Adobe Connect 8 Migration Center

• Learn about new features, capabilities, and workflows
• View on-demand video tutorials and online guides
• Find out when your organization is scheduled to upgrade to Adobe Connect 8 (hosted deployments only)
• Get answers to frequently asked questions
• Learn about the new software development kit (SDK)

What's new in Adobe Connect 8?

Adobe Connect 8 offers powerful new capabilities including a simpler and more intuitive user interface for improved usability, enhanced audio/video integration for richer participant experiences, a new optional desktop client for improved access, and an SDK for even greater solution extensibility. With these new features, Adobe Connect 8 makes your web meetings, online training, and webinars more efficient and engaging than ever.

Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Starting on September 30, 2011, Adobe will begin upgrading hosted customers to Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 2 (SP2). For customers already on version 8.1, SP2 will provide bug fixes, as well as several key product enhancements to improve your user experience. If you have a hosted account and would like to know when your organization is scheduled to upgrade, you can use the "upgrade schedule estimator" tool (lower right side on the page). If you have an on-premise or managed services deployment, your account administrator will be provided with additional information on how to access this upgrade when it is available.

Featured enhancements:

• Customizable display of attendee information
• In-product notifications that can be sent by account administrators
• New 64-Bit Ubuntu Linux 10.04 Add-in available (completely optional). On 9/30, you'll be able to access this Add-in from the Add-Ins section on the right hand side of this page.

For specific details on what is included in this release, please see the release notes.

Adobe Presenter 7.0.7

We're excited to announce that the latest version of Adobe Presenter software (7.0.7) will become available in mid August 2011. Presenter 7.0.7 includes the following key updates and fixes:

• Support for the ActionScript® 3.0 programming language, providing tight integration with Adobe Captivate® software and optimized performance across multiple devices including desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices
• Single product install
• Additional bug fixes

Once Presenter 7.0.7 is released, additional information will be available on the Adobe Presenter product page and in the release notes.

Note: Presenter 7.0.7 is compatible only with Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 1 Update 2 (8.1.2) or later.

Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 1 Update 2 (8.1.2)

Adobe Connect hosted accounts will be automatically updated to version 8.1.2 in August to ensure compatibility with all versions of Presenter. If you have an on-premise or managed services deployment, be sure to upgrade to Adobe Connect 8.1.2 before installing Presenter 7.0.7. Get download information.

Please see the FAQ below for more information about Presenter compatibility with Adobe Connect.

Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

On April 8, 2011, Adobe began upgrading hosted customers to Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you are already on version 8, SP1 will provide you with new user experience enhancements that are based on the feedback we received on the initial Adobe Connect 8 release. If you have not yet been upgraded to Adobe Connect 8, we will upgrade you directly to Adobe Connect 8 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you'd like to know when your organization is scheduled to upgrade, you can use the upgrade schedule estimator tool on the lower right side of this page.

Featured enhancements:

• New layout bar to easily manage and switch between meeting layouts
• Presenter Only Area Q&A pod
• Support for 200 people split into 20 breakout rooms
• Support for playback of H.264 video
• Ability to create screen-sharing black list

A new Adobe Connect Meeting add-in is required for SP1. It will install automatically the first time you join an Adobe Connect 8 SP1 meeting. If you are in a locked-down environment, you will need to preinstall the add-in.

Note: These installers, are required only for organizations that do not allow their end users to install the Adobe Connect add-in via lightning download from Adobe.com.

Key benefits of Adobe Connect 8

Easier to use

A primary focus of Adobe Connect 8 is usability. With a new simplified interface featuring enhanced layouts and better organized controls, accessibility functions, and one-click sharing, Adobe Connect is now more powerful and easier to use. New usability features include:

• Simplified user experience. Use Adobe Connect more intuitively. With the new user interface, you can easily discover all available functions and features through better organization and prominent display of the most important and frequently used controls and capabilities.
• Enhanced audio and video controls. Access audio and video controls centrally. Audio and video controls are prominently displayed and logically organized at the top of the meeting bar. All related capabilities are now centralized and easily accessible directly from each control.
• Unified attendee management. Access all participant management functions from the Attendee pod. Hosts can change participant roles using simple drag and drop and assign video, audio, or screen-sharing rights using mouse-over controls. Presenters can quickly get the vote count using the new status view and easily control breakout sessions using the new breakout view.
• Optimized screen use. Size your screen area for optimal viewing. The meeting interface rescales intelligently to provide optimal viewing experiences for any screen size or resolution. Presenters can now size their own version of the presenter-only area individually without impacting the view of other presenters.
• Improved accessibility. Navigate the Connect 8 interface completely via keyboard. Several hot keys are also supported for direct access to important functions and capabilities. Significant improvements in screen reader compatibility include JAWS and Win-Eyes support and accurate focus-location tracking by screen magnification software.

