Installing or upgrading an on-premise Robots Agent

The Robots Agent performs the tasks scheduled in the Robots app. The agent performs the tasks on your company's secure local Windows server, close to the data source and within the protective boundaries of your network.

Note

The information in this topic applies only to organizations that use an on-premise Robots Agent to run ACL scripts in ACL robots.

Individuals and organizations with ACL Robotics Professional Edition do not have an on-premise Robots Agent. Python/HCL scripts that run in HighBond robots or Workflow robots do not use the Robots Agent.

General information

Download the Robots Agent installation package and use it to install the Robots Agent on a Windows server. You can also use the installation package to upgrade an existing Robots Agent on the server.

Key files

During the installation, you register the Robots Agent using a registration keyfile (registration.key). You generate the keyfile in the Robots app, and download it to the Windows server where the Robots Agent is installed.

The registration keyfile authenticates the first-time connection between the Robots Agent and the Robots app. Subsequent connections and data flows are secured by encryption keys (an RSA public-private key pair). The RSA key pair is automatically generated when you start the Robots Agent service.

The registration keyfile and the encryption keys are separate objects used at different stages of the registration and connection process.

If you are upgrading the Robots Agent, the registration keyfile is not involved, and you should not generate a new instance of registration.key.

Multiple agents

To increase analytic processing capacity and implement load balancing, you have the option of installing additional instances of the Robots Agent on additional Windows servers.

Robots Agent Windows services and accounts

When you install the Robots Agent, it deploys two Windows services on the server:

  • Robots Agent runs scheduled and ad hoc Robots tasks
  • Robots Data Service provides the connectivity that allows users to open Robots Agent tables in Analytics

If either of these services are not running, the functionality they provide is not available.

Tip

If tasks remain queued for a long time in Robots, and are then skipped, or fail, check that the Robots Agent service is running.

If users get a connection error when attempting to open a Robots Agent table in Analytics, check that the Robots Data Service is running.

Service accounts and ports

You use service accounts to run the two Robots Agent Windows services. For detailed information about the logon rights and permissions required by the accounts, see On-premise Robots Agent security.

Note

If you change the properties of either of the Windows services after you install the Robots Agent, you must restart the service for the change to take effect.

Windows service Account that runs the service Port
Robots Agent service

Domain account specified during installation, or post-installation

 443 outbound communication only
Robots Data Service Local System 10000 by default, configurable during and after installation

Ensure the Robots Agent can connect to the certificate authority

The Robots Agent uses a digital certificate to validate its authenticity and integrity. The certificate requires an Internet connection to DigiCert, the third-party certificate authority, so that the certificate can be verified. If you are installing the Robots Agent behind a network firewall, the firewall must be configured to allow the certificate to connect to DigiCert. Without the required connection, the Robots Agent will not work.

If required, work with your organization's IT department to configure a network firewall or proxy server to allow the connection between the certificate and DigiCert. The digital certificate in the Robots Agent uses the following URLs to connect to DigiCert's certificate revocation list and OCSP server:

  • http://cacerts.digicert.com
  • http://crl3.digicert.com
  • http://crl4.digicert.com
  • http://ocsp.digicert.com

For more detailed URL information, you can inspect the installed certificate.

Inspect the installed certificate

After installing the Robots Agent, inspect the installed certificate to see certificate authority URLs.

  1. In the Robots Agent installation directory, right-click Agent.exe and select Properties.

    The default installation directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

  2. In the Agent.exe Properties dialog box, select the Digital Signatures tab.
  3. In the Signature list, double-click Diligent Corporation, then click View Certificate.
  4. In the Details tab in the Certificate dialog box, select each of these fields:
    • CRL Distribution Points
    • Authority Information Access

    For each field, URLs appear in the display area at the bottom of the dialog box.

  5. In the Certification Path tab in the Certificate dialog box, do the following:
    1. Select each of these certification path entries:
      • DigiCert Trusted Root G4
      • DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing...
    2. For each entry, click View Certificate.
    3. In the Details tab, select each of these fields:
      • Authority Information Access
      • CRL Distribution Points

      For each field, URLs appear in the display area at the bottom of the dialog box.

Generate the Robots Agent registration keyfile

If you are a new customer installing the Robots Agent for the first time, you need to generate a registration keyfile (registration.key). The registration keyfile authenticates the first-time connection between the Robots Agent and the Robots app.

