Infrastructure V6 Reference Guide

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Infrastructure
REFERENCE GUIDE
Major Version: 6
Document Revision 1.0

For more information please contact:
info@blueprism.com | UK: +44 (0) 870 879 3000 | US: +1 888 757 7476
www.blueprism.com

Contents
1.

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Blue Prism Architecture Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Component Architecture Examples........................................................................................................................................ 5

Blue Prism Interactive Client Guide ...................................................................................................................................... 16

Blue Prism Runtime Resource Guide .................................................................................................................................... 19

Blue Prism Application Server Guide .................................................................................................................................... 26

Blue Prism Database Server Guide........................................................................................................................................ 31

User Accounts, Remote Access and Security Guide.......................................................................................................... 38

Active Directory Integration Guide ....................................................................................................................................... 43

10. Blue Prism Network Connectivity Guide.............................................................................................................................. 45
11. High Availability and Redundancy Guide ............................................................................................................................. 53
12. Blue Prism Virtualization Guide ............................................................................................................................................. 54
13. Blue Prism Monitoring Guide ................................................................................................................................................. 55
14. Appendix..................................................................................................................................................................................... 56

The information contained in this document is the proprietary and confidential information of Blue Prism Limited and should no t be
disclosed to a third party without the written consent of an authorised Blue Prism representative. No part of this document may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying without the written
permission of Blue Prism Limited.
© Blu e Prism Limited, 2001 – 2017
®Blue Prism is a registered trademark of Blue Prism Limited
All trademarks are hereby acknowledged and are used to the benefit of their respective owners.
Blue Prism is not responsible for the content of external websites referenced by this document.
Blue Prism Limited, Centrix House, Crow Lane East, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 9UY, United Kingdom
Registered in England: Reg. No. 4260035. Tel: +44 870 879 3000. Web: www.blueprism.com

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Introduction

1.1.

Intended audience

This reference guide is intended for use by system architects and designers who are seeking to gain an
understanding of the product architecture, and the implementation options available when deploying the solution.

1.2.

About this document

The document provides an introduction to each of the components within a Blue Prism environment and provides
detailed information relating to the various options and design decisions that can be considered as part of the
implementation.
It is recommended that, to start, readers should become familiar with the various components that feature within
a Blue Prism environment and identify the architecture most suited to the deployment being considered. The
relevant guides can then be used to provide supplementary information and design considerations for the chosen
deployment model.

1.3.

Information

Summary information about the Blue Prism components and examples architectures are provided, followed by a
series of guides; each dedicated to the specific features, functionality and consideration of each:


Blue Prism Interactive Client Guide.



Blue Prism Runtime Resource Guide.



Blue Prism Application Server Guide.



Blue Prism Database Server Guide.

A number of supplementary guides also provide guidance and include:


User Accounts, Remote Access and Security Guide.



Active Directory Integration Guide.



Blue Prism Network Connectivity Guide.



Blue Prism Virtualization Guide.



Blue Prism Monitoring Guide.

Within this document there are a number of external references to data sheets and user guides that focus on
specific topics – such references will be presented underlined and colored blue for ease of identification.

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Blue Prism Architecture Overview

Each implementation of a Blue Prism environment consists of a database along with any of the composite
components, each of which provides optional functionality based on the requirements of the business.
Blue Prism Runtime Resource
Persistent, typically virtualised, instances of a
standard end-user desktop responsible for
running the automated processes – commonly
referred to as software robots. These
components also typically require enhanced
physical and remote access security.

Ac tive Directory Domain Controller
Blue Prism can be integrated with
an existing Active Directory domain
to provide user access control to
Blue Prism components.

Blue Prism Interactive Client
(Development or Controlling and Monitoring)
End-user desktop build (physical or virtual) that
facilitates the setup, development, configuration
and monitoring of Blue Prism processes across the
environment.
Typically virtualized in the data-center alongside
other Blue Prism components, but can be deployed
directly onto end user’s desktops.

Blue Prism Application Server
The Blue Prism Server service
marshals all connectivity between
the Blue Prism components and the
database. The key features enabled
by this component, which is typically
provisioned as a physical or virtual
Windows Server, include: secure
credential management; database
connection marshalling; data
encryption; and scheduled process
execution.

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SQ L Server Database
A Microsoft SQL Server database
is used as centralized repository
that holds process definitions,
logs, audit and user information.
Connections from the Blue Prism
components will be via the Blue
Prism Application Server.

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Component Architecture Examples

3.1.

Overview

There are a large number of configurations that can be applied to a Blue Prism deployment and these should be
reviewed to determine the features, scalability and resilience required of the environment(s) being deployed.
Having an indication of the required features of the deployment will assist with the understanding of the
subsequent informational guides.
This section provides a series of examples which illustrate some of the configurations that could be applicable
dependant on a number of factors such as the size and business criticality of the proposed system.
Information about the minimum specifications of each Blue Prism component can be found within the respective
guides such as the B lue Prism Database Server Guide.
The Blue Prism Network Connectivity Guide provides an overview of the typical communication that occurs
between each of the Blue Prism components.
In each of the following examples the specifications for the B lue Prism Runtime Resources and B lue Prism
Interactive Clients remain static:
B lue Prism Component
Interactive Clients
(Controlling and Monitoring)

Minimum Recommended Requirements







Interactive Clients
(Development)



Runtime Resources
(Robots)










Intel Processor
2GB RAM
Minimum 10GB free disk space (after install of Operating System and standard
software)
Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary Update. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.
.NET Framework 4.7
Interactive Clients (Controlling and Monitoring) plus:
Access to all in-scope applications
Intel Processor
2GB RAM
Minimum 10GB free disk space (after install of Operating System and standard
software)
Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary Update. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.
.NET Framework 4.7
Access to in-scope applications

The specification of Interactive Clients used for development and the Runtime Resources must meet the
collective recommendations of the in-scope target applications. (E.g. SAP, Office, Kana etc.)
A useful indicator is to base the specification on an equivalent device used by an end-user to automate
those same applications.

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3.2.

Interim pilot desktop-based, IT secured: 5 Runtime Resources

A desktop-based scenario that is quick to provision but not suitable for production scenarios.

Interactive Client
1 per developer / controller

Combined Blue Prism Application Server and database Server

1 x Dual Intel Processor

4GB RAM

Windows Installer v3.1

Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary Update. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.

SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit or 64-bit versions

.NET Framework 4.7

Data file: 50 GB, Log file: 25 GB

Advantages





Very quick to implement / provision
Re-uses existing desktops
Requires minimal investment
Low level of dependency on IT

C onstraints





No separate development or test environment - production
resources must be sacrificed for development and test activities
There must be commonality across desktop builds
SQL Server Express database may be used, but performance and
capacity may be limiting
Physical security of components must be considered

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3.3.

Desktop-based, IT secured: 10 Runtime Resources

A desktop-based deployment where all Blue Prism components (excluding the database) are deployed to desktops
that are physically secured by IT.

Blue Prism Application Server

1 x Dual-core Intel Processor

4GB RAM & 10GB free disk space

Windows Installer v3.1

.NET Framework 4.7

Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary Update. 32-bit
or 64-bit versions.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016.
64-bit versions only.

Advantages







Database Server

1 x Dual-core Intel Processor

4GB RAM

SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit
or 64-bit versions.

Production Data file: 100GB, Log file: 50GB

Development Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

Test Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

C onstraints

Fast to implement / provision
Some re-use of existing desktops
Database is secured and managed by IT
Process development and test can be delivered
without constraining production (separate
development and test environments and dedicated
runtime resources)
Separate Application Servers for Dev/Test versus
Production allows product releases to be applied
separately.





Requires commonality across desktop builds
Physical security of components must be considered
Application server may receive a lower level of IT
support than required (treated like a workstation vs
server)

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3.4.

Data-center secured: 25 Runtime Resources

Use of virtualized devices for Runtime Resources and a virtualized Application Server. Controllers and developers
use their own physical PC as Interactive Clients.

Blue Prism Application Server






Advantages







Database Server

1 x Quad-core Intel Processor

8GB RAM

SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit
or 64-bit versions.

Production Data file: 250GB, Log file: 125GB

Development Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

Test Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

1 x Dual-core Intel Processor, 4GB RAM & 10GB
free disk space
Windows Installer v3.1
.NET Framework 4.7
Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary Update. 32bit or 64-bit versions.
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2,
2016. 64-bit versions only.

C onstraints

Quick to scale – as already virtualized
Database performance and capacity easily scaled
Process development and test can be delivered
without constraining production (separate
development and test environments and dedicated
runtime resources)
Virtualization aids commonality across components
Separate Application Servers for Dev/Test versus
Production allows product releases to be applied
separately.





There may not be an IT support model in place for
virtualized desktop devices
Speed to implement / provision
Cost of virtualization technology

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3.5.

Data-center secured with DR: 100 Runtime Resources

A fully virtualized environment which is entirely secured within the data-center and which illustrates:


Two sets of 50 virtualized Runtime Resources, each with a dedicated Application Server.



Virtualized Interactive Clients which are used remotely.



