About the Robot Agent

You install a robot agent on every environment, which is the computer or virtual machine where a robot runs. The robot agent runs the instances of the robots on these environments.

To learn more about environments, see About Environments and Environment Pools.

Familiar with the Connectivity Agent?

If you're familiar with the connectivity agent in Oracle Integration, the robot agent offers similar capabilities with some differences.

Area Connectivity agent Robot agent

Usage

You use the connectivity agent when an integration must connect to a resource on a private or on-premises network.

You use the robot agent to run a robot.

Installation and number

You install the connectivity agent on an on-premises machine, typically a virtual machine.

Your organization can install one or many connectivity agents.

You install the robot agent on every environment that must run a robot.

Components

Two types of connectivity agents are available:

  • SaaS agent, which runs in Oracle Integration. Oracle manages this agent.
  • On-premises agent, which you must install and manage.

Only one robot agent is available.

Your Responsibilities

Your organization is responsible for several tasks.

Plan the Robot Agent Setup

When planning your robot agent setup, consider the number of robot agents to install on each environment.

You have the following options:

  • Install one robot agent per environment

  • Install two or more robot agents on an environment

    This option is not recommended for environments that run production robots for several reasons:

    • The robot agents could experience conflicts while trying to access and modify the shared resources.

    • Even when multiple robot agents are installed on an environment, the robot agent runs only one robot at a time.

System Requirements

You must install the robot agent on every environment. Ensure that each environment meets the system requirements for the robot agent.

Area Requirements

Hardware

Minimum of 8 GB memory with 4 GB of heap size dedicated to the robot agent

If you run other processes on the environment besides the robot agent, Oracle recommends increasing the physical memory

Operating system

Install the robot agent on one of the following certified operating systems:

  • MacOS
  • Oracle Linux 6.x, 7.x, and 8.x
  • RedHat Enterprise Linux 6.6, 7.x, and 8.x
  • Suse Linux Enterprise Edition 12 SP2
  • Windows Standard Edition 2016
  • Windows 2019

Software

  • Java Development Kit (JDK) 17

    You do not need to purchase a JDK license for the sole purpose of installing and/or running the connectivity agent. See JDK license and support for OIC Connectivity Agent (Doc ID 2611142.1).

    The JDK installation can be the same one as used with other products installed on the same host. However, separate JDK licensing may be required for any use of Java beyond the use of the connectivity agent. Ensure that the JDK installation is not modified for use with these other products.

  • One of the following browsers for the environment where the robot agent runs:
    • Apple Safari
    • Google Chrome (recommended) or Headless Chrome
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Mozilla Firefox or Headless Firefox

    Note: Oracle Integration has different browser requirements. See Supported Browsers in Getting Started with Oracle Integration 3.

  • One of the following options for storing secret information in the computer's local keystore:

    • Linux and Unix computers: Keyutils

      You can install Keyutils by installing Homebrew, Yum, or AptGet.

    • Windows computers: PowerShell

      This solution is usually included in the operating system of Windows computers.

    • Mac computers: Security Utility

      This software is usually included in the operating system of Mac computers.

Specifications

Get an in-depth understanding of the robot agent by reviewing its communication method, security protocols, and more.

Area More information

Communication and ports

  • The robot agent initiates all communication and must be able to contact Oracle Integration so that it can poll for work.

    See Review Your Network Configuration.

  • No ports are opened on the on-premises system for communication.

Security protocol

  • The robot agent registers with Oracle Integration over SSL using the provided Oracle Integration credentials.

    See Complete Prerequisites.

  • All communication is secured using SSL.

  • The robot agent processes requests by pulling messages from Oracle Integration across SSL.

  • The robot agent posts responses by pushing messages to Oracle Integration across SSL.

Data persistence

No data is persisted in the robot agent.

Design Considerations

A robot runs on an environment, which is a computer or virtual machine (VM) on which the robot agent is installed. When determining where to place the environment, consider the requirements for the robot's interaction.

Type of robot interaction Location for the environment

Interact with a publicly available website

Ensure that the robot's environments are within a network that can interact with a publicly available web application.

Interact with an internal web application that is within a firewall and VPN

Ensure that the robot's environments are within the VPN so that they have access to the internal web application.

The environment must be able to access the public internet the first time that you start the robot agent. The robot agent requires this access to download its required dependencies. Therefore, you might need to temporarily disable VPN access on the environment the first time you start the robot agent.