If you are an existing customer and you already have a Robots Agent installed and in use, in many cases you should not generate a new registration keyfile. Generating a new file is often unnecessary and can be disruptive to the configuration of your organization's Robots instance.

Robots Agent status Generate a registration keyfile
Fresh installation of the Robots Agent, single-agent installation Yes
Fresh installation of an additional instance of the Robots Agent in a multi-agent cluster

No

Copy the existing registration keyfile

For more information, see Install an additional instance of the Robots Agent.
Upgrade of a currently installed Robots Agent

No

The registration keyfile is not involved in the upgrade
Problem with an existing registration keyfile, Robots Agent cannot connect to Robots app Yes
Change of Windows account running a currently installed Robots Agent

No

The registration keyfile is not involved in the change of account

For more information, see Changing the Robots Agent service account.

Note

You must have the Manage Agent permission to generate a Robots Agent registration keyfile. For more information, see Robots app permissions.

  1. Sign in to Diligent One (www.highbond.com).
  2. From the Launchpad home page, under Audit & Analytics, select the Robots app.
  3. In the upper-right corner of the dashboard, click Settings.
  4. In the left-hand pane, make sure Agent management is selected.
  5. If your instance of Robots is currently using a cloud-based Robots Agent, do the following:
    1. Click Replace cloud agent.
    2. Click Register agent and generate key.
  6. If your instance of Robots is currently using an on-premise Robots Agent, or has no Robots Agent specified, do the following:
    1. Click Generate a new registration key.

      The warning dialog box that appears applies to you if you have one or more existing on-premise agents already installed.

    2. Click Generate a new registration key.

  7. Click Download keyfile and close.

    Caution

    Do not close the browser window until you download the keyfile.

  8. Save the downloaded keyfile in a safe location on the Windows server that will house the Robots Agent.

    Note

    Generating a keyfile is the first part of registering a Robots Agent. The registration process is complete when you place the keyfile in the correct location in the Robots Agent directory structure, start or restart the Robots Agent service, and successfully connect to the Robots app.

Install the Robots Agent

Use the Robots Agent installation package to perform a fresh installation of the Robots Agent.

Note

You must have local Administrator permissions on the Windows server to complete the installation.

If you are using different Windows accounts to install the Robots Agent and to run the Robots Agent service, make sure that you have the password for the Robots Agent service account before you begin the installation.

Download the installation package

  1. Download the Robots Agent installation package (RobotsAgent17.exe) from Launchpad:
    1. Sign in to Diligent One (www.highbond.com).
    2. In Launchpad, under Audit & Analytics, click the Analytics tile to access downloads.
    3. In the top menu, click Robots Agent.
    4. Click Download version 17.
  2. With the downloaded installation package on your Windows server, double-click the installation package.

  3. If a security warning dialog box appears, verify the information listed, and click Yes.

    Tip

    The security warning dialog box could be hidden behind any windows you have open.

Extract and run the installer

  1. Select the language that you want to use for your installation and click OK.
  2. In the Setup Extraction Location page, specify the folder where the installation files will be extracted, and click Extract.

    You can click Browse to select a folder, or accept the default location:

    C:\Users\user_account_name\Downloads\ACL Installers\RobotsAgent17

    The setup files are extracted to the destination folder you specified. After the files are extracted the installer starts automatically.

    Note

    If the installer fails to start automatically for any reason, you can use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder where the setup files were extracted and double-click setup.exe.

Install prerequisites, if required

If you are prompted to install prerequisites, click Install.

After the prerequisites are installed, the installer automatically proceeds.

For a list of prerequisites, see On-premise Robots Agent system requirements.

Configure the installation properties

  1. In the Welcome page, click Next.
  2. In the License Agreement page, select I agree to the above terms and click Next.
  3. In the Robots Agent Edition Selection page, select the edition you want to install and click Next:
    • Non-Unicode
    • Unicode

    Caution

    Ensure that the edition you install is the correct edition for your company. To open Robots Agent tables in Analytics, the editions must match.

    If you are setting up a multi-agent cluster, all agents in the cluster must be the same edition. All non-Unicode, or all Unicode.

    For more information, see Diligent Unicode products.

  4. In the Optional Analytics data connectors page, leave the Install option selected unless you have a reason for not installing the optional connectors and click Next.

    Note

    If you choose not to install the optional connectors and you later want to use one of them, you must uninstall and reinstall the Robots Agent.

  5. In the Enable machine learning page, leave the Enable option selected unless you have a reason for not installing the Python engine and click Next.