A DR site with up to 100 Runtime Resources and a single Application Server connected to a replicated copy
of the database.

Blue Prism Application Server






Advantages




Database Server

2 x Quad-core Intel Processors

16GB RAM

SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit
or 64-bit versions.

Production Data file: 1TB, Log file: 500GB

Development Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

Test Data file: 50GB, Log file: 25GB

C onstraints

Highly resilient and scalable – full capability on standby
suitable for business critical processing
No geographic constraints across development, test or
production
Consistency across developers and environments that
reduces support overhead






There may not be an IT support model in place
for virtualized desktop devices
Speed to implement / provision
Cost of virtualization technology
Development / Test environments to be
provisioned separately.

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3.6.

Data-center secured: 500 Runtime Resources

A fully virtualized environment which is entirely secured within the data-center and which illustrates:


Five sets of 100 virtualized Runtime Resources, each with a dedicated Application Server.



Virtualized Interactive Clients which are used remotely.

Blue Prism Application Server

1 x Dual-core Intel Processor

4GB RAM & 10GB free disk space
(after install of OS and standard software)

Windows Installer v3.1

.NET Framework 4.7

Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary
Update. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012
R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.

Advantages





Database Server

4 x Quad-core Intel Processor

64GB RAM

SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit
or 64-bit versions.

Production Data file: 5TB, Log file: 2.5TB

Development Data file: 100GB, Log file: 50GB

Test Data file: 100GB, Log file: 50GB

C onstraints

Quick to scale – as already virtualized
Database performance and capacity easily scaled
Virtualization aids commonality
Basic level of contingency in case of Application
Server failure






There may not be an IT support model in place for virtualized
desktop devices
Speed to implement / provision
Cost of virtualization technology
Development / Test environments to be provisioned
separately.

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3.7.

Architecture considerations

3.7.1.

Active Directory integrated

Blue Prism can be integrated with Active Directory for the management of user access and control. This
functionality is documented in the Active Directory Integration Guide.

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3.7.2.

Access to Line of Business applications

The Blue Prism components that require access to the line of business applications that are automated as part of a
process are the:


B lue Prism Runtime Resources



B lue Prism Interactive Clients – however this is only necessary for those that are used for specifically
developing and configuring the processes.
For example the Interactive Clients in the development environment are used to design and configure the
process and will need to be able to access the line of business applications, whereas the Interactive Clients
in the production and test environment could only be used for monitoring and controlling the Runtime
Resources so would not need this access. (Illustrated below).

It is also common for the components in each environment to be configured to interact with appropriate instances
of the applications. For example, the Runtime Resources in the development and test environment would ideally
be configured to interact with non-production instances of the line of business applications.

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3.7.3.

Disaster recovery scenarios

Blue Prism can be deployed to cater for a range of disaster recovery scenarios and can operate as part of
Active/Active and Active/Passive infrastructures. The following considerations are relevant to both types of
deployment:


Any cases being worked at the time of failure will be reported as exceptions and must be either reset or
referred for manual attention. Commonly these are reviewed as part of the business as usual management
that is carried out by the Controllers who oversee the platform.



Each Blue Prism Server must be configured with identical encryption schemes.



Runtime Resources are resolved by their network name, which is typically the machine ID. The machines
on Site B will have different IDs to those in Site A, so alternative DR schedules may be required to start the
processes on these alternative VMs. Resource Pools may be used to aid this process.



The database must be replicated accurately and frequently in order to maintain the state of the cases
being worked in the Blue Prism queues.



Latency considerations must be reviewed if routing Application Server or Database traffic across sites.

3.7.3.1.

Active/Passive

In addition to the general considerations, the following considerations may also be relevant


When Site B is activated, the network names of devices must either match those in Site A or the Interactive
Clients and schedules must resolve the names to the new network address – this is outside the scope of
Blue Prism



It may be necessary to configure alternative schedules that use the identifiers of the DR Runtime Resources
in the event of failover.

Figure 1: Active/Passive with statically allocated Application Server

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Figure 2: Active/Passive with balanced Application Servers

3.7.3.2.

Active/Active

In addition to the general considerations, the following considerations may also be relevant




The database connectivity for both sites should be considered:
o

Where there is a high latency connection between sites, only Application Servers with a low
latency database connection should be used.

Interactive Clients must have a low latency connection with Application Servers.

If only a subset of Runtime Resources are available, any schedules must be considered. Resource pools can
assist in this process by masking the location of the resources and using an available resource from the
specified pool.

Figure 3: Active/Active with balanced Application Servers

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3.7.4.

Virtualization host specifications

Specifications of virtualization servers hosting a given number of Blue Prism components are provided to illustrat e
the appropriate hardware that is required. Further information on Virtualization options are documented within
the Blue Prism Virtualization Guide.
The choice of virtualization technology and the method in which it is deployed will determine the maximum
number of virtual images that can be provisioned on a given host. Guidance should be sought from the technology
provider in relation to specific advice or limitations, particularly where high availability (HA) is being implemented
as part of the virtualization solution.
The specifications below assume that the following hardware requirements is appropriate for the Blue Prism
Runtime Resources:
This specification must be reviewed to ensure that it is
Example: Blue Prism Runtime Resource
appropriate to meet the collective recommendations of
the in-scope target applications (E.g. SAP, Office, Kana

Single Processor
etc.) and the Operating System used.




2 GB RAM
35 GB Hard Disk Drive
Windows desktop Operating System

A useful indicator is to base the specification on an
equivalent PC used by an end-user to automate those
same applications.

Further information on the minimum requirements for this component can be found within the B lue Prism Runtime
Resource Guide.
Up to 12 Runtime Resources







Up to 48 Runtime Resources

1 x Intel Xeon Quad Core
32 GB RAM
70 GB Hard Disk Array (OS)
420 GB Hard Disk Array (Images)
2 x 1 GB Network Interface Card
Hypervisor (eg VMware ESX, Citrix Xendesktop or
Windows Hyper-V








4 x Intel Xeon Quad Core
128 GB RAM
70 GB Hard Disk Array (OS)
1.7 TB Hard Disk Array (Images)
2 x 1 GB Network Interface Card
Hypervisor (eg VMware ESX, Citrix Xendesktop or Windows
Hyper-V

CPU: Assumes that 1:3 physical: virtual ratio is appropriate
RAM: Assumes 4 GB for the Host OS, and 2 GB per Runtime Resource
HDD: The space stated represents the amount of available space required after RAID configuration and assumes
that the assumed amount is appropriate for the Operating System and software that will be configured. The hard
disks should be provided as a RAID array which offers failover and redundancy.
Host Operating System: The operating systems specified are for illustration only.
The requirements above should be reviewed in light of the operating systems used within the virtualized images,
and on the virtualization host.

3.7.5.

High availability and redundancy

See the High Availability and Redundancy Guide section within this document for information.

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Blue Prism Interactive Client Guide

4.1.

Overview

Interactive Clients are used for developing processes and for controlling and monitoring the Blue Prism resources.
The core purpose and features offered by an Interactive Client is dependent on whether it is used within a
Development or Production environment (or both).

D evelopment Environment





Production Environment

Design connections to third party applications and
systems
Develop, troubleshoot, test processes based on those
connections
Package releases for transfer to live
Define system settings and configurations







Initiate processes
Monitor and control runtime resources
Manage work queues
Review business referrals
Review logs and audit and generate reports

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4.2.

Minimum requirements 1

Interactive Clients can either be deployed to existing user
desktops or to a virtualized end-user desktop instance.
Each interactive client requires the Blue Prism runtime to be
installed.
Where the Interactive Client is used for developing and
configuring Blue Prism processes, access must be granted to all
in-scope applications and all pre-requisites specifically required
for automating the target application(s) must be installed.
Additionally refer to the B lue Prism Runtime Resource Guide for
settings that may need to be applied on the Interactive Clients
used for development.









Intel Processor
2GB RAM
10GB free disk space (after install of
standard operational software*)
Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 Anniversary
Update. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012
R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.
Windows Installer v3.1
.NET Framework 4.7

The specification of Interactive Clients used for development must meet the collective recommendations of the
in-scope target applications. (E.g. SAP, Office, Kana etc.)
A useful indicator is to base the specification on an equivalent PC used by an end-user to automate those same
applications.

4.3.

Frequently asked questions

How are Interactive Clients typically deployed?
It is common for Interactive Clients to be deployed to existing users’ desktops in the first instance, particularly
where all of the users who will be developing and controlling Blue Prism are geographically local to the Blue Prism
environment(s). For larger, or enterprise strength, deployments it is recommended tha t these should be virtual
rather than physical.
What are the advantages of virtualizing this component?
The B lue Prism Virtualization Guide provides detailed information about the benefits of virtualizing this component.
What are the security implications of this component?
There are no specific security implications for this component as only authorised users can access the installed Blue
Prism software installed. Therefore, as a minimum, this component should be subject to standard organization
desktop security protocols.

All minimum requirements must consider the selected operating system as well as the applications to be automated.
* Examples of standard operational software includes: anti-virus; device monitoring or remote access tools; Microsoft Office;
email clients.

