Adding a Dedicated Agent Node for Automation Suite Robots

Requirements

Before starting the Automation Suite Robot installation, make sure you meet the hardware requirements.

• In a single-node evaluation installation, Automation Suite Robots run on the main server node. Cached packages are stored on the main node’s filesystem, in a folder that the interactive installer automatically provisions. Adding a dedicated agent node for Automation Suite Robots is optional in single-node evaluation installations.

  Note: In a single-node evaluation installation, the number of concurrent serverless jobs is limited to 5.

• In a multi-node HA-ready production environment, adding a dedicated node for Automation Suite Robots is mandatory. For details on the requirements the dedicated node must meet, see Hardware and software requirements.

  Note: In a multi-node HA-ready production installation, the maximum number of concurrent serverless jobs is determined by the node’s resources (CPU/memory).
• A minimum of 10GiB are required for package caching.

Adding an Automation Suite Agent Node to the Cluster

The following sections provide instructions on how to add a dedicated agent node for Automation Suite Robots.

Step 1: Configuring the Machine

Step 1.1: Partitioning the disk

To ensure the disk is partitioned correctly, see the instructions in Configuring the disks. Make sure to follow the steps for agent nodes.

Step 1.2: Configuring the disk for package caching

Option A

If you enabled package caching during installation, you must provision a folder on the filesystem of the host machine at the /uipath_asrobots_package_cache location or at the custom path configured via cluster_config.json/packagecachefolder. The folder must have at least 10GiB of free space available, otherwise the installation will fail.

Option B

Alternatively, you can provision a separate disk to the configureUiPathDisks script, which can configure the disk and the path:

./bin/uipathctl rke2 disk --robot-package-disk-name [DISKNAME] --robot-package-path /uipath_asrobots_package_cache

Note:

The --robot-package-path parameter is optional. If not set, the parameter defaults to /uipath_asrobots_package_cache.

If you modify the default value of cluster_config.json/packagecachefolder, make sure the value passed to the --robot-package-path parameter matches the configured value.

Step 1.3: Configuring the node for serverless robots

To prepare the node for serverless robots, take the following steps:

1. Add a taint for serverless robots using the following command:

   kubectl taint nodes [NODE_NAME] serverless.robot=present:NoSchedule

2. Add the labels for serverless robots using the following command:

   kubectl label nodes [NODE_NAME] serverless.robot=true serverless.daemon=true

Step 2: Copying the Interactive Installer to the Target Machine

To copy the interactive installer to the target machine, take the following steps:

1. SSH to the right machine:
   • If you added Automation Suite Robots to a single-node evaluation installation, go to the main machine.
   • If you added Automation Suite Robots to a multi-node HA-ready production installation, go to any of the server nodes.
2. Copy the contents of the UiPathAutomationSuite folder to the Automation Suite Robots node. Make sure to use the username and DNS specific to the Automation Suite Robots node.

   sudo su -
   scp -r /opt/UiPathAutomationSuite <username>@<node dns>:/opt/
   scp -r ~/* <username>@<node dns>:/opt/UiPathAutomationSuite/

Step 3: Running the Interactive Installer to Configure the Dedicated Node

To configure the dedicated node, take the following steps:

1. SSH to the Automation Suite Robots node.
2. Run the Automation Suite interactive installer.

   sudo su -
   cd /opt/UiPathAutomationSuite
   yum install unzip jq -y
   CONFIG_PATH=/opt/UiPathAutomationSuite/cluster_config.json 
   
   ./bin/uipathctl rke2 install -i ./cluster_config.json -o ./output.json -k -j asrobots --accept-license-agreement

Step 4: Enabling Kubectl

To set the kubectl context on the Automation Suite Robots machine, run the following command:

sudo su -
export KUBECONFIG=/var/lib/rancher/rke2/agent/kubelet.kubeconfig
export PATH=$PATH:/var/lib/rancher/rke2/bin
kubectl get nodes

You should see the nodes and their corresponding names. You need the name of the Automation Suite Robots node for the next step.

Step 5: Verifying the Automation Suite Robots Configuration

Check if the Automation Suite Robots node is configured. Make sure to replace <node name> with the Automation Suite Robots node name.

kubectl describe node <node name> | grep -i "taints"

The command should return the following output:

$ kubectl describe node asrobots0 | grep -i "taints"
Taints:             serverless.robot=present:NoSchedule

At this point, you have successfully completed the installation for Automation Suite Robots.