    Note

    If you choose not to install the Python engine and you later want to use it for running machine learning commands, you must uninstall and reinstall the Robots Agent.

  6. In the Robots Agent Services Settings page, complete the following service account settings, and then click Next:
    • Robots Data Service port number Specify a port for the data service, or use the default of 10000.

      You can specify any available port between 0 and 65536.

    • Robots Agent Service account Specify an existing domain account to run the Robots Agent service and provide the password.

      The account must be a domain account, specified using the form Domain\service_account. The account requires permission to run services on the Windows Server operating system as well as full access to the data folder that you specify during installation. For more information, see On-premise Robots Agent security.

      Note

      If required, you can change the Robots Agent service account post-installation.

  7. If you are prompted to grant the Log on as a service right to the Robots Agent service account, click Yes and then OK.

  8. In the Destination Folders page, complete the following destination and connection settings, and then click Next:
    • Robots Agent Destination Folders
      • Select a destination folder for the Robots Agent installation, or use the default location.

        Default: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\

      • Select a data folder location, or use the default location.

        Default: C:\acl\robots\

        Note

        Do not place the data folder inside the installation destination folder, or the other way around. Doing so may cause data loss when uninstalling the Robots Agent.

    • Robots Agent registration file location
      • Select Copy registration file and then browse to the location where you saved the registration.key file, or enter the file path manually.

        When the installer runs, it automatically copies the keyfile to the correct location in the Robots Agent directory structure.

        Note

        Leave Copy registration file deselected, and do not specify a registration file, if you plan to change the Robots Agent service account after installing the Robots Agent.

Complete the installation

  1. In the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install.

    Robots Agent is installed.

  2. If a prompt appears that gives you the option to install Microsoft Access Database Engine, do one of the following:
    • Click Yes to install the Database Engine if you need the Robots Agent to import from, or export to, older Excel files (*.xls), or Microsoft Access files (*.mdb).
    • Click No to exclude the Database Engine if you use the Robots Agent with only the current generation of Excel file (*.xlsx), and you do not use older Excel files, or Microsoft Access files. The Database Engine can cause compatibility issues with other, newer Microsoft Office products. For this reason, you should exclude the Database Engine unless you actually need it.
  3. When the installation process is complete, click Finish.

Confirm the Robots Agent service is running

The Robots Agent service must be running for the Robots Agent to connect to the Robots app. Without a connection, the Robots Agent cannot process robot tasks and scripts.

If required, you can change the Robots Agent service account at the same time that you confirm the Robots Agent service is running.

Use the Robots Agent service account that you specified during installation

  1. Open the Windows Services manager.

  2. Check that both Robots Agent Windows services are running:

    • Robots Agent
    • Robots Data Service

    If necessary, start one or both services.

    Note

    If an error message appears stating that the Robots Agent service started and then stopped, registration of the Robots Agent may not have been successful.

    Check that the registration keyfile (registration.key) is present in the Robots Agent installation directory. If the registration keyfile is not there, manually copy the keyfile from the location where you saved it to the installation directory. Try again to start the Robots Agent service.

    The default installation directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

  3. Check the application log file to confirm that the Robots Agent is successfully connected to the Robots app.

    Go to the end of the log file and look for an INFO|Connected entry with a date and time that aligns with the start of the Robots Agent service.

    The default location of the log file is: C:\acl\robots\logs\application.log

  4. In the Robots app, go to the Agent management screen and press F5 to reload the page.

    If the Robots Agent appears with a status of Online, it was successfully registered.

Change the Robots Agent service account

Follow these steps if you left Copy registration file deselected during installation of the Robots Agent, and you want to change the Robots Agent service account.

Manually install the registration keyfile
  1. Copy the registration keyfile (registration.key) from the location where you saved it.
  2. Navigate to the Robots Agent installation directory, and paste the registration keyfile in the agent subfolder.

    The default installation directory is:  C:\Program File (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

    If necessary, delete or overwrite an existing keyfile.

Change the Robots Agent service to a different account
  1. Open the Windows Services manager.
  2. Right-click the Robots Agent service and select Properties.
  3. In the Log On tab, click Browse.
  4. In the Select User dialog box, in the Enter the object name to select field, enter the name of the service account that you want to use and click Check Names.

    The service account should be prefilled in the field.

  5. Click OK.
  6. In the Log On tab, enter and confirm the password for the service account and click OK.
  7. In the Windows Services manager, restart (or start) the Robots Agent service.
  8. If necessary, start the Robots Data Service.
Confirm the Robots Agent is successfully registered
  1. Check the application log file to confirm that the Robots Agent is successfully connected to the Robots app.