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C an a single Interactive Client be used across multiple environments?
Irrespective of whether the device is provisioned physically or virtually, a single Interactive Client can be configured
to connect to multiple Blue Prism environments (e.g. Dev/Test/Production). The user selects which environment
they wish to connect to as part of the logon procedure.
D oes this component need to be backed up?
Typically there is no important information or configuration stored on a Blue Prism Interactive Client unless a local
database is in use (e.g. for development purposes). It is however recommended that where possible a clone of the
client should be retained.

4.4.

Networking

The main components that Interactive Clients initiate communications with include:


Runtime Resources
For the purposes of monitoring, controlling and manually triggering processes on a given Runtime
Resource (TCP).



Application Server
The Application Server is used for all database connectivity.



Third Party Applications
See the B lue Prism Runtime Resource Guide for network considerations where the Interactive Client is used
for developing and configuring processes.

Sample diagrams and default port settings are provided within the B lue Prism Network Connectivity Guide.

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Blue Prism Runtime Resource Guide

5.1.

Overview

Blue Prism Runtime Resources are persistent, typically virtualized, instances of standard end-user desktops running
automated processes within a secure environment.

The key features of Runtime Resources are that they:


Are centrally controlled.



Execute assigned processes.



Connect to the line to business application(s).



Capture log information (which is then stored within the database).

Blue Prism Runtime Resources effectively operate a device as if a human operative was sat working it. Explicitly
this means that the Runtime Resources must be logged in for processes to run, and furthermore, each transaction
that is processed would be visible if a screen was connected. This guide contains a number of considerations to
mitigate any potential security and governance concerns that this may raise.

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5.2.

Minimum requirements 2

Runtime Resources are typically deployed to virtualized instances
of standard end-users desktops although for smaller or initial
deployments, physical desktops can be used.
Each Runtime Resource requires the Blue Prism runtime to be
installed along with all pre-requisites specifically required for
automating the target application(s). Access must also be
granted to all in-scope applications.
Additionally there are a number of settings and profile
configurations that need to be applied. See the following
sections for information.









The B lue Prism Virtualization Guide provides advice for provisioning a server to host virtual Runtime Resources.
The specification of Interactive Clients used for development must meet the collective recommendations of the
in-scope target applications. (E.g. SAP, Office, Kana etc.)
A useful indicator is to base the specification on an equivalent PC used by an end-user to automate those same
applications.

5.3.

Frequently asked questions

How are Blue Prism Runtime Resources typically deployed?
Typically they are deployed into a secure, virtual environment to provide security and scalability. There is the
option to deploy to physical end-user desktops but this increases complexity from a commonality and security
perspective.
What are the advantages of virtualizing this component?
The B lue Prism Virtualization Guide provides detailed information about the benefits of virtualizing this component.
What are the security implications of this component?
As the Runtime Resources are responsible for executing the automated processes their security is paramount. The
Physical Security section contains further information on this topic.
C an a single Runtime Resource be used across multiple environments?
Whilst it is possible to reconfigure a Runtime Resource to be connected to a different environment, it is not
recommended to frequently switch which environment a specific Runtime Resource is assigned to.
D oes this component need to be backed up?
Typically there is no important information or configuration stored on a Blue Prism Runtime Resource. It is
however recommended that where possible a clone of the desktop should be retained, and consider ation given to
whether any of the Runtime Resources are used for business critical processing.

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5.4.

Networking

The main components that Runtime Resources initiate communications with include:


Application Server
The Application Server is used for all database connectivity.



Third-Party Applications
The type of connectivity required between the Runtime Resources and third party applications will depend
on the nature of the automation. The majority of Blue Prism automation takes place via the GUI and
therefore the runtime resources simply need the same level of access as a typical end-user of the given
application. Where deeper connections (e.g. direct database, web service, message queues) are required
the appropriate ports and access will need to be configured.

Sample diagrams and default port settings are provided within the B lue Prism Network Connectivity Guide.

5.5.

Device setup: user accounts

There are a variety of options and settings to be considered and configured for the Runtime Resources.

5.5.1.

User accounts

Each Runtime Resource can be allocated an independent user account to allow it to be appropriately secured, and
provides opportunities for comprehensive audit and monitoring.
The type of account used to log the respective Runtime Resource onto the network should be carefully considered
as this could restrict the type of applications that can be automated by each of the Runtime Resources. It should
be noted however, that for applications which are not secured using Active Directory integrated authentication,
the Runtime Resources can be configured to use credentials independent of those used to authenticate the device
onto the network.


Native Authentication
If using native authentication the Blue Prism Runtime Resource will not be able to authenticate with the
applications that use Active Directory integrated authentication (single sign-on).



D omain Account
If an Active Directory domain account is used to log on to each Blue Prism Runtime Resource there are
increased options for connecting to applications which are secured using either native or Active Directory
integrated authentication (single sign-on).
Additionally the Blue Prism Runtime Resource can used the configured domain account to authenticate
against Blue Prism environments that are configured to use single sign-on.

The access and permissions assigned to the accounts used by the Runtime Resources should be evaluated to see if:


The accounts are configured to allow access to the necessary applications and network resources that may
be required by the processes (including network locations etc.).



The accounts need to be members of appropriate Active Directory groups.



The accounts are restricted from performing certain types of action on the local machine that may be
required as part of an automated process. (e.g. logging to the event viewer; using the command prompt
etc.)

5.5.2.

Blue Prism Runtime Resources must be logged in and listening, to be able to receive instructions and execute
processes. It is therefore necessary to consider the options for how the login will take place each day and following
system restarts.

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The login options should be considered alongside the subsequent authentication methods that will be used as part
of process execution when the Runtime Resources authenticate with third-party systems.
For example, if the processes automate applications which are secured using Active Directory, it will be necessary
for the Runtime Resources to be logged in using Active Directory domain user accounts.
The authentication options for the Runtime Resources may include:


No authentication
Removing the need for these components to follow an authentication procedure allows each device to
launch the operating system without the need for any manual or automated login interaction.
If the applications to be automated use Active Directory integrated authentication this option may not be
appropriate.



Automatic authentication
Configuring the devices to log in automatically using locally stored credentials allows the respective device
to launch the operating system without the need for any manual intervention; however the security of the
credentials would need to be considered.
If the applications to be automated use Active Directory integrated authentication, the automatic login
would need to log the resource on to the network using an appropriate domain account. Consideration
should also be given to whether the password(s) should be set to expire.



Manual authentication
Named users could be responsible for manually restarting the devices and entering the relevant
credentials. Consideration should be given to: the availability of users to carry out the task; the impact this
would have on the speed of restarting a machine; the security of the credentials; the impact if it is required
out of hours; the suitability of remote connectivity tools for this task.



Automated authentication using the Blue Prism Login Agent (recommended)
Each Runtime Resource which has been appropriately configured 3 and where Blue Prism Login Agent has
been installed, can be automatically logged in by Blue Prism.
Blue Prism Login Agent is used to securely store the credentials for each Runtime Resource and use these
to automatically log in, or unlock the device. It additionally provides functionality for managing the
passwords and can adhere to password history and complexity rules. This option may be the most suitable
where the Runtime Resources authenticate directly against a secure Active Directory domain and where
the processes include automating applications which are secured using Active Directory authentication
(single sign-on).
Further information on Blue Prism Login Agent is available within the following collateral:

Blue Prism Data Sheet - Secure Windows Authentication

Blue Prism User Guide - Login Agent

The pre-requisites for Login Agent must be considered to ensure its suitability in a given environment.

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5.6.

Device setup: user profile

A number of user and computer account profile settings that should also be considered are discussed in the
following sub-sections. Many of these can be enforced through use of standard IT tools such as Group Policy.
It is recommended that where possible, consistent settings should be applied across all of the Blue Prism Runtime
Resources to ensure commonality and therefore reduce the complexity of process development.

5.6.1.

Screensaver and auto-lock

The Runtime Resources should be configured to allow arbitrary periods of inactivity without entering a locked
state, and without the screen being taken over by a screensaver. Application behaviour behind a screen-lock is
unpredictable and could cause exceptions which are difficult to diagnose. The Blue Prism security
recommendations include ensuring that the Runtime Resources are inaccessible to users therefore removing the
security implications of such settings.
Where processes are scheduled to automatically start early in the morning, the Runtime Resources should be
allowed to remain in an idle state overnight. Some processes may involve inherent periods of idleness whilst the
applications remain on screen. This too should not result in a lock-out.

5.6.2.

Power saver options

The device power saver options should be reviewed to prevent the hardware from being automatically turned off,
or scaled down, after periods of inactivity.

5.6.3.

Surface automation considerations (font smoothing and display themes)

Where surface automation techniques are to be used as part of process automation, it is necessary for font
smoothing to be disabled for the user and computer accounts used by the Runtime Resources that are responsible
for executing those processes.
Display themes should be set to not use transparent or opaque window borders.
It may also be necessary to remove or reduce compression, as this can affect the way that the graphical interface is
presented to the end user, which in turn can have a negative impact on the interpretation of the screens by the
Runtime Resources.

5.6.4.

