Desktop installation overview

The current version of SS&C | Blue Prism® Desktop requires the following components to be installed in a dedicated environment. This environment will be then accessed from user’s computers via the Desktop client.

Components required for Desktop

  • SS&C | Blue Prism Enterprise Edition version 7.1 – Your Desktop license gives you access to the Desktop-specific functionality available in Blue Prism.
  • The Blue Prism installation used to administer Desktop must be installed in a dedicated environment.

  • SS&C | Blue Prism API version 7.1 – The API provides an interface for Desktop to connect with the Blue Prism database. It also provides a series of predefined capabilities that are used to interact with Blue Prism programmatically using a RESTful API.
  • The Blue Prism API needs to be installed in your Desktop environment, however, there is no recommended order in which the APIs need to be installed.

  • Hub version 4-7Hub deploys Authentication Server. Authentication Server provides a centralized, common authentication method for users across key Blue Prism components, including Desktop.
  • SS&C | Blue Prism Digital Worker API version 7.1 – The Blue Prism Digital Worker API provides an interface between SS&C | Blue Prism® Desktop and the Blue Prism database, allowing Desktop to obtain all the information it needs to run automated processes.

Desktop licenses

In addition to the components above, at least one Desktop license must be applied to the Blue Prism database for the system administrator to use the Blue Prism interactive client. This will enable them to use their machine with the Desktop client and its associated Desktop runtime resource.

A Desktop license cannot be imported alongside an Enterprise, NHS, Trial, or Learning license. The dedicated Desktop environment must only have Desktop licenses applied. The Desktop license cannot be applied to the Blue Prism database if an Enterprise license is already present. However, a Blue Prism database with a Desktop license applied can co-exist in the same SQL Server instance as a Blue Prism database with a Blue Prism Enterprise license applied. See Desktop architecture for further details.

Unlike Blue Prism Enterprise licenses, whose use is determined by the number of concurrent sessions, Desktop licenses are associated with the number of registered Desktop runtime resources.

When a user logs into the Desktop client for the first time, their machine is registered as a Desktop runtime resource and a Desktop license is associated with that machine. If another user logs onto that machine, they will share the same Desktop license.

To remove a license from a machine and make it available for another machine, the Desktop system administrator will need to retire the Desktop runtime resource, see Resource management for details. Subsequent login attempts on that machine will fail until the resource is unretired.

Desktop architecture

The following diagram shows the architecture of Desktop deployment.

The Central server section of the diagram is intended to depict the components required to work with Desktop, and not that the components need to be installed on the same server. For the deployment requirements for Blue Prism Enterprise, see Multi-device deployment, and for Hub, see Typical Hub deployment.

Client architecture

  • Desktop client – Needs to be installed on the computer of every user who will be using the Desktop client. The single installer includes:
    • The Desktop runtime resource
    • The Desktop user interface.
  • Blue Prism interactive client – Required for process development and Control Room functionality. This is a standard installation of Blue Prism Enterprise. Any Desktop-specific functionality is controlled by the application of a Desktop license.

Server architecture

As described in Install and configure the Digital Worker API, the Desktop environment requires a number of Blue Prism components to be installed. Please refer to the relevant installation instructions for the each component for details of how to install and configure them for your Desktop environment.

Digital Worker API

The following conditions apply to the Digital Worker API:

  • It must be installed on an IIS-enabled server, which should have a low latency connection to the Blue Prism database.
  • It can be installed on the same server as the Blue Prism API, if required.
  • An SSL certificate is required on the device where the Digital Worker API will be installed to secure the site that is created (HTTPS). For more information, see Configure SSL certificates.