Install Process Intelligence

Before starting the installation, ensure the following:

  • You have downloaded the Linux installation file for the version you require from the Blue Prism Portal.
  • All Linux system requirements and prerequisites have been met.
  • Any firewall installations are not blocking ports 80, 443 and 5432 or the ports you plan to set up for the web server and database. The installation will not work if a firewall is blocking the ports that have been specified during installation.
  • If you intend to configure HTTPS, see HTTPS configuration.

Downloading and installing any of the SS&C | Blue Prism® Process Intelligence components, including by silent installation via command line, means that you accept the End User License Terms.

To install Process Intelligence on Linux, follow the steps below:

  1. Copy the Process Intelligence installer to the local disk, typically to /tmp.

  2. Open the shell.

    You must have root access permissions to install Process Intelligence. Using sudo with each command could cause problems with exported variables on the command line, so if you are not using the host machine with the root user, it is recommended to start a new shell with root privileges using sudo bash.

  3. Set the permissions of the ProcessIntelligence<version-number>_Linux.*.sh file so that it is executable:

    chmod +x /path/to/ ProcessIntelligence<version-number>_Linux0.*.sh

  4. Execute the Process Intelligence install script:

    path/to/ProcessIntelligence<version-number>_Linux.*.sh

    If the script is in the current directory, then you need to specify the dot (./) before the script file name:
    ./ProcessIntelligence<version-number>_Linux.*.sh

  5. Continue the installation when prompted.

  6. Read and accept the license agreement. Press Y to continue.

  7. Install the prerequisites.

    1. Install the PostgreSQL instance and database.

      Process Intelligence needs access to PostgreSQL 12. You can install PostgreSQL on a computer along with Process Intelligence or a separate computer.

      • Local – If you want to install PostgreSQL on the host machine or it is already installed there, select Local. This option is useful if you install the program for testing purposes or environments where the host machine is not accessible from outside the corporate network, and only the HTTP/HTTPS ports open.

        You can install PostgreSQL using the native package manager on your system or let the Process Intelligence installer install it. During the installation process, the following PostgreSQL databases are created:

        • timeline – The database contains all information about users, their activity, and projects.

        • timeline-log – The database contains detailed records of Process Intelligence events such as security, errors, and notifications.

        • timeline-000 – The database contains information about user repositories.

      • Remote – If you have already installed PostgreSQL on another computer, select Remote. This option is useful if you install the program in a production environment where the host machine is accessible from outside the corporate network.

        If your PostgreSQL is configured with SSL support and a root CA certificate file is used, you must provide the full path to the root CA certificate when configuring your connection settings. The certificate file will be copied to the $TIMELINE_INSTALLATION_DIR/db-ssl folder.

        To use this option, you must prepare timeline, timeline-log, and timeline-000 databases in the remote PostgreSQL in advance as follows:

        1. Launch PostgreSQL.
        2. Create a user that can own database objects. For example, TimelineUser.
        3. Create the following databases owned by the user you created at the previous step:
          • timeline – The database contains all information about users, their activity, and projects.
          • timeline-log – The database contains detailed records of Process Intelligence events such as security, errors, and notifications.
          • timeline-000 – The database contains information about user repositories.

        • To set up access to Process Intelligence databases, you will be prompted for the connection settings in one of the following installation steps.

        If your PostgreSQL database is configured with SSL support and a root CA certificate file is used, you must provide the path to the root CA certificate when configuring your connection settings. The certificate file will be copied to the $TIMELINE_INSTALLATION_DIR/db-ssl folder.

    2. Install Docker and docker-compose.

      Process Intelligence runs in Docker containers so Docker and docker-compose should be installed on the host machine. Docker is a Linux-based virtualization tool that can makes complex applications more portable. You can install it manually or let the Process Intelligence installer download and install it.

      In Process Intelligence 2.0, the installer automatically downloads Docker and its dependencies from the Internet. If your machine is not connected to the Internet, the program will ask you to download it manually.

  8. Configure the web server.

    1. Configure the HTTP and HTTPS ports.

      Specify the TCP/IP port for the Process Intelligence website. Make sure that the specified port is used by any other application. By default, the application listens to port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS. If both ports are defined, HTTP requests will be redirected to HTTPS. You can change the port configuration after installation. For more information, see Configure Process Intelligence via environment file.

      1. HTTP port (80)

        Press Enter to use the default 80 port or enter the port number.

      2. HTTPS port) (443)

        Press Enter to use the default 443 port or enter the port number.

      3. HTTP and HTTPS ports

        If the HTTP and HTTPS or HTTPS options are selected, after specifying the ports you will be prompted to specify the SSL certificate and key (and optionally a key password file). Provide the absolute path to these files. These files will the be copied to the appropriate location ($TIMELINE_INSTALLATION_DIR/nginx) and the ssl.conf set up accordingly. You will then be prompted to set the root certificate. Agree if you use self‑signed certificates, otherwise skip this step.

        For more information, see HTTPS configuration and Configure Process Intelligence using the environment file.

