Install and configure the Blue Prism Digital Worker API

Prerequisites

Minimum hardware requirements

See Blue Prism software and hardware requirements for details of the minimum requirements for the web server onto which the Digital Worker API will be installed.

Web server IIS configuration

The Digital Worker API must be installed as part of the Desktop installation. The API must be installed on an IIS-enabled server, which should have a low latency connection to the Blue Prism database. The Digital Worker API can be installed on the same server as the Blue Prism API, if required.

If you are installing the Digital Worker API on a separate web server to the Blue Prism API, the following configuration must be applied to the web server that will host the API. If you are installing the Digital Worker API on the same server as the Blue Prism API and have already set up the web server, this step does not need to be repeated. This can be configured using the provided PowerShell script, or manually.

If required, the Digital Worker API can be installed on the same web server as the Blue Prism API, Hub, and Authentication Server.

Scripted configuration

To configure the web server via a script, run the following command using the PowerShell command prompt:

Install-WindowsFeature -name Web-Server, Web-Windows-Auth -IncludeManagementTools

Enable Authentication Server

To enable authentication against the API, your Blue Prism environment must be configured to use Authentication Server, and Authentication Server must be enabled in the interactive client.

• Authentication Server must be installed using the Hub installer, see the Hub installation guide.

• In addition to the configuration described in the Hub installation guide, an Authentication Server user must be created in Hub first, and then assigned the Desktop User role in Blue Prism. This is done by adding the Authentication Server user to the Desktop Users role via System > Security > User Roles.

• For information on how to configure your Blue Prism environment to use Authentication Server, see the Authentication Server configuration guide.

Install the Digital Worker API

After you have installed Hub, Authentication Server, and Blue Prism Enterprise, you can now install the Digital Worker API.

To install the Digital Worker API, download and run the Blue Prism Digital Worker API installer, available from the Blue Prism Portal, and progress through the installer as shown below. The installer must be run with administrator rights.

Step	Installer screen	Details
1		Welcome If required, select another language for the installer from the drop-down list. The default language is English (United States). Click Next.
2		License agreement Read the End-User License Agreement and if you agree to the terms, select the check box. Click Next.
3		Destination folder Specify the required installation folder. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Blue Prism\Blue Prism Digital Worker API, but you can choose your own using the Change button. Click Next.
4		IIS Setup Configure the Internet Information Service (IIS) for the Digital Worker API. Site name – This defaults to Blue Prism API DW and cannot be amended. Host name – Enter the URL of the Digital Worker API website. This URL must also match the site included in the required certificate. Port – Enter the port number for the machine that you are installing the Digital Worker API onto. The default port number is 443. If the Blue Prism API is installed on the same server and you have already used the default port number, you must enter a different port number here. SSL Certificate – Select the appropriate Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, issued for the website specified for Host name. Click Next.
5		Configure SQL connection Configure the SQL database connection for the Digital Worker API. SQL Server – Enter the SQL server host name or IP address. If using a non-standard SQL port, enter the SQL server host name, followed by the port. For example: SQLSERVER1,1434. Authentication Mode – Select your authentication mode for the account that the API will use to connect to the Blue Prism database: For Windows Authentication (default), this is the identity of the IIS application pool associated with the site. For SQL Authentication, enter the username and password. Database name – Enter the name of your Blue Prism database. The minimum SQL requirements must be granted to the user who will connect to the Blue Prism database in order for the API to function correctly. Click Test Connection to check that a connection can be established with the SQL Server. Click Next.
6		Configure encryption keys Select the location from which to load the encryption keys. Blue Prism server configuration (recommended) – Select an existing Blue Prism server configuration from which to load the encryption keys. The options available in the drop-down list are taken from the Blue Prism application server configuration. The web server does not need to be able to communicate with a running Blue Prism application server, but the server configuration file must be present on the web server. Load encryption keys from database – Select this option if the encryption keys are stored in the Blue Prism database. This is commonly appropriate for scenarios where no application server is deployed. Click Next to install the Digital Worker API. A progress bar displays during the installation of the API.
7		Installation complete If the installation has completed successfully, click Finish to exit the installer. If the installation fails, click View Log to see the error that was encountered.

Configure DNS record

Once the Digital Worker API has been installed, a DNS record needs to be configured to map the API URL to the relevant IP address.

For more details on how to do this, see DNS resolution and Blue Prism network connectivity.

Configure IIS application pool for Windows Authentication access to database

This section applies to Windows Authentication only.

After you have successfully installed the Digital Worker API, you will need to complete the following Internet Information Service (IIS) configuration:

If the Digital Worker API has been configured to use Windows Authentication, the Blue Prism Digital Worker application pool in IIS will need to be updated to run as a user with appropriate access to the Blue Prism database. Follow the steps below when using Windows Authentication for the database connection:

Application pool identities are most commonly set to service accounts.

1. Launch the Internet Information Services Manager from the Windows Start menu.

2. In the Connections pane, click Application Pools.

   The Application Pools window displays.

3. Select Blue Prism API DW.

4. In the Actions pane, click Advanced Settings.
5. In the Advanced Settings dialog, expand Process Model and click the ellipsis (…) next to ApplicationPoolIdentity.

   

6. In the Application Pool Identity dialog, select Custom account and click Set....

7. In the Set Credentials dialog, enter the Windows login credentials service account that has access to the Blue Prism database and click OK.

   The database user required to connect to the Blue Prism database must have db_datareader and db_datawriter permissions.

   

8. In the Connections panel, expand the Sites node and select Blue Prism API DW.

The Blue Prism API DW Home window displays.

9. In the Actions panel, under Manage Website, click Restart.

After you have successfully installed and configured the Digital Worker API, you need to install the Blue Prism Desktop client and configure a connection for use by the Desktop users. See Install and connect the Desktop client for details.

Configure IIS application pool for high usage (optional)

If the Desktop environment is accessed by more than 750 highly active users, then the Digital Worker API may time out, resulting in error messages being displayed. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended that the Regular time intervals (in minutes) setting in the Internet Information Service (IIS) application pool is decreased from 1740 to 180.

To amend this setting in IIS:

1. Launch IIS from the Windows Start menu.

2. In the Connections pane, click Application Pools.

   The Application Pools window displays.

3. Select Blue Prism API DW.

4. In the Actions pane, click Recycling.
5. In the Edit Application Pool Recycling Settings dialog, change the value of the Regular time intervals (in minutes) field to 180.



6. Click Next, then click Finish to apply the changes.