Machines

For the purpose of this guide, we assume a machine represents a workstation (physical or virtual) on which the UiPath Robot is installed. In Orchestrator a machine entity works as an API key generator, which authorizes the connection between the UiPath Robot and Orchestrator.

The Machines page enables you to provision and manage machine entities, with the purpose of further using them to connect the UiPath Robots to Orchestrator. It displays the existing machines and their types. Machines are global resources, meaning they are available across folders.

Machine Template

Enables multiple users to connect their UiPath Robot to Orchestrator using the same key. The generated key works for any machine on which the UiPath Robot is installed, with no restrictions in terms of machine name, so this can be used for all types of setups, including those in which the name of the workstation changes every time a user logs on to it.

Common usage scenarios:

• Non-persistent Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) - public workstations where the end user changes frequently.
• Environments with arbitrary machine/user combinations.

Orchestrator Setup

• A machine template (the name is irrelevant)

• A floating robot for each user (it can be an AD user defined using the domain\username syntax, or a local user defined using the machine_name\username syntax)

• The key of that machine template can be then used to connect the UiPath Robot to Orchestrator for any of those users as long as they do not connect to Orchestrator on multiple machines concurrently using the same username. You need to logout of one machine in order to be able to connect the UiPath Robot on a different machine.

Standard Machine

Enables you to connect the UiPath Robot to Orchestrator on one workstation only. The standard machine key is generated for a single workstation with same name as given to the standard machine. This is recommended if you want to restrict connecting the UiPath Robot to Orchestrator on a certain machine only, as it works in scenarios in which the machine name stays the same each time you connect to it.

Common usage scenarios:

• Persistent Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) - private workstations where end users use the same workstations day after day.
• Environments with static machine/user combinations.

Orchestrator Setup

• A standard machine (its name should be an exact match to the machine on which the UiPath Robot to be connected to Orchestrator is installed)

• A standard robot for each user that uses that machine (it can be an AD user defined using the domain\username syntax, or a local user defined using the machine_name\username syntax)

• The key of the standard machine can be then used to connect UiPath Robot to Orchestrator for any of those users on the workstation with the same name. If the name of the workstation ever changes, you are required to delete and recreate the standard robots using the new name.

Finding the Machine Name

There are multiple ways of finding your machine name. Here are the three most common:

• Open Command Prompt and type hostname.
• In the UiPath Robot tray, on the Orchestrator Settings window.
• In Control Panel - Control Panel\System and Security\System.
  
  

  

  
  

Machines Permissions

In order to be able to perform various operations on the Machines page, you need to be granted the corresponding permissions on Machines:

• View - Viewing a machine or any machine-related detail
• Edit - Editing a machine
• Create - Creating a machine
• Delete - Deleting a machine

Read more about roles.

Note: You also need View permissions on Machines for creating Standard Robots.

Robot Versions

On the Machines page you can also view the versions of your Robots on the Installed Versions column. The version of a Standard Robot is obtained when the UiRobotSvc service is either started or restarted. The version of an Attended Floating Robot is obtained when the Robot connects to Orchestrator. The following may be displayed according to the various scenarios that may arise:

1. No Robots

   • no Robots were ever provisioned on the machine

2. Unknown

   • 1 or more Robots were created, but none of them has ever been connected
   • 1 or more Robots were created after the Robot-Orchestrator connection had been established

3. [installed version]

   • 1 Robot with a version later than 18.2.0 was registered and it is connected

   • more Robots having a version later than 18.2.0 (the same one) were provisioned and they are all connected

     For example, if you have provisioned one 18.2.4 Robot, which is connected, then 18.2.4 is displayed. If you provisioned a number of 18.3.0 Robots, say 11, and they are all connected, then 18.3.0 is displayed.

4. < 18.2.0

   • 1 Robot with a version prior to 18.2.0 was provisioned and it is connected

   • more Robots having a version prior to 18.2.0 were provisioned and they are all connected

     For example, if you have provisioned one 18.1 Robot, which is connected, then <18.2.0 is displayed. Similarly, if you provisioned a number of 17.1.0 and 18.2.0 Robots, say 9 and 5, and they are all connected, then <18.2.0 is displayed.

5. [number of distinct known versions]

   • 2 or more Robots having different versions were registered and they are all connected

     For example, you have provisioned a total of 14 Robots (10 with 18.3.0, 2 with 18.2.4, 2 with a version prior to 18.2.0). In this case, 3 versions is displayed.

To view the version of each and every Robot connected to a specific machine, click the More Actions button and then View Installed Versions. More details here.