    Go to the end of the log file and look for an INFO|Connected entry with a date and time that aligns with the start of the Robots Agent service.

    The default location of the log file is: C:\acl\robots\logs\application.log

  2. In the Robots app, go to the Agent management screen and press F5 to reload the page.

    If the Robots Agent appears with a status of Online, it was successfully registered.

Configure Robots Agent settings in the Robots app

If appropriate for your organization, in the Robots app update the default values for two Robots Agent configuration settings:

  • Permitted file uploads controls whether output results are uploaded from the Robots Agent to the Robots app in the cloud
  • Paths configuration specifies the Windows server or network directories for Analytics data tables and result tables

For more information, see Configuring an on-premise Robots Agent.

Test the Robots Agent

After you install the Robots Agent, you can commit and run a simple script to test that the Robots Agent is working correctly.

Note

This test requires that file uploads to Robots are permitted. If required, temporarily enable file uploads for the test. For more information, see Configuring an on-premise Robots Agent.

Create an Analytics project and download the test file

  1. Create a new Analytics project called Robots Agent test.acl.
  2. Right-click the link below and save the file in the same folder as the project you just created:

    Robots_Agent_test_file.txt

Copy the test script

  1. In the Analytics project, create a new script called Robots_Agent_test_script.
  2. Click the link below to open the test script in a browser:

    Robots_Agent_test_script.txt

  3. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire script, and Ctrl+C to copy it to the clipboard.
  4. Paste the script into Robots_Agent_test_script and click Save the Open Project .

Commit the script to Robots and create a robot on the fly

  1. From the Analytics main menu, select File > Commit Scripts.
  2. If required, in the Select Destination dialog box, double-click the appropriate Diligent One instance.

    The Robot Collection appears with the list of existing robots, if any already exist. A robot is a container for scripts, data, and automated tasks.

  3. Type Test Robot in the New Robot field, and click Create.

    The robot is created, and a robot ID is automatically generated.

  4. In the Commit Scripts dialog box, enter a commit message such as "Upload test script", and click OK.

    The script is committed to Robots and located in the robot that you just created.

  5. In the Commit Scripts Successful dialog box, click the second link.

    Result The Robots app opens in a browser window, with the Script versions tab selected. You may be required to sign in to Diligent One. You should see the script version that you just committed.

  6. In Analytics, click OK to exit the Commit Scripts Successful dialog box.

Upload the test file

  1. In Robots, select the Input/Output tab.
  2. Click choose from your computer and browse to the location where you saved Robots_Agent_test_file.txt.
  3. Select the file and click Open.

    Result The file is uploaded and appears under Files in the Input/Output tab.

Create a task and run the test script

  1. Select the Tasks tab and click Create task.
  2. Type the name Test Task for the task and click Save.
  3. Select Robots Agent test script and click Skip to end > Confirm and create task.
  4. On the Tasks tab, in the Test Task, click > Run now.

    Result The task with the test script runs.

    If the task completes with a status of Success, the on-premise Robots Agent you installed is working correctly.

    Note

    If the task fails, check that the Robots Agent service is running on the server where you installed the Robots Agent. Start the service if it is not running, and try running Test Task again.

    If the task continues to fail, contact Diligent Support for assistance.

Verify the script output

Check the following locations in Robots to make sure the test script output the correct files.

Location in Robots Files output by test script

Task runs tab

Select the Test Task entry.

In the Task run details side panel, under Output:

  • Table_metadata Analytics result table
  • Robots Agent test script.log Analytics log file

Input/Output tab tab

Select the Robots_Agent_test_file entry.

In the Other tables section:

  • Robots_Agent_test_file Analytics data table

Select Robots_Agent_test_file. In the Table details side panel, under Fields:

You should see Name, Type, and Size (length) information for three fields:

  • Character_field
  • Numeric_field
  • Datetime_field

Upgrade the Robots Agent

Use the Robots Agent installation package to upgrade an existing installation of the Robots Agent to version 17.0.

Before performing the upgrade, make sure no robot tasks are running, queued, or scheduled to run shortly.

Note

You must have local Administrator permissions on the Windows server to complete the upgrade.