Better collaboration

To collaborate effectively, dispersed teams need to be able to share ideas and communicate freely, as well as capture decisions and results. With Adobe Connect 8, collaboration capabilities are now more flexible and robust, enabling teams to drive better results. New collaboration features include:

• Advanced chat. Organize chat into separate tabs for public and private conversations to reduce errant chat messages. Participants can choose the color and text size of their chat messages. Hosts can control whether private chats are allowed in a meeting room.
• Rich Notes pod. Use rich formatting capabilities in the Notes pod, such as bold, italics, multiple colors, and bullets. The Notes pod also includes productivity and accessibility improvements like support for keyboard shortcuts. Hosts can save notes as an RTF file on their local drive and then email them to multiple participants directly from the Notes pod interface.
• Simplified Q&A pod. Easily manage questions between multiple Presenters during meetings. Presenters now have their own view for managing and answering questions and can assign/reassign questions, see who is answering, or answer the question privately or publicly. Participants have a separate view to ask questions and see answers.
• Enhanced Whiteboard. Collaborate more effectively with enhanced Whiteboard tools. In addition to the standard shapes available, you can create custom shapes and add text to shapes with just a simple double-click. The whiteboard can also be used in the overlay mode on top of a shared document to zoom and pan along with the document.

Richer audio and video experiences

Adobe Connect 8 allows you to provide rich multimedia experiences to participants with integrated audio and video conferencing. New features include:

• Two-way Universal Voice. Bridge the audio from any audio conferencing provider into an Adobe Connect room and provide two-way communication between VoIP and telephone audio to deliver richer experiences for all participants.
• Videoconferencing integration. Leverage existing investments in videoconferencing solutions by integrating your video telephony devices supporting SIP/H.264 with the Adobe Connect platform (for on-premise deployments only). With this new feature, meeting hosts now have the option of bringing a live audio/video broadcast stream directly into an Adobe Connect meeting room.

Improved access and extensibility

Busy professionals working on multiple projects with global teams need the ability to track down key people, instantly collaborate, and come up with responses quickly to meet project milestones. The optional Adobe Connect Desktop client allows workers to do just that. Plus, new and enhanced plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook, Adobe Creative Suite®, and Microsoft Communication Server clients improve productivity, as does an enhanced collaboration SDK. Access and extensibility features include:

• New optional desktop client. Set up and manage meetings more easily with the new optional Adobe Connect Desktop AIR® client. Invite participants to meetings right from their desktop. You can also instantly search for archived Adobe Connect sessions and download and playback recordings offline.
• New and enhanced plug-ins. Use the Microsoft Outlook add-in to schedule meetings from your Microsoft Outlook Contacts based on their Exchange Free/Busy time. Using Microsoft Office Communicator, you can see when contacts are online and available, and then invite them to meet using their existing IM client, or via the Adobe Connect Desktop Air client.
• Enhanced collaboration SDK. Write to more than 100 Adobe Connect APIs to customize the user interface, extend security features, or add virtually any functionality to Adobe Connect you desire. The new SDK also supports Flex, Adobe Flash® Player, and ActionScript 3.0 for richer, more dynamic interactions and even more engaging online collaboration.

Increased security and enterprise support

Adobe Connect 8 is web conferencing for the enterprise. With strengthened security capabilities and improved support for virtualization and meeting resiliency, Adobe Connect is even more suited for enterprise deployments. New features include:

• Passcode-protected meeting rooms. Set and manage passcodes over some or all meeting rooms to better manage participants and control meeting access. Hosts can set and reset passcodes, which participants are required to enter upon login, protecting sensitive information.
• Session management. Manage meeting session length for strengthened security and finer-grained control of user sessions. Allow users to hold sessions for as long as necessary while ensuring that idle sessions time out, reducing the risk of unwanted meeting access.
• Thin-client support. Provide rich-media collaboration in virtualized environments with support for Citrix XenApp 6. Improved delivery and performance of Adobe Connect 8 on Citrix XenApp 6 enables organizations to deploy rich, engaging web conferencing software throughout the enterprise while enjoying the lower TCO and increased agility of thin-client virtualization.
• Ubuntu 10 Add-in. Experience full-featured meeting host capabilities with a new add-in for Linux Ubuntu users. Now Linux® users have the same capabilities Windows® and Mac OS users do when hosting meetings.

