Preparing the environment

Before you install IBM Robotic Process Automation on premises server, you must prepare your environment and set up the services that the server uses.

See the following sections to prepare your environment before you install the server:

• Open ports
  The server requires some ports to be open to communicate with other computers, components and services. Open the necessary ports to run the server.

• Set up the databases
  The server does not automatically create the databases during the installation process, and you must provide your own SQL Server instance. Create the databases and prepare the connection strings to use during the server installation process.

• Create an SSL certificate
  The server needs an SSL certificate to sign the IBM RPA Control Center's HTTPS connection. Learn how to create an SSL certificate to sign the HTTPS connection with the server.

• Set up an SMTP mail server
  The server sends email messages to users and administrators. You must configure your SMTP mail server of choice. IBM RPA supports most SMTP mail servers and SendGrid as well.

• Optional: Installing Redis
  Redis is an in-memory database that the server can use as a cache for common requests. Install Redis if you want more performance and if you plan for high availability and disaster recovery.

• Optional: Installing IBM MQ
  The server uses message queue services to manage jobs and communicate with IBM RPA components. The server uses Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) as the default message queue service, but you can also opt to use IBM MQ instead. IBM MQ is the recommended queue provider for IBM RPA. Install it if you want more performance and reliability.

• Optional: Installing and configuring LDAP
  By default, the server registers users in its own database. However, such method of authentication does not integrate with your existing Cloud Pak products and users. If you want a Single Sign-On (SSO) experience, you must install an LDAP server. If you already have an LDAP server or Active Directory service installed, you can configure the connection to the LDAP service after the installation. See Configuring UMS to connect with LDAP for more information.

• High availability and disaster recovery considerations
  This section contains guidelines about high availability and disaster recovery options in IBM RPA on premises. These guidelines can help you prepare your environment for high availability options. If you want a scalable and reliable platform for high availability, consider installing IBM Robotic Process Automation on Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform instead.