculty or staff member and you want to get ColdFusion 9 for multiple computers in your lab, you can request up to 30 education serial numbers for learning purposes in a single request on the registration site. If you need more than 30 education serial numbers, submit multiple requests.

Yes, ColdFusion 9 for education is still available for purchase as a boxed copy. The paid version of ColdFusion 9 for education does not have the restriction that it be used only for learning purposes.

No, Platinum Maintenance and Support and Upgrade Plan are only available for purchase to customers who have purchased a paid license of ColdFusion 9.

Complimentary installation support is available. Developer or Technical Support plans for issues beyond installation support are available for purchase. Visit the U.S. Adobe support programs page or the U.K. Adobe support programs page for additional information.