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Adobe Connect 8 SDK

The Adobe Connect Collaboration SDK allows Adobe, customers, or third-party developers to develop applications that add new functionality within Adobe Connect meetings. Many meeting hosts have visited Adobe's Exchange/Marketplace, or our developer/partner sites, to download these "syncSWF" applications, often called custom pods, and have been using them successfully in their Connect meeting rooms. With Adobe Connect 8 we're introducing a new SDK, allowing an even greater range of applications to be developed. However, due to the changes in the new Adobe Connect 8 meeting application, custom pods written for Adobe Connect 7.x and earlier may not work correctly in Connect 8. We're working closely with our development partners, and many of the applications have already been rewritten using the new SDK and will be available shortly on the Adobe Exchange/Marketplace. For more information, visit the Adobe Connect Developer Center.

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Frequently asked questions

General

If I'm using Adobe Connect 6 or 7, do I need to upgrade to Adobe Connect 7.5 before upgrading to version 8?

Yes, the supported upgrade path from Adobe Connect 6 or 7 is to first upgrade to Adobe Connect 7.5, and then upgrade to Adobe Connect 8. Follow the migration and installation guides for each version-to-version upgrade throughout the process.

Where can I find support?

Visit the Adobe Connect support pages to obtain both email and phone support information.

What if I don't remember my current serial number?

You may continue to use your existing Adobe Connect 7.5, 7, or 6 serial number with Adobe Connect 8. You are not required to enter your serial number during the upgrade; the installer will automatically detect and use your existing valid license key.

If you need to obtain your Adobe Connect serial number, log into your server administrative console. If you have not installed or upgraded to Adobe Connect 7.5, or need assistance obtaining your Adobe Connect serial number, visit the Adobe World Wide Customer Care site.

Who is eligible for the upgrade?

Customers with active Platinum Maintenance and Support for Adobe Connect as of November 19, 2010, qualify for an automatic upgrade license to Adobe Connect 8. Customers are also eligible who renew Platinum Maintenance and Support and request the upgrade upon renewal.

Will my custom applications that were created using XML APIs or the Collaboration Builder SDK continue to work in Adobe Connect 8?

Few updates have been made to the XML APIs; the base set will still be functional in Adobe Connect 8. Always test and verify that the XML API calls in your custom applications are compatible with the new version of your Adobe Connect Server. Search the product knowledgebase of TechNotes on the Adobe Connect Support page for API-specific information, and review the Using Adobe Connect Web Services documentation.

The Collaboration Builder SDK has been reengineered in Adobe Connect 8 to support ActionScript 3.0. The Adobe Connect meeting client has also been reengineered in ActionScript 3.0. As a result of these changes, previously uploaded meeting extensions (SyncSWF files) will no longer work in Adobe Connect 8 meetings. Adobe has been working with the main developers of such SyncSWFs to help them modify their extensions and release new versions compatible with Adobe Connect 8. Users are invited to check the Adobe Connect Exchange page for updates. Developers can download the Adobe Connect 8 SDK at no cost from our website to revamp their existing extensions or build new ones.

Finally, users of Adobe Connect APIs or the SDK should be aware that the management of web sessions has changed in Adobe Connect 8. For increased security, the default timeout of web sessions has been lowered to 30 minutes (this setting is configurable at the account level in Adobe Connect Central). This change does not apply to meetings themselves but to Adobe Connect Central sessions, API sessions, and SyncSWF contents uploaded into meetings. Developers might want to modify their shared objects or API-based applications to avoid session timeout or to reauthenticate more frequently for session continuity.

Has performance been enhanced in Adobe Connect 8 over Adobe Connect 7.5?

Adobe Connect 8 is now based on ActionScript 3.0, found in Flash Player 9 and later. ActionScript 3.0 offers significant performance enhancements that are realized in Adobe Connect meetings as faster screen updates, smoother transitions and animations, better video performance, and several other speed improvements. The overall feel of the meeting is much more responsive in Adobe Connect 8.

