Hi Steve,
Yes, you can use PCA without having to configure any adapters.
Since PCA works at application level it has no dependency on the underlying infrastructure (OS/DB/Network/Virtualization...) so you can go ahead and use PCA in standalone mode.
Here's the link to the main SCN page for PCA (everything you need to know about PCA):
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Adarsh