Stop the Robots Agent Windows services

  1. On the Windows server where the Robots Agent is located, open the Windows Services manager.
  2. Stop both Robots Agent Windows services:
    • Robots Agent
    • Robots Data Service

Download the installation package

  1. Download the Robots Agent installation package (RobotsAgent17.exe) from Launchpad:
    1. Sign in to Launchpad (www.highbond.com).
    2. Under Resources, click Downloads.
    3. In the top menu, click Robots Agent.
    4. Click Download version 17.
  2. With the downloaded installation package on the Windows server , double-click the installation package.

  3. If a security warning dialog box appears, verify the information listed, and click Yes.

    Tip

    The security warning dialog box could be hidden behind any windows you have open.

Extract and run the installer

  1. Select the language that you want to use for your installation and click OK.
  2. In the Setup Extraction Location page, specify the folder where the installation files will be extracted, and click Extract.

    You can click Browse to select a folder, or accept the default location:

    C:\Users\user_account_name\Downloads\ACL Installers\RobotsAgent17

    The setup files are extracted to the destination folder you specified. After the files are extracted the installer starts automatically.

    Note

    If the installer fails to start automatically for any reason, you can use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder where the setup files were extracted and double-click setup.exe.

  3. Click Yes in the upgrade prompt.
  4. In the Robots Agent Installer Information dialog box, click OK only if you have complied with the listed requirements.

    If you have not yet complied with the requirements, comply with them now before continuing with the upgrade. If necessary, temporarily disable any robot task scheduled to run shortly.

Install prerequisites, if required

If you are prompted to install prerequisites, click Install.

After the prerequisites are installed, the installer automatically proceeds.

For a list of prerequisites, see On-premise Robots Agent system requirements.

Configure the installation properties

  1. In the Welcome page, click Next.
  2. In the License Agreement page, select I agree to the above terms and click Next.
  3. In the Robots Agent Edition Selection page, click Next.

    The installer enforces the edition of the Robots Agent that you currently have installed (non-Unicode or Unicode).

    Note

    You cannot change the edition during an upgrade. To change the edition, you must uninstall the current version of the Robots Agent and then install version 17.0.

  4. In the Optional Analytics data connectors page, leave the Install option selected unless you have a reason for not installing the optional connectors and click Next.

    Note

    If you choose not to install the optional connectors and you later want to use one of them, you must uninstall and reinstall the Robots Agent.

  5. In the Enable machine learning page, leave the Enable option selected unless you have a reason for not installing the Python engine and click Next.

    Note

    If you choose not to install the Python engine and you later want to use it for running machine learning commands, you must uninstall and reinstall the Robots Agent.

  6. In the Robots Agent Services Settings page, complete the following service account settings, and then click Next:
    • Robots Data Service port number Keep the existing port specified for the data service, or specify a different port.

      You can specify any available port between 0 and 65536.

    • Robots Agent Service account Keep the existing domain account that runs the Robots Agent service, or specify a different account. Provide the password for the account.

      The account must be a domain account, specified using the form Domain\service_account. The account requires permission to run services on the Windows Server operating system as well as full access to the existing Robots Agent data folder. For more information, see On-premise Robots Agent security.

      Note

      If you need to change the Robots Agent service account, a better option is to change it post-upgrade.

      If you change the account in the installer during the upgrade, you need to re-register the Robots Agent. Re-registering an installed agent is potentially disruptive to the configuration of your organization's Robots instance.

      For more information, see Changing the Robots Agent service account.

  7. Review the configuration information in the next screen, and click Next.

Complete the upgrade

  1. In the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install.

    Robots Agent is upgraded.

  2. If a prompt appears that gives you the option to install Microsoft Access Database Engine, do one of the following:
    • Click Yes to install the Database Engine if you need the Robots Agent to import from, or export to, older Excel files (*.xls), or Microsoft Access files (*.mdb).
    • Click No to exclude the Database Engine if you use the Robots Agent with only the current generation of Excel file (*.xlsx), and you do not use older Excel files, or Microsoft Access files. The Database Engine can cause compatibility issues with other, newer Microsoft Office products. For this reason, you should exclude the Database Engine unless you actually need it.
  3. When the upgrade process is complete, click Finish.
  4. Click Yes to restart the server and complete the upgrade.

  5. In the Windows Services manager, check that both Robots Agent Windows services are running:

    • Robots Agent
    • Robots Data Service

    If necessary, start one or both services.

Install an additional instance of the Robots Agent

Use the Robots Agent installation package to install additional instances of the Robots Agent on additional Windows servers.