What version of Flash Player is required to run Adobe Connect 8? And how, if at all, does Adobe Connect 8 benefit from new functionality in the latest version(s) of Flash Player?

The minimum requirement for Adobe Connect 8 is either the latest Adobe Connect Add-in or Flash Player 10.1. There are a wealth of benefits realized from leveraging the latest version of Flash Player — improved performance, the ability to drag and drop files into meeting rooms from your desktop, drag and drop within the meeting interface to do things like attendee management, support for higher quality H.264 video, support for the Speex audio codec, and so on.

Will my existing content or recordings still work after the upgrade to version 8?

Yes content and recordings will be preserved through the upgrade, except for content created using our Collaboration Builder SDK. That content will need to be upgraded to use the new SDK released with Adobe Connect 8 and available on our migration center.

Adobe Connect Desktop

What is the desktop client in Adobe Connect 8, and how will it benefit users?

Adobe Connect Desktop, based on Adobe AIR, is the first-ever desktop offering for Adobe Connect users. The optional application includes the following capabilities:

• Host new meetings and existing meetings already created in your "My Meetings" folder.
• Invite Adobe Connect contacts to meetings quickly, directly from your desktop.
• Browse and search for recorded meetings stored on any Adobe Connect Server.
• Play recordings from any Adobe Connect Server.
• Download recordings to your desktop and play them locally, even when not online/connected to the server.

How do users get Adobe Connect Desktop?

Adobe Connect Desktop is an optional tool that anyone who hosts or attends Adobe Connect Meetings, or views recordings of Adobe Connect Meetings, will find valuable. When Adobe Connect 8 is released, we will also make Adobe Connect Desktop available for download on the Adobe Connect User Group site.

What version of Adobe AIR does Adobe Connect Desktop run on?

Adobe AIR 2 is required for Adobe Connect Desktop.

What version(s) of Adobe Connect will Adobe Connect Desktop work with?

Adobe Connect Desktop is designed to work with Adobe Connect 7 and later. The richest feature set is available when connecting to meetings and recordings in Adobe Connect 8.

Enterprise infrastructure

How have you improved user control and information protection in Adobe Connect 8?

Adobe Connect 8 offers meeting room password protection in addition to the comprehensive existing meeting room access controls and registered user permissions.

How have you improved session management in Adobe Connect 8?

Adobe Connect 8 now supports meeting sessions delivered through the Citrix XenApp thin-client technology. Supporting this desktop virtualization technology allows organizations much greater session control within their network.

How have you improved meeting resiliency in Adobe Connect 8?

Adobe Connect 8 servers have been rearchitected to separate internal dependencies, providing a much higher tolerance for temporary failover of server components. This helps ensure that meetings continue despite any problems the server might encounter.

SDK 2.0/extensibility

What is the Adobe Connect Collaboration SDK 2.0?

The Adobe Connect Collaboration software development kit (SDK) is a set of free properties and events that can be added to an application to make it collaborative when loaded into an Adobe Connect meeting. As examples, a Flex developer could create an interactive learning game, a multilanguage translating chat, or a mapping application, and meeting participants could play the game against each other, chat messages can be translated to a different language for each person in the meeting, or the group could conavigate a map.

What's new about the Adobe Connect Collaboration SDK 2.0?

The most significant change in the SDK is that it now supports the Flex development environment and ActionScript 3.0. This change has made it much easier for developers to build new collaboration applications, or to make their existing applications collaborative when loaded directly into Adobe Connect meetings.

How do third parties interested in developing for Adobe Connect 8 engage with Adobe?

The Adobe Connect Collaboration SDK is free and publicly available for download from the Developer Center on Adobe.com. Developers can build, use, and sell applications based on the SDK without contacting Adobe. However, developers may want to use the free Adobe Exchange/Marketplace to distribute and market their applications to Adobe Connect users around the world.

Third-party audio/video

What is two-way Universal Voice, and how is it implemented in Adobe Connect 8?

Two-way Universal Voice allows users to configure their Adobe Connect meeting rooms to bridge computer microphones and speakers used in their meetings with virtually any telephone conferencing service. This way you can mix telephony and Voice over IP (VoIP), allowing users to leverage the most convenient or cost-effective audio communication available to them.