Pre-login requirements

It is often desirable to implement auto-login functionality for the Blue Prism Resources (discussed as part of the
Login methodology however common configurations that can cause problems and that will need to be disabled for
the applicable devices include:


Requiring ctrl, alt, delete to be pressed prior to being able to
login.



Acknowledge acceptance of a Usage/Access
Policy as part of the login procedure.

5.6.5.

Default remote access settings

It is often necessary to disable the default remote access
settings for Blue Prism Runtime Resources. The User Accounts, Remote Access and Security Guide contains
information on the recommended approach for achieving remote connectivity with Blue Prism Runtime Resources.

5.6.6.

SAP GUI Scripting

This setting should be enabled for the appropriate users if automating SAP via the GUI.

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5.7.

Device setup: start-up configuration

Blue Prism Runtime Resources must be logged in and listening in order to be able to receive instructions and
execute processes. It is therefore necessary to consider the following items:


The login options for the Runtime Resources.



The steps required to automatically start Blue Prism.

5.7.1.

User account login options

There are a number of options for authenticating the devices onto the network either manually or automatically.
These are referenced within the D evice setup: user accounts section.

5.7.2.

Automatically starting Blue Prism

Once a Runtime Resource has successfully loaded into windows the Blue Prism client can be started silently using a
command line method. This can either be configured to start automatically through use of: the Windows Start -Up
Group; or Windows Task Scheduler. Alternatively it may be appropriate to use Group Policy to distribute the startup task to all Runtime Resources.
The command line method is:
[Blue Prism Install Location]\automate.exe /resourcepc /public

E.g.
“C:\Program Files\Blue Prism Limited\Blue Prism Automate\automate.exe” /resourcepc
/public

It is strongly recommended to additionally configure the Runtime Resources to authenticate against the
Blue Prism platform by specifying valid Blue Prism credentials.


Blue Prism native authentication environments: /user [username] [password]



Blue Prism Single Sign-on environments: /sso

For information about configuring multiple Runtime Resources on a single Runtime Resource see the Running
multiple Runtime Resources section.

5.8.

Physical Security

The security of the Blue Prism Runtime Resources is paramount as these resources are responsible for executing
the automated processes and where relevant will be logged on, and interacting with third-party applications, on
screen, via the respective graphical user interfaces (GUI).
It is essential that physical access to these components is restricted to prevent unauthorised users from directly
monitoring the actions being taken, and getting access to the data that is being processed. Additionally this helps
to prevent users from being able to interrupt the process and take control of the data and applications that the
Runtime Resources have authenticated against.
For security reasons, granting access to the Runtime Resources once established is not recommended – the ability
to restart, shut-down and start up the instances should be sufficient.
Where remote access is granted to the Runtime Resources, such access should be subject to appropriate control
and monitoring. Further information is available within the User Accounts, Remote Access and Security Guide.

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5.9.

Running multiple Runtime Resources on a single device

In certain circumstances, a single Runtime Resource can host multiple Blue Prism Runtime Resources (i.e. multiple
robots can operate simultaneously within a single instance of a windows desktop operating system). This is
dependent on the technologies that are automated as part of the processes, which in turn must be developed with
this execution approach in mind.
There are a number of potential challenges with this approach:


Each process that runs simultaneously on a single Runtime Resource must be able to successfully identify
the application(s) that were launched for its use. (E.g. if there are 5 processes each using Internet Explorer,
each process must be able to successfully identify which is the appropriate one to use).



Conflicts can occur if a thick client application is used as part of processes that run simultaneously,
particularly where only one instance of the application can be launched at a given time (e.g. Microsoft
Outlook).



Where multiple instances of a single application are used simultaneously, it is necessary that actions taken
in one instance, do not affect the others. (i.e. logging out in one instance should not automatically log the
user out of all instances).



It may not be possible to use this approach where the processes use thin client technologies.



Where the Runtime Resource connect to an Application Server, the connection must be configured to use
dynamic ports for callback to avoid conflicts. If the callback port is statically defined, it will not be possible
to operate multiple Runtime Resources on a single Runtime Resource unless a separate connection is
configured for each.



To configure a single Runtime Resource to have multiple Runtime Resources it is necessary to modify the
start up configuration to initialise multiple instances of Blue Prism, each with its own listening port.

The v6 User Guide – Installing Enterprise Edition provides instructions on how setup this configuration.

5.10. Event log
Typically any errors and warnings generated on the Blue Prism Runtime Resources are written to the Windows
Event Log – it is therefore necessary for the accounts used on these resources to have permissions to create the
appropriate entries. Additionally the Windows User Account Control can somet imes restrict this capability.
It is also necessary for the amount of space required by the Event Log to regularly reviewed and for appropriate
maintenance to take place.
Further details on monitoring are contained within the v6 Data Sheet - Monitoring.

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Blue Prism Application Server Guide

6.1.

Overview

The Blue Prism Application Server is an optional, but strongly-recommended, component within a Blue Prism
environment.

The key features that are provided by the Blue Prism Application Server include:


Marshalling all connectivity between the Blue Prism components and the database.



Provision of the Secure Credential Store.



Data encryption and decryption capabilities.



Scheduled process execution.

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6.2.

Minimum requirements 4

Blue Prism Application Servers are typically deployed to
virtualized instances of Windows Server although for smaller or
initial deployments, physical desktops can be used.
Each Application Server requires the Blue Prism runtime to be
installed, and will require additional setup to enable the data
encryption facility. The v6 User Guide – Installing Enterprise
Edition provides further information.








Intel Dual Core Processor
2GB RAM
20GB free disk space (after install of
standard operational software*)
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012
R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.
.NET Framework 4.7
x64 installs run in 32-bitmode

The specification assumes a single Application Server that will
service between 1 and 50 Blue Prism Runtime Resources. Whilst an increased specification can enable greater
numbers of Runtime Resources to be serviced, it is recommended that a given Blue Prism Application Server should
not be configured to be responsible for more than 100 Blue Prism Runtime Resources.

6.3.

Frequently asked questions

How are Blue Prism Application Servers typically deployed?
Typically they are deployed on to a dedicated, virtualized, Windows Server to provide security and scalability.
There is the option to deploy to physical end-user desktops for smaller implementations.
What are the advantages of virtualizing this component?
Virtualizing the Application Server provides greater options for scalability and disaster recovery scenarios.
What are the security implications of this component?
Each Blue Prism Application Server instance holds the database connection information and the encryption key for
the respective environment and by default this information is available to any user who can connect to the server
file system. Common mitigations include:


Using Windows Authentication for the database connection which negates the requirement to store the
username and password within a Blue Prism configuration file.



Storing the encryption keys within individual files and manually applying additional controls such as use of
transparent encryption and restricting access to the files.

It is important to note that where access is granted to this component, a given user will have access to this
potentially sensitive configuration information for each environment - it is therefore important that this
component is suitably secured and subject to restrictions in terms of physical and remote access.
C an a single Blue Prism Application Server be used across multiple environments?
An instance of a Blue Prism Application server services a single environment, however it is possible to co-host
multiple Application Server instances on a single Windows Server.
The Multiple Blue Prism Application Servers section contains further information.
D oes this component need to be backed up?
Yes, it is important to ensure that as a minimum the data encryption (credentials) key is backed up and stored
securely.

All minimum requirements must consider the selected operating system as well as the applications to be automated.
* Examples of standard operational software includes: anti-virus; server performance monitoring tools; remote access
technology

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6.4.

Networking

The main components that Application Servers initiate communications with include:


Runtime Resources
For the purposes of triggering scheduled processes on a given Runtime Resource (TCP).



D atabase
Connectivity with the database server uses SQL Server drivers and is therefore configurable. By default
connectivity occurs using TCP.
Due to the high levels of communication between the Application Server and Database it is necessary for
Application Servers and the respective Databases to be physically located locally to minimise latency
between the components.

6.5.

Application Server configuration

The v6 User Guide – Installing Enterprise Edition provides instructions on how to configure an installation of Blue
Prism to take on the role of a Blue Prism Application Server.

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6.6.

Multiple Blue Prism Application Servers

As part of a Blue Prism infrastructure there may be a number of Blue Prism Application Servers for the purposes of:
providing resilience and availability; or to provide functionality to a number of different environments
(Development, Test, Production).
The common configurations for provisioning multiple Blue Prism Application Servers include:


D istributed Servers: many servers for a single environment
A single environment (e.g. Production) may have a number of Application Servers to allow the workload to
be distributed across them and/or for the purposes of introducing resilience.
In this scenario each Blue Prism Application Server would be setup with an identical configuration and
would be connected to the same database.



Shared Servers: one server for multiple environments
A single Windows Server can be configured to host multiple Blue Prism Applications, each of which is
responsible for an independent environment (albeit within the same network).
When configuring multiple Blue Prism Application Servers on a single Windows server it is important to
review the combined maximum number of Blue Prism Runtime Resources that will need to be serviced
concurrently.

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

6.6.1.

Hybrid: many servers for multiple environments
A hybrid approach can be taken to provide both resilience and the ability to service a high number of Blue
Prism Runtime Resources across multiple environments.
The example below shows a scenario where it has been decided to have a separate Blue Prism
environment (with a dedicated database) for each core business area and therefore there are a number of
production environments to be serviced.