    2. Configure the base URL.

      Enter the base URL that hosts the Process Intelligence website, or press Enter to use the default https://127.0.0.1. This must be a public IP of the server or an external fully qualified URL. The lowercase pattern is recommended.

      The base URL also is used for links inside email messages sent by Process Intelligence.

      The forward slash character '/' cannot be used at the end of the base URL.

      The Base URL must have the following syntax: http[s]://hostname:port

      If you are using the default port (80 or 443), you do not need to add this to the base URL.

      Examples:

      The base URL of the HTTP endpoint, if a custom port is specified:

      http://mytimeline.com:8080

      The base URL of the HTTPS endpoint, if a custom port is specified:

      https://mytimeline.com:30443

  9. Configure the mail server.

    Configure access to the SMTP server to allow Process Intelligence to send out emails such as alerts or user invitations. You should provide general information to configure SMTP mail server and specify mail server security options. To decide which option you have to select, refer to the documentation of your mail server. Mail server basic settings are set during installation. You can change the SMTP Mail Server configuration after installation. For more information, see Configure Process Intelligence via the environment file.

    1. Host – Specify the server name where the SMTP mail server is installed.

    2. Port – Enter the SMTP mail server port number.

    3. Username and Password – Enter the SMTP mail server access credentials.

    4. Email sender – Enter the email sender to be used in the From header field of emails.

    5. Use TLS? (Y/N) – Enter N if the SMTP server does not use Transport Layer Security (TLS).TLS is used for mock, local mail services, for example, mailcatcher.

    6. Require TLS (Y/N) – Enter Y if the initial connection should happen over an unencrypted connection and then the STARTTLS command should be used to upgrade to a secure connection. For example, Microsoft Exchange.

    7. Reject unauthorized (Y/N) – Enter Y if your mail server uses SSL certificate issued by the Certification Authority (CA). Enter N if your mail server uses an unauthorized certificate, for example, a self-signed SSL certificate.

  10. Configure the SMS service.

    Configure the Twilio SMS service to receive SMS notifications from Process Intelligence including verification codes, alert notifications, and error messages.

    A Twilio account is required to configure and send SMS notifications.

    1. Do you want to use Twilio SMS service? (Y/N)

      Enter N if you don't want to receive SMS notifications. Enter Y to proceed with the SMS service configuration.

    2. Twilio account SID

      Enter your Twilio account string identifier. This is a unique key that will be used to identify your account when sending SMS notifications.

    3. Twilio auth token

      Enter your Twilio account authorization token, an access token that Process Intelligence needs to connect to your Twilio account.

    4. Phone number

      Enter the phone number from your Twilio account. This will be the sender number when sending SMS notifications.

  11. Configure the admin user account.

    Create administrator user? (Y/N) – Enter Y and a valid email address that is configured to receive emails (for example, [email protected]), and a password. This will be the first user, and the one that will have access to the Process Intelligence website, where other users can be administered.

    When you upgrade Process Intelligence, you are not prompted to enter admin user credentials because previous settings are maintained.

  12. Configure the database.

    This step only displays if you selected Remote to connect to a remote PostgreSQL instance at the beginning of the installation process. The installer will ask for the settings to access the Admin DB, Log DB, and User DB databases. For each of these databases, specify the connection parameters for the timeline, timeline-log, and timeline-000 databases located on the remote PostgreSQL.

    1. PostgreSQL host – If you selected Connect to existing database at the previous step, specify the server name where PostgreSQL is installed. By default, localhost is used.

    2. PostgreSQL port – Specify the TCP/IP port for the PostgreSQL. By default, TCP/IP port 5432 is used. Make sure that it is not being used by any other application. For more information, see Check port availability.

    3. Database username – Provide the credentials of the PostgreSQL user who owns the Process Intelligence databases. For example, TimelineUser.

    4. Database name

      Enter timeline as the database name for the Admin DB.

      Enter timeline-log as the database name for the Log DB.

      Enter timeline- as the database name for the User DB. This is the prefix of the timeline-000 database you created in the remote PostgreSQL.

  13. Perform an installation health check.

    Verify that Process Intelligence is working correctly by doing the following:

    1. Make sure all docker containers are running on the host machine by entering:

      sudo docker ps -a

      You can ignore the status of the timeline_migrate_1 container. This is used only to migrate databases and is not running after Process Intelligence has started.

    2. Open a browser and enter {URL}:{port} in the address bar, where:

      • {Url} is either the base URL you specified during the Process Intelligence installation, or the public IP address, or the full name of the computer on which Process Intelligence is installed.

      • {port} is the port assigned to the Process Intelligence website during the installation process. By default, TCP/IP port 80 is used.

        Example: http://myprocessintelligence:8080 or https://myprocessintelligence:30443

    3. If the installation was carried out correctly, the Process Intelligence website will launch.
    4. Log in using the Process Intelligence admin credentials you specified in Configure the admin user account.

During the installation process, firewall exceptions are created, allowing interactions between components to take place inside a network. For default network connection settings, see Network connection settings.