How has integration with video conferencing systems been enhanced in Adobe Connect 8?

For on-premise deployments, Adobe Connect 8 supports the ability to have your Adobe Connect meeting stream video from SIP/H.264-based video conferencing hardware to all participants in the meeting room. This new capability now extends the value of existing video conferencing hardware — instead of a handful of viewers in dedicated video conferencing rooms, now hundreds of users can see the video from virtually any computer.

Mobile

Has Adobe Connect Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch been enhanced as part of Adobe Connect 8?

Adobe Connect Mobile for iPhone , iPad, and iPod touch continues to be available as a free download from iTunes.

When will Adobe Connect Mobile be offered for additional mobile device platforms and devices?

Adobe Connect Mobile is now available for devices running Android™. Users with Android 2.2 can install Adobe AIR and Adobe Connect Mobile and attend rich, online meetings from their mobile devices. We continue to work with other platform providers and device manufacturers, and our roadmap includes plans for an Adobe Connect Mobile solution for RIM customers in 2011.

Adobe Presenter

Is my version of Adobe Connect compatible with Adobe Presenter?

Scenario: I have a hosted account on Adobe Connect and want to use Presenter 7.0.7.
Answer: Adobe Connect hosted accounts will be migrated to version 8.1.2 starting in mid August and completed by the end of August. Your account administrator will be notified when your account will be updated. You can check which version of Adobe Connect you have by going into your Adobe Connect meeting room, clicking Help in the upper right corner, and selecting About Adobe Connect."

Scenario: I have a hosted account on Adobe Connect and want to use Presenter 7.0.6 or earlier.
Answer: Yes, fully compatible.

Scenario: I have Adobe Connect 8.1.2 (or later) on an on-premise or managed service deployment and want to use Presenter 7.0.7.

Answer: Yes, fully compatible.

Scenario: I have Adobe Connect 8.1.1 (or earlier) on an on-premise or managed service deployment and want to use Presenter 7.0.7.
Answer: No, not compatible. Upgrade to Adobe Connect 8.1.2 or continue to use a previous version of Presenter (7.0.6 or earlier). This is a free upgrade for customers with a valid Adobe Connect maintenance contract.

Scenario: I use Mac OS and want to use Presenter 7.0.7.
Answer: Refer to the TechNote for more information on the Adobe Connect 8.1.2 add-in for Mac OS.

I have a hosted account on Adobe Connect. Do I need to do anything to upgrade to version 8.1.2 to ensure my version is compatible with Presenter 7.0.7?

In general, no, the update will happen automatically. You will be prompted to download a new meeting add-in to work with the 8.1.2 update when it becomes available. Alternatively, you can download the add-in manually. If you are in a locked-down desktop environment (organizations with private networks or locked-down environments with no external Internet access), your administrator will need to schedule the update for your organization. Your administrator will be provided with the information needed to do this.

I have an on-premise or managed services version of Adobe Connect. How do I upgrade to Adobe Connect 8.1.2?

If you have a current maintenance and support contract in place, the update is free. Your administrator will be provided with the files and information to update your account. In addition, you will be prompted to download a new meeting add-in to work with the 8.1.2 update when it becomes available. Alternatively, you can download the add-in manually.

If you have an Adobe Connect hosted account, you can wait until your account is upgraded to Adobe Connect 8.1.2, which will be completed by the end of August. If you have an on-premise or managed services account and do not plan on upgrading to Adobe Connect 8.1.2 (or you do not want to wait until your hosted account is upgraded to 8.1.2), you can uninstall Presenter 7.0.7 and install Presenter 7.0. You can download Presenter 7.0 from your organization's LWS site (in addition to Presenter 7.0.7). Your existing Presenter 7.0.7 serial key can be used to activate Presenter 7.0. You can then install any patches to bring you up to Presenter 7.0.6. Contact our Technical Support team if you have any questions or need help.

I want to upgrade to Presenter 7.0.7. How do I do this?

Presenter 7.0.7 is a free upgrade for customers with Presenter 7.0 or later, customers with a valid Adobe Connect Content Publisher license (hosted), or customers with a valid maintenance contract supporting Presenter (on-premise). For additional details on Presenter 7.0.7 and upgrading to this latest version, visit your organization's LWS site, where you can download the latest version (or earlier versions) of Presenter. If you do not have Presenter, contact a sales representative about purchasing options.

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