Considerations for deploying multiple Application Servers

When deploying multiple Application Servers to for a single environment (e.g. Production), it is necessary to
consider the following:


Where multiple Blue Prism servers are deployed for the same environment each one must be configured to
use the same time zone.



The configuration of the encryption schemes on each server must be identical to allow all servers to
perform consistent encryption and decryption of sensitive data.

6.7.

High availability and redundancy

See the High Availability and Redundancy Guide within this document for information.

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Blue Prism Database Server Guide

7.1.

Overview

Each Blue Prism environment uses a Microsoft SQL database as a central repository of configuration da ta, settings,
runtime transactions and logs.
The solution permits any number of instances of the Blue Prism schema to be deployed within a given SQL instance
on Microsoft SQL Server, allowing multiple Blue Prism environments to be configured within a single Microsoft SQL
instance.
Support is also provided for Microsoft SQL Azure. Refer to the Blue Prism Reference Architecture for Microsoft
Azure for further details.

Key Features:


Central repository for all Blue Prism configuration information such as processes, objects and workflow
configuration.



Third-party system user credentials store.



Work queue repository.



Stores audit information and production process log data – a transaction log of each process running in the
environment.

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7.2.

Minimum requirements

Server







Database









7.2.1.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016. 64-bit versions only.
Intel Quad Core Processor
4GB RAM
10,000 RPM SAS Hard Drives (with appropriate RAID configuration)
Network card matched to environment
SQL Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2014, 2016. 32-bit or 64-bit versions.
Standard or Enterprise Editions (x86/x64 (recommended))
Non-clustered or clustered architecture
SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups
Supports shared service infrastructure (e.g. rented space in a shared datacenter)
Multiple Blue Prism databases instances supported per server (for multiple environments)
SQL collation must be case insensitive and support the 1252 code page (Common examples
include: Latin1_CI_AS, SQL_Latin1_CI_AS)

Sizing

The requirements of the database server directly correlate to the number of deployed Blue Prism Runtime
Resources.
Environment

D ata File

Log File

Development

50 GB

25 GB

Test

50 GB

25 GB

UAT

10 GB 5 x No of
Runtime Resources
10 GB 1 x No of
Runtime Resources

50% of Data
File6
50% of Data
File2

Production

Sizing Notes

Data file minimum size: 100 GB
Data file minimum size: 200 GB

Data File size should be reviewed during implementation according to logging requirements, running hours and data
retention policy as this will vary if data is retained for prolonged periods.
6

Backup and log truncation should be reviewed according to business criticality.

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7.3.

Frequently asked questions

How are Blue Prism Databases typically deployed?
Typically they are deployed to a physical SQL Server instance. It is common for non-production databases to be
contained within a single SQL instance, and for the production databases to be hosted within a production strength
SQL instance (often one which offers redundancy through mirroring, clustering or use of AlwaysOn Availability
Groups (SQL AAG)).
What are the advantages of virtualizing this component?
Refer to the v6 Reference Guide - Virtualization before considering virtualizing this component.
What are the security implications of this component?
As with all application databases, the Blue Prism Database(s) must be secured as this database is the main
repository for a range of information including: process configuration; credentials for third-party systems; work
queues; logs and audit information.
The sensitive data is encrypted prior to storage however this is not a substitute for database security.
C an a single Blue Prism Database Server be used across multiple environments?
A single Blue Prism Database Server can be used across multiple Blue Prism environments as each environment
requires an independent database which can be co-hosted with other Blue Prism databases on a single SQL
instance.
D oes this component need to be backed up?
Yes, it is important to ensure that the database and logs are subject to frequent backups in line with any data
recovery policies.

7.4.

Provisioning a Blue Prism database server

There are a number of settings and considerations to be applied when designing and provisioning a Blue Prism
Database Server. These considerations include topics such as:


Selecting an appropriate server or instance.



Disk space configuration and utilisation.



CPU and RAM allocation.



Database growth.



Recommended database settings.

Further information is provided with in the v6 Data Sheet – Provisioning a Blue Prism Database Server.

7.4.1.

Creating/Upgrading a Blue Prism database

There are two main options for creating or updating a Blue Prism Database:


Product Driven
The software will create and maintain the database during installation and upgrades. CREATE and ALTER
TABLE privileges are required by the Blue Prism Server.



Script Driven
SQL scripts for database creation and updates can be provided by the product support team.

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7.5.

SQL Permissions

The minimum SQL permissions required on the Blue Prism database for business as usual or normal operation are
listed below:


Datareader



Datawriter



[All roles prefixed with bpa_] E.g.
o

bpa_ExecuteSP_DataSource_bpSystem

bpa_ExecuteSP_DataSource_custom

bpa_ExecuteSP_System

The roles prefixed “bpa_” are only available once the database has been configured using the in-product Create
Database functions or manually using the CreateScript.
The minimum SQL permissions do not provide appropriate privileges to carry out Create, Configure or
Upgrade database actions, therefore an appropriate administrator account will need to be used when any
of these actions are required:


Create Database: dbcreator (server role) or sysadmin (server role)



Configure Database: sysadmin (server role) or dbowner (database role)



Upgrade Database: sysadmin (server role) or dbowner (database role)

To manually execute the Create or Upgrade database scripts (available via Blue Prism Support) against an
existing database, the following SQL permissions are required by the user carrying out the actions:

7.6.



DBCreate: sysadmin (server role) or dbowner (database role)



DBUpgrade: sysadmin (server role) or dbowner (database role)

Maintaining a Blue Prism database server

It is important to ensure that there is regular maintenance of the SQL server to: facilitate a stable platform;
highlight potential issues; and proactively ensure maximum performance based on the hardware resources
available. The key maintenance topics include:


Backups.



General server maintenance.



Database maintenance and recommended settings.



Blue Prism in-product maintenance.

Further information is provided with in the v6 Data Sheet – Maintaining a Blue Prism Database Server.

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7.7.

Database usage patterns

Communication between the Blue Prism Runtime Resources, Application Servers and Database is typically
moderate to high in volume, and transactional in nature as records are frequently inserted into the session log,
along with look-ups and updates being performed within workflow tables.
Consideration should be given to the proximity of the Database Server to the Blue Prism Application Server and
Runtime Resources, particularly when implemented across large or multi-site networks. Where network latency is
an issue, it will be made more prominent by the frequency of the queries performed.
Commonly the Blue Prism database will receive direct connections only from each Blue Prism Application Server
within a given environment.
In some circumstances, such as where Application Servers are not deployed, any Blue Prism component can be
configured to establish a direct database connection. This will be subject to the application of appropriate routing,
authorization and access settings.
The number of connections that will be established by each directly connecting device is managed by the .NET
Framework through use of SQL connection pools.

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7.8.

Blue Prism data

This section introduces a number of the key types of transactional data such as logs and history that are stored
within the database as part of ongoing use and operation of Blue Prism.
Further information on the key tables within the Blue Prism database is provided within the Appendix.

7.8.1.

Sessions and Logging

Blue Prism processes contain a number of steps (or stages) that the runtime resources follow as part of executing
the process. These stages can represent a variety of actions including: calculations, decisions, reading data from a
user interface element, executing a sub-process or action etc.
Sessions are used by Blue Prism to record all of the appropriate stages followed by a runtime resource as part of
executing a business process. The amount of logging for each stage is configured as part of the process design but
typically each log generated will include:


the execution time.



the context in which it the process is being run.



any input/output parameters from the stage.

Overtime, and based on the level of logging that has been configured, the data collected as a result of session
logging is often the largest data set within a production Blue Prism environment and the archiving facility can be
used to restrict the impact of this.
In order to maintain integrity, the generation of sessions and associated session logs occurs
synchronously as part of process initiation and execution. Whilst the amount of data per
transaction is low, the frequency and requirement for rapid processing by the database is
paramount.

7.8.2.

Work Queues

Work queues provide the storage and workflow capabilities for processes. Each work item typically represents an
individual record - its data, status and history. A work item has a number of statuses including: pending, deferred,
locked, completed, and terminated. If a work item is terminated by the process, it may be retried automatically each queue can be configured with a set number of automatic retries.
Each work item attempt is represented by an individual record in the BPAWorkQueueItem table, therefore if a
work item is worked, terminated and a retry action generated, it will be represented by two rows in the table.
Work items can be assigned tags which provide supplementary information such as categorisation and these are
defined in the BPATag table and each assignment of a tag to a work item attempt is represented by a record in the
BPAWorkQueueItemTag table.
The BPAWorkQueueLog is used to record each operation which alters a work item (e.g. additions, status change,
deletions).

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7.8.3.

Audit Logs

Audit Logs are used to record all of the following actions:




Changes to environment-wide settings



Create/Update/Delete of: business objects; processes; queues

When recording changes to processes and objects all details of the changes being applied are capture d to allow for
comparison or rollback at a later date.
The audit log table (BPAAuditEvents) can grow to be quite large where there is a high frequency of
updates to processes or objects. This typically does not affect production databases as the largest
number of changes take place in development or test environments.