Installing multiple agents allows you to increase analytic processing capacity and implement load balance across the agents. When you run multiple robot tasks simultaneously, processing of the analytic scripts is automatically distributed between the multiple agents on multiple Windows servers. This capability allows you to run a greater number of tasks in a shorter period of time.

Note

The multiple agent capability is not related to the development and production modes in Robots. When running tasks, both modes have equal access to all agents.

Important

Installing multiple agents requires that all agents are version 15 or above, and that they all use the same encoding: all non-Unicode, or all Unicode.

All agents must also be able to access the directory or directories that you specify for script output tables in the Agent management screen. For each specified directory, the service account running the agent must have Read/Write/List permissions. For more information, see Configuring an on-premise Robots Agent.

Note

You must have local Administrator permissions on each Windows server on which you install the Robots Agent.

These instructions refer to Server #1 and Server #2:

  • Server #1 The Windows server on which you installed the first instance of the Robots Agent
  • Server #2 An additional Windows server on which you install an additional instance of the Robots Agent

    Note

    You can repeat the process for as many additional agents and servers as you need.

Install the Robots Agent on Server #2

  1. On Server #2, perform the same installation process that you used to install the Robots Agent on Server #1.

  2. In the Destination Folders page in the installer, do not select Copy registration file, and leave the Robots Agent registration file location field blank.

For the installation steps, see Install the Robots Agent.

Retrieve the RSA key name from the Robots app

  1. Sign in to Diligent One (www.highbond.com).
  2. From the Launchpad home page, under Audit & Analytics, select the Robots app.
  3. In the upper-right corner of the dashboard, click Settings.
  4. In the left-hand pane, make sure Agent management is selected.
  5. Click How to add additional agents.
  6. Click to copy the RSA key name to the clipboard.
  7. Paste the RSA key name into a text file for temporary storage.

Bundle the Robots Agent RSA key in a file

Use the EncryptionKeyCLI.exe utility on Server #1 to bundle the Robots Agent RSA key in a file.

Note

If you have already installed an additional Robots Agent and created a zip file containing the RSA key, use the existing file. You do not need to create another copy.

  1. On Server #1, open the Windows command prompt as administrator.
  2. Run the following command to change to the Robots Agent installation directory:
    cd C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

    Specify the appropriate path if you did not install the Robots Agent in the default directory.

  3. Run the following command to bundle the Robots Agent RSA key in a zip file:
    EncryptionKeyCLI.exe export RSAKeyfile ACL_XXXXXXXX

    For ACL_XXXXXXXX , substitute the actual RSA key name that you copied from the Agent management screen in Robots.

    RSAKeyfile can be any file name, without spaces, that you want to specify. You can optionally specify a file path to an existing folder on the server. If the path contains any spaces, enclose the entire path and the file name in double quotation marks.

  4. If required, enter Y to overwrite an existing file.

    Result The RSA key is bundled in a zip file and saved in the default location (C:\ProgramData\robots\RSAKeyfile.zip) or in the location that you specified.

    Note

    If you do not see the ProgramData folder it may be hidden. To make the folder visible, in Windows File Explorer select Hidden items in the C:\ root directory (View tab > Hidden items).

Migrate the RSA keyfile to Server #2

Use the EncryptionKeyCLI.exe utility on Server #2 to extract the Robots Agent RSA key from the zip file and import it to the Microsoft keystore.

  1. Copy RSAKeyfile.zip from Server #1 to the Robots Agent installation directory on Server #2.

    The default installation directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

  2. On Server #2, open the Windows command prompt as administrator.
  3. Run the following command to change to the Robots Agent installation directory:
    cd C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

    Specify the appropriate path if you did not install the Robots Agent in the default directory.

  4. Run the following command to extract the Robots Agent RSA key from the zip file and import it to the Microsoft keystore on Server #2:
    EncryptionKeyCLI.exe import RSAKeyfile

    If you did not use RSAKeyfile as the name of the zip file, substitute the name that you used.

Copy the registration keyfile to Server #2

Copy the registration keyfile (registration.key) from the Robots Agent installation directory on Server #1 to the Robots Agent installation directory on Server #2.

The default installation directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACL Software\Robots Agent\agent

Restart the Robots Agent service on Server #2

On Server #2, open the Windows Services manager and restart (or start) the Robots Agent service.

Check that the additional agent was successfully registered

In the Robots app, go to the Agent management screen and press F5 to reload the page. If the additional Robots Agent appears in the list with a status of Online, it was successfully registered. The agent is now part of the agent cluster used for analytic processing and load balancing.