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How do I run bots from other locations such as a server?

  • 28 August 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 56 views

Hello,

My company uses servers (which we access using virtual machines) that we intend to run automation bots on. Until this point, I have been running all automation bots from my local desktop. 

How do I configure the bots so that if they are triggered from my local desktop they will be executed on the VM?

Thank you

To configure your automation bots to run on virtual machines (VMs) instead of your local desktop, you need to follow these steps:

 

  1. Check in to Public Repo:

    • First, you need to upload your bot to the Automation Anywhere Control Room Public Repo. This ensures that the bot is available for deployment on various machines, including VMs.
    • Automations in your private repo can run locally, but if you want something to be scheduled/triggered and run elsewhere, it needs to be in Public.
    • Refer to the documentation on how to deploy bots from the Control Room: Run a bot.

  2. Configure the Bot Runner:

    • Ensure that your VMs are set up as Bot Runners. Bot Runners are unattended computers (physical or virtual) whose job is to run the tasks presented to them.
    • You’ll need a user account (in Automation Anywhere) that is tagged with a runner license in your Control Room and appropriate permissions to execute your automation.
    • More details on Bot Runners can be found here: Bot Runners.
  3.  

  4. Use Relative Paths:

    • Make sure your bot uses relative paths instead of local paths. This makes the bot portable and ensures it can run on different machines without issues.
    • Use the system variable $AAApplicationPath$ to create relative paths.
    • Example:
      • Local path: C:\Users\UserName\Documents\Automation Anywhere Files\Automation Anywhere\My Docs\accounts.xlsx
      • Relative path: $AAApplicationPath$\Automation Anywhere\My Docs\accounts.xlsx
    • For more information on using relative paths, refer to this documentation: Enable bots to run on other computers.

  5. Auto Login Configuration:

    • Configure Auto Login to ensure that bots can automatically log in to the VMs, execute their tasks, and log out.
    • More details on Auto Login can be found here: Auto Login Compatibility.

  6. Deploy and Schedule the Bot:

    • Once the bot is uploaded and configured, you can deploy and schedule it to run on the VMs from the Control Room.
    • You can use the Control Room to deploy the bots to the Bot Runners and schedule them as needed.
    • Refer to the documentation on how to schedule a bot: Schedule a bot.

This post was helpful, but we ended up solving the issue by adding my account to a certain team within AARI that allowed me to see the bot processes in the co-pilot desktop application

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