7.8.4.

Schedule Logs

Schedule logs are created for each schedule that is initiated and record the time and outcome for all tasks and
sessions that form part of that schedule. Whilst the number of schedule logs may grow to be quite large (the most
basic schedule would create a minimum of 6 log records), the amount of information per row is very small so it is
unlikely to be cause for concern.

7.8.5.

Alerts

Alerts can be configured to indicate to end-users when certain events are detected within sessions or schedules.
An alert is targeted to a particular user and has a delivery method (e.g. pop-up box, system sound etc.). Each
individual alert is stored in a record on the BPAAlertEvent table.

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User Accounts, Remote Access and Security Guide

8.1.

Overview

There are a number of interactions for which user accounts are required as part of a Blue Prism implementation.
Examples of these interactions include:


The user accounts used by the runtime resources to authenticate against the network or workgroup.



The user accounts the Runtime Resources will use to access and automate the line of business applications.



The user accounts used by Blue Prism controllers, and developers to configure, develop, release, deploy
processes and the associated queues, schedules and settings.



Security should also be considered in reference to:



Access (including remote access) to the various Blue Prism components (e.g. Application Server, Runtime
Resources, Interactive Clients, Database Server etc.)



The logical access permissions granted to each user in relation to the actions available to them within a
given Blue Prism environment.

8.2.

User Accounts: Runtime Resource network authentication

Considerations for the user accounts to be used when Runtime Resources are authenticated to the domain or
workgroup include:


Whether auto-login is required, and how this will be achieved.



The authentication methods required for the applications that are to be automated (e.g. whether they use
Active Directory integrated authentication commonly referred to as Single Sign-On (SSO)).



Whether the out of the box functionality is to be implemented that allows Blue Prism to automatically
manage the credentials used; including periodically resetting these user account passwords (whilst
adhering to password complexity and history policies).

Further information is provided in relation to the user accounts and auto-login options within the B lue Prism
Runtime Resource Guide.

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8.3.

User Accounts: Line of business applications

It is necessary for the Blue Prism Runtime Resources to have appropriate access to each of the line of business or
third-party applications that are automated within Blue Prism processes. It is recommended that a user account
with appropriate permissions is made available for each of the Blue Prism Runtime Resources that will have a
concurrent connection to a given application although there is support for Blue Prism Runtime Resources to use
shared credentials if required.
The credentials for the user accounts used as part of a Blue Prism process are securely stored, independently of the
process definition, within a centralised Credential Management repository.
Access to specific credentials is restricted to specific Runtime Resources, processes and users in order to prevent
authorised use within the environment.
Blue Prism processes can be configured to periodically change the line of business application password(s), taking
account of necessary password complexity requirements, which ensures that the credentials are not known by any
human operator.

8.4.

User Accounts: Blue Prism users (controllers / developers)

By default, Blue Prism’s native authentication is used to manage user access to the Blue Prism application and for
assigning appropriate controls and permissions to each user.

Alternatively Blue Prism can be integrated with Active Directory Domain Services for controlling and configuring
user access and control. See the Active Directory Integration Guide for more information.

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Irrespective of the type of authentication selected, user access is role-based and configured independently for each
environment allowing specific users to have different access dependent on the environment. This further supports
the ability to restrict any one user having ubiquitous access across all environments.

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8.5.

Security: Access (including remote access)

Typically it should be appropriate for all components of the Blue Prism solution (excluding the Blue Prism
Interactive Clients) to be locked down to prevent any access by Blue Prism administrators or users. The only
functions required are those typically used by administrators such as: restart; shutdown; start-up; purge event log
etc.

8.5.1.

Remote Access

If there is a desire to implement remote access for any of the Blue Prism components, the various security
implications for each component should be considered – further information is provided within the respective
components guides:


B lue Prism Runtime Resource Guide



B lue Prism Application Server Guide



B lue Prism Database Server Guide

It is also important to select a suitable tool for providing remote access which interacts with the target system in
an appropriate manner (e.g. without interrupting the current session), and which provides a suitable level of
security and governance – particularly considering that typically a number of the components will already be
logged on and available.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) is explicitly specified as being unsuita ble for remote
control of a Runtime resource, as the remoting connections are intrusive – meaning that the RDP
session would interrupt ongoing automated processing.
Considerations for selecting a suitable remote access tool are detailed within the v6 Data Sheet – Remote Access
Tools.

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8.6.

Security: Logical access permissions

The logical access permissions that need to be configured are typically defined as part of the project initiation and
Blue Prism supports using a mixture of bespoke and out-of-the-box security roles to allow each user to be allocated
the appropriate access in each environment.
Examples of roles that are often reviewed as part of this definition are included below:


Create, read, edit, delete processes



Create, read, edit, delete business objects



Compare, export, import processes or business objects



Define release package, create release



Create, edit, delete schedules



Full or read-only access to queues / sessions



Access to define system settings, users, credentials etc.

It is necessary to establish any logical access restrictions that will be implemented to provide an appropriate level
of control and governance across the various environments. These may include:


Preventing any development from taking place in the production environment.



Restricting which users are able to migrate processes (and associated items) between various
environments.



Identifying which users will be responsible for the settings, configuration, user access etc.



Identifying which users will have access to the various types of audit and logs.

Information about auditing the Blue Prism platform and change management is contained within the v6 Data Sheet
– Operational Audit Overview.
Further guidance on establishing appropriate logical access permissions is provided as part of the Blue Prism
implementation methodology.

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Active Directory Integration Guide

There are a number of common considerations when deploying Blue Prism within an Active Directory Network
Infrastructure:
1. How Runtime Resources can authenticate against target business applications using single sign-on.
2. A common Active Directory Network Infrastructure allows native encryption of internal Blue Prism
communications.
3. User access to the Blue Prism platform can be configured to use Single Sign-on where all Blue Prism users
and devices reside within a single Active Directory Forest.

9.1.

Runtime Resources accessing target applications using single sign-on

The Blue Prism Runtime Resources are responsible for executing the processes designed and configured within the
platform. Typically processes will require interaction with various applications and systems, some of which may be
integrated with Active Directory for single sign-on (SSO). Using a domain account to authenticate the Runtime
Resources against the network allows a process to authenticate with relevant target systems using single sign-on.
This simplifies the security model and accelerates development.
Additional benefits of using a domain account to authenticate a Runtime Resource include:


Enforces existing security policies for the Runtime Resources (e.g. password reset and complexity
requirements).



Allows Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO) to be used to enforce user specific settings.



Provides auditability and control of the account via Active Directory.



Simplifies access to network resources such as shared drives, mailboxes, printers etc.

9.2.

Active Directory allows natively secured internal Blue Prism communications

When the Blue Prism components are deployed within an Active Directory Network Infrastructure configured with
appropriate domain trusts, communication message security is enabled by default for the necessary inter component communication.
Further information on securing connections by enabling message security is provided within the Securing Network
Connectivity Data Sheet.

9.3.

Configuring the Blue Prism Platform to authenticate user access via Single Sign-on

Where Blue Prism is deployed within a single Active Directory Forest, it can be configured to allow users to
authenticate against the platform using Single Sign-on. It essentially requires an Active Directory Security Group to
be mapped to each relevant Blue Prism security role after which users will be granted access to the platform based
on their Active Directory Security Group membership.
Valid scenarios for deploying Blue Prism with Single Sign-on include
1. Where all user accounts and all Blue Prism components reside within a single Active Directory Forest with
appropriate trusts between all relevant domains.
2. Where all user accounts and all Application Servers and Interactive clients reside within a single Active
Directory Forest with appropriate trusts between all relevant domains, and where Blue Prism Runtime
Resources reside outside the domain and network. These Blue Prism Runtime Resources will not be able to
carry out authentication tasks e.g. they cannot be used to host Blue Prism Web Services, and they Blue
Prism Interactive Client on these devices cannot be used.

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Where it is not appropriate to use Single Sign-on for Blue Prism, native Blue Prism authentication can be used.
Active Directory Integration for user authentication must be configured as part of the database
creation therefore it is important to establish whether this is required prior to installing and
configuring Blue Prism.

9.3.1.

Configuring Active Directory integration

There following steps are required to configure Active Directory integration:
1. Select to use Microsoft Active Directory authentication as part of the database creation action.
This option is provided as part of the database creation wizard, and is irrespective of the method of
authentication selected for authenticating with the SQL Server.
As part of the configuration it is necessary to select which domain will host the Security Groups that will be
mapped to Blue Prism, and also the Security Group whose members will be granted System Administrator
access.
2. C onfigure the required Active Directory security groups.
Within the selected Active Directory domain a Security Group should be created for each Blue Prism role
that will be used. Commonly an independent set of Security Groups will be configured for each Blue Prism
environment (E.g. Dev, UAT, Production).
The group membership for each fo the created Security Groups should then be setup to ensure that the
correct AD User Accounts are members of the appropriate groups.
Commonly the Security Groups will be configured with a Domain Local or Universal Scope, and users from
any trusted domain withn the same forest will either be added directly to the Security Group, or they will
be member of a Universal Group which itself is a member of the configured group.
Built-in Groups or Groups with derived membership such as Domain Users and Authenticated Users
should not be used. It is recommended specific Security Groups are created and these should be
mapped to Blue Prism Security Roles. Likewise if using nested group membership, the nested
groups should not be built-in groups.
Additionally Active Directory Security Groups that contain Foreign Security Principals or members
with unresolved SIDs can present querying difficulties and therefore such configurations are not
recommended.
3. Associate each Blue Prism Role with the respective Active Directory security group.
Within Blue Prism each Blue Prism Role should be linked with the appropriate Activity Directory Security
Group. It should be noted that it is possible for there to be a different number of security roles based on
the environment (E.g. a Production Environment will not normally have a Developer role configured as
development should not take plcae directly within production).

Further information on Active Directory configuration is provided in the v6 User Guide – Installing Enterprise
Edition.

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10. Blue Prism Network Connectivity Guide
10.1. Overview
The diagram provides an overview of the common communication that occurs with the Blue Prism platform.

F
D

B
A

E
B

Communication

Description

Encryption options
Natively encrypted by default. Details of
connection security vary dependent on usage of
Active Directory within the Network
Infrastructure.

Blue Prism
connections to
Application Server

Primary communication stream for the
devices to send data to, and receive data
from the database (via the Application
Server)

Instructional
connection to
Runtime Resources

B
E

Instructions received by Runtime
Certificate-based encryption can be applied by
Resources. E.g. to start/stop processing; or manually deploying an appropriate certificate to
to provide a status update
each Runtime Resource and updating the device
start-up parameters.

Blue Prism database
connection

The read/write connection between the
Application Server and database

Certificate-based encryption can be applied to the
connection by leveraging SQL Server functionality
which can auto-generate self-signed certificates
or leverage an existing verifiable certificate.

Runtime Resources
connecting to target
applications

Runtimes interact with business
applications as part of the process
automations.

Dependent on the security provided by each
respective third-party target application based on
the nature of each connection.

Remote connectivity

The users who control the platform will
commonly use a remote connectivity tool
to access centrally deployed devices.

Leverages the security provided by the respective
third-party remote connectivity tool.

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10.2. Inter-component Communication
This guide provides an overview of the key communication channels that are used between the various Blue Prism
components.

A
C
E
D

Further informaton about the typical communication that takes place between the Blue Prism components is
detailed in the table below.
Application
Server


A


B

Interactive
Client


C


D

Runtime
Resource


E



Instructional: Schedule Robots (TCP)
Communicates with the appropriate Runtime Resource to advise that a specific process is scheduled to
be run. Once advised, the Runtime Resource then establishes a connection with the Application Server
via WCF to retrieve the process configuration and for on-going communication.
Database Communication (TCP - optionally leveraging certificate-based encryption)
Connects directly to the database for read/write operations as requested by the various Blue Prism
components. The connection security is defined by: the connection to SQL Server; the configuration of
the SQL Server instance, or through use of external technologies such as IPSec.
Instructional: Configure and Control Robots (TCP)
Communicates with the appropriate Runtime Resource to advise that a specific process is to be run.
Once advised, the Runtime Resource then establishes a WCF connection with the Application Server to
retrieve the process configuration and for on-going communication.
O perating Communications (WCF)
Communication such as: process configuration retrieval; submitting system or process logs; saving
changes; and requesting a single-use token prior to communicating with a Runtime Resource; takes
place over a secure connection, which is established with the Application Server via WCF.
O perating Communications (WCF)
Communication such as: process configuration retrieval; submitting system or process logs; saving
changes; and requesting a single-use token prior to communicating with a Runtime Resource; takes
place over a secure connection, which is established with the Application Server via WCF.
Instructional: Resource Pool Communications (TCP)
Where implemented, Runtime Resources communicate with members of the same resource pool for
the purpose of distributing process execution tasks.

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10.2.1. Default Ports
Whilst all ports used by each component are configurable, the default ports are detailed below:
C omponent

D efault Port Information

Application Server



Listens for TCP traffic on 8 199 (configurable)

Interactive Client



Retrieves information from the server via WCF.

Runtime Resource



Listens for TCP traffic on 8 181 (configurable)
Retrieves information from the server via WCF.



Where there are multiple Application Servers co-hosted on a single operating system it is common for each to use
an independent, dedicated port. This may be common where there are multiple Blue Prism environments.
Where there are a multiple Runtime Resources configured on a single Runtime Resource, each will be configured to
listen on an independent, dedicated port.

10.2.2. Latency
Consideration should be given to the connectivity between the Blue Prism components, as any network latency will
be made more prominent by the frequency of the queries performed.
Latency must be minimal between the following components:


Application Server(s) and the respective Database Servers



Interactive Clients and Application Server(s)

The only communication channels that are designed to support high-latency connections are those to/from the
Blue Prism Runtime Resources, however consideration to this should be applied when designing the process
automations to ensure appropriate performance. E.g. in terms of the frequency of communication with the other
components such as requesting or writing items from the database, writing logs, updating queue items, auto-save
settings etc.

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10.2.3. Name Resolution
The communication that takes place between Blue Prism components requires the ability t o resolve the IP address
of the target machine using its name. An example of such communication is when the Application Server instructs
a Runtime Resource to start a process based on the configured schedule, or when a Runtime Resource
communicates with another in the same Resource Pool.
By default, the communication takes place using the short-name of the target machine (e.g. using robot001, not
robot001.mydomain.local) and requires DNS to be configured appropriately.
System Administrators can optionally change this setting if appropriate for the deployment:




Register: The name format used when registering Runtime Resources is the one which is featured when managing
and configuring the platform (e.g. within session logs, schedules and control room etc.).
Changing the name format used for registering components will require each to register as new devices within the
environment meaning that any previous Runtime Resource configuration may need to be repeated (e.g.
configuring Resource Groups and Resource Pools, assigning access to credentials, schedule configuration etc.).
Connect: The name format used when connecting to the devices and is therefore the name that must be resolvable
to an IP address from each of the devices were connections can be initialized.

10.2.4. IP Layer Security
In addition to the controls natively provided by the platform, additional network protection can be achieved
through use of industry-standard technologies such as IPSec which is able to protect all application traffic over an
IP network.

Resource Management. Following the reset, the affected Runtime Resources and all Controllers should be restarted.

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10.3. Advanced Information
10.3.1. Instructional Communication
The instructional communication represents the frequent, lightweight, communications received by the Runtime
Resources. Examples include scenarios such as where the Runtime Resource receives a request from:


the Application Server informing it to initiate the start process
procedure.



an Interactive Client manually instructing it to initiate the start
process procedure.



another Runtime Resource in a ResourcePool to initiate the
start process procedure.



the Interactive Client requesting a status update.



a third party system accessing a Blue Prism web service.

Within the Blue Prism platform, these connections are established from each operational Interactive Client and
Application Server, to each available Runtime Resource using its configured listening port (default 8181).

10.3.1.1.

Data Security and Controls

Protocol: Native TCP (default); TCP with Certificate-based Encryption (requires advanced configuration)
By default these communications are unsecured and contain a very high level instruction and do not include
sensitive or exploitable information.
The controls implemented for this communication include:


Origin authentication: A single-use token is passed which the receiver validates with the Blue Prism
Application Server. This allows the receiver to validate the originator had the authority to issue the
message.



Session authentication: A single-use token is passed which the receiver validates with the Blue Prism
Application Server. This allows the receiver to validate the originator had authenticated with the Blue
Prism Application Server prior to generating the message.

The single-use token referenced above is generated by the Blue Prism Application Server and verified by the
recipient via the operational communications channel.
Whilst these instructional communications are unsecured by default, for advanced implementations applicable
Runtime Resources can be configured to apply encryption by leveraging a local certificate. When appropriately
configured, certificate-based encryption is applied to all communication received by the device on a given port
irrespective of the origin. Blue Prism web services accessed on configured devices will require a HTTPS prefix.
When deploying certificates for this purpose it is important to note that:


The certificate common name(s) will need to accurately reflect the paths used for all communications to
the Runtime Resource on a given port.



The devices connecting to the Runtime Resource(s) will need to trust the issuer (Certificate Authority).



The start-up parameters for the Runtime Resource will need to be configured to leverage the certificate.

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10.3.2. Operational Communication
The operational communication represents the main channel for data transmission between the Application Server
and all clients (Interactive Clients and Runtime Resources). These connections are established from the respective
clients to the Application Server(s) and use WCF (in the default/recommended configuration) which provides
encrypted communication, and controls which include: content confidentiality, data integrity protection, origin
authentication, message replay protection, non-repudiation, and session authentication.
Examples include scenarios such as where the Application Server receives a request from:


a Runtime Resource requesting a process definition after being instructed to start processing.



a Runtime Resource writing a log to the database (via the Application Server).



A Runtime Resource requesting a credential for use when executing a process.



an Interactive Client updating a process definition.



an Interactive Client updating an execution schedule.

Each Runtime Resource (and Interactive Client) will communicate over a WCF connection with a nominated
Application Server via the server’s listening port (default: 8199).

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10.3.2.1.

Data Security and Controls

Protocol: TCP (WCF)
The communication is encrypted by default when the default, or any of the recommended configurations, are in
use. The security is provided by the .NET Framework and the Operating System.

10.3.2.2.

Legacy .NET Remoting Support

To support legacy installations, it is possible to configure Application Servers and Clients to use .NET remoting
instead of WCF for operational communication. Unless the Insecure variant of this option is selected, the
connection is established via a secure TCPChannel. Behind the scenes, this is using the NegotiateStream Class,
which is the .NET instrumentation of Microsoft's Security Support Provider Interface SSPI architecture.
Because the security negotiation is handled by SSPI, it is transparent to Blue Prism and difficult to det ermine in all
scenarios what encryption and authentication would be used, as this is based on operating system levels, domain
configuration and other environmental factors. In most scenarios, the end result would be the use of Kerberos for
authentication and sChannel for encryption. Assuming sChannel is selected for encryption, this would mean the
Cipher used would be likely to be determined per this article:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa374757(v=vs.85).aspx.
The Key Distribution Center (KDC) for the communications is located on an Active Directory domain controller and
uses Active Directory as its account database and, where required, the Global Catalog for directing referrals to
KDCs in other domains.
.NET Remoting includes a number of controls when the Blue Prism platform is deployed into an Active Directory
network infrastructure 8 :


C ontent confidentiality: .NET NegotiateStream is used to natively provide both key derivation and data
encryption/decryption. SPNEGO is used to select the underlying security protocol, and the security context
via negotiation between the client and server through use a set of security tokens generated by the
SPNEGO GSS-API mechanism.



D ata Integrity: .NET NegotiateStream is used to natively provide data encryption and signing using the
negotiated security mechanism. The signature used as part of the VerifyMessage functionality to validate
the integrity of the content.



Origin authentication: Active Directory, as the KDC, performs the role of a trusted third-party and is
responsible for providing confidence that the message has genuinely originated from the identified
principal in addition to the verification that is applied by interrogating the message signature.



Message replay protection: Reply protection is natively achieved through use of a ticket containing a
session key and an encrypted session key identifier which is cached along with the timestamp of the
original request.



Non-repudiation: .NET NegotiateStream Protocols use of Active Directory as the KDC and trusted thirdparty provides confidence that the message is genuine and cannot be repudiated as it contains information
(a session key) encrypted with the senders master key which the recipient must contact the trusted thirdparty to be able to verify.



Session authentication: .NET NegotiateStream Protocol relies on the SPNEGO security protocol which
selects between Kerberos (preferred) and NTLM. Authentication is performed as part of the negotiation to
select the security protocol through the exchange of opaque security tokens generated by the SPNEGO
GSS-API mechanism.

Data encryption is only available for .NET Remoting when Blue Prism is deployed within an Active Directory network
infrastructure.

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10.3.3. Database Communication
The communication between Blue Prism and the Microsoft SQL Server database leverages the .NET Framework
SqlClient library. By default this is unsecured however there are a number of common approaches to secure the
connection:
1. Install a verifiable server certificate on the SQL Server and configure the SQL inst ance to force encryption
for all connections.
2. Install a verifiable server certificate on the SQL Server and configure the Blue Prism database connection to
specify that the connection should be encrypted.
E.g. encrypt=true.
3. Configure the Blue Prism database connection to
specify that the connection should be encrypted and
that server certificates can be trusted without further
verification which allows a self-signed certificate on
the SQL Server to be leveraged.
E.g. encrypt=true; trustservercertificate=true.

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11. High Availability and Redundancy Guide
There are three main aspects to consider when configuring Blue Prism for redundancy or resilience.


Operational controls: How the platform is configured operationally to execute work can impact the
behaviour when it responds to a failover or recovers from an outage. This can relate to a number of areas
such as process design, demand management, frequency of schedules, management of process exceptions
etc.



Availability of target systems: The availability of the business systems which are accessed by the automated
processes will impact the ability of the platform to operate successfully.



Underlying Architecture: The hardware and core services on which Blue Prism relies must be configured to
be appropriately resilient.

This section provides information relating to providing resilience at the architecture level.

11.1. Resilience of Components
The core components which are required to assure availability of the platform are:


D atabase server: a core component of the platform and, as it is the realtime repository for audit and
operational logs, the platform is configured to cease processing whenever the database cannot be
contacted.
High availability and/or redundancy is achieved through use of native SQL Server technologies (e.g.
clustering, mirroring, AlwaysOn Availlabity Groups) or by third-party redundancy and replication
technologies.



Application server: used to marshall all connections with the database and to provide critical functiona lity
as processes execute. All operating Interactive Clients and Runtime Resources require a connection to an
available Application Server. As the execution within the platform is stateful, a persistent connection is
required. Likewise if the connection between a Runtime Resource and Application Server is interupted, the
Runtime Resource will periodically attempt to reconnect.
Redundancy is achieved by provisioning additional Application Servers; and High availability is achieved
through use of routing or load balancing such that traffic is directed to an available component.
Due to the stateful nature of execution within the platform, items being actively worked at the time of
failover or re-direction will fail and be routed for human intervention.

Additional platform components include:


Runtime Resource: responsible for executing the processes, each runtime resource is commonly located on
a separate virtual device.
Redundancy is achieved by provisioning additional Runtime Resources; and High availability can be
achieved through use of Active Queues or Blue Prism Resource Pools. Both of these features represent
groups of Runtime Resources and provide funtionality to scheduled or manually allocated to be allocated
to an available Runtime Resource.



Interactive Client: the client software accessed by users either to develop and test processes; or to control
and monitor the platform.
Redundancy is achieved by provisioning additonal devices and directing users to an available component as
they establish a connection.

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11.2. Routing Application Server Connections
The common way of deploying Application Servers is to allocate the Runtime Resources (and Interactive Clients) to
a named Blue Prism Server, however there are a number of options for deploying these servers in a load balanced
scenario such that the connections from the Runtime Resources and Interactive Clients are distributed.
The simplest approach for load balancing is to use DNS round-robin with a low Time to Live (TTL) setting. Where
organizations have existing technologies it can be possible to complement this approach by introducing an
application aware utility that is able to validate the health of the Application Server(s) and to manage the DNS
records accordingly. Commonly such functionality can be provided with the DNS platform, by software load
balancers, or within monitoring platforms such as Tivoli or Microsoft Operations Management. Further information
on this topic is available within the Data Sheet – Load Balancing Guide.
Alternative solutions such as Microsoft Server Clustering, third party replication and routing solutions or other
software/hardware load balancers may be used to provide this functionality.

11.3. Multi-site Deployment
Information on configuring Active/Active and Active/Passive deployments is provided within the C omponent
Architecture Examples.

12. Blue Prism Virtualization Guide
The v6 Reference Guide - Virtualization provides a wealth of information in relation to deploying Blue Prism within a
virtualized environment. It is available as a separate document via product support.

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13. Blue Prism Monitoring Guide
13.1. Overview
Blue Prism infrastructures will comprise a number of different components each of which can be monitored and
polled to verify that it is available and responsive. When monitoring the Blue Prism components, standard third
party tools and techniques can be used to evaluate the following:


Health of allocated hardware (e.g. disk space, CPU utilisation, network connectivity).



Availability of specific windows services (e.g. service started, responding on the appropriate port).



Windows Event Viewer – should be actively reviewed for any errors raised on all devices which are part of a
Blue Prism environment.

Additionally Blue Prism provides a number of features and techniques that can be used to assist with monitoring
process execution and any associated errors.
Process and Schedule Alerts can notify administrators or controllers, directly on their own desktop, using a range of
indicators including:


Pop-ups



Sounds



Taskbar Icons

Additionally custom notification types can be implemented such as sending an email
or raising an SNMP trap.
Further information on monitoring each of the Blue Prism components is provided
in the v6 Data Sheet – Monitoring.

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14. Appendix
14.1. References
The following Blue Prism Data Sheets and Guides are available on request:
General Documentation
Product Overview

High level overview of Robotic Process Automation and the Blue Prism Platform.

Release Notes

Version specific release notes detailing key features and functionality included in
the release.

B lue Prism Data Sheets
Active Directory Integration

Functionality and benefits of AD Integration.

Credential Manager

Features of the credential manager.

Operational Audit Overview

Overview of audit capabilities considerations.
Considerations for selecting a suitable database server and provisioning a Blue
Prism database.

Provisioning a Blue Prism
Database Server
Maintaining a Blue Prism
Database Server

Considerations for maintaining the Blue Prism database.

Monitoring

Monitoring requirements of each Blue Prism component.
Advice about suitability of remote access tools.

Remote Access Tools

Secure Windows Authentication Overview of auto-login facility for Runtime Resources.
Active Directory Integration

Functionality and benefits of AD Integration.

Credential Manager

Features of the credential manager.

Operational Audit Overview

Overview of audit capabilities considerations.

Virtualization Guide

Overview of the considerations for deploying Blue Prism into a virtualized
environment.

B lue Prism User Guides
Installing Enterprise Edition

Installing and configuring Blue Prism Enterprise Edition.

Installing and configuring Login Agent.

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