Machines

In Orchestrator, a machine object works as an API key generator, which authorizes the connection between the UiPath Robot and Orchestrator, thus establishing a connection between Orchestrator and the infrastructure to be used for execution.

For the purpose of this guide, we assume a host machine represents a workstation (physical or virtual) on which a UiPath Robot is installed.

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

Machine Template

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

Orchestrator Setup

A machine template (the name is irrelevant)
A floating robot for each account (it can be a directory user defined using the domain\username syntax, or a local user defined using the machine_name\username syntax)
The key of that machine template can be then used to connect the UiPath Robot to Orchestrator for any of those accounts.

Note: While maintenance mode is enabled, machines connected via the same machine template are not assigned any new jobs, but are allowed to finish existing ones.

Check out the topic for details.

Standard Machine

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

Common usage scenarios:

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

Orchestrator Setup

A standard machine (its name should be an exact match to the machine on which the UiPath Robot to be connected to Orchestrator is installed)
A standard robot for each user that uses that machine (it can be an AD user defined using the domain\username syntax, or a local user defined using the machine_name\username syntax)
The standard machine's key can be then used to connect the UiPath Robot to Orchestrator for any of those users on the workstation with the same name. If the name of the workstation ever changes, you are required to delete and recreate the standard robots using the new name.

Finding the Machine Name

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

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

Standard Machines in Modern Folders

To easily migrate from classic folders to modern folders, standard machines can be associated with modern folders so that upon migrating, you do not need to change the machine key.

A standard machine cannot work in both classic and modern folders simultaneously, and as such the classic model takes precedence. A standard machine works in the classic folder as long as there are active robots defined. Disabling all robots that are using it in the classic context will render it usable in modern folders.

Account-Machine Mappings

Account-machine mappings enable you to tie unattended usage under particular accounts to specific machine templates. The gives granular control over the execution targets of your automation. Account-machine mappings can be global (tenant-based, not tied to a specific folder), or custom mappings (customized in the context of a specific folder).

Learn how to configure account-machine mappings

Machines Permissions

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

Viewing a machine and machine-related details View on Machines
Editing a machine - Edit on Machines
Creating a machine - Create on Machines
Deleting a machine - Delete on Machines
Changing account-machine mappings at the tenant level - View on Machines, Edit on Machines OR View on Machines, Create on Machines
Changing account-machine mappings at the folder level - Edit on Folders OR Edit on Subfolders.

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

Robot Versions

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

No Robots
- no Robots were ever provisioned on the machine
Unknown
- 1 or more Robots were created, but none of them has ever been connected
- 1 or more Robots were created after the Robot-Orchestrator connection had been established
[installed version]
- 1 Robot with a version later than 18.2.0 was registered and it is connected
- more Robots having a version later than 18.2.0 (the same one) were provisioned and they are all connected
  
  For example, if you have provisioned one 18.2.4 Robot, which is connected, then 18.2.4 is displayed. If you provisioned a number of 18.3.0 Robots, say 11, and they are all connected, then 18.3.0 is displayed.
< 18.2.0
- 1 Robot with a version prior to 18.2.0 was provisioned and it is connected
- more Robots having a version prior to 18.2.0 were provisioned and they are all connected
  
  For example, if you have provisioned one 18.1 Robot, which is connected, then <18.2.0 is displayed. Similarly, if you provisioned a number of 17.1.0 and 18.2.0 Robots, say 9 and 5, and they are all connected, then <18.2.0 is displayed.
[number of distinct known versions]
- 2 or more Robots having different versions were registered and they are all connected
  
  For example, you have provisioned a total of 14 Robots (10 with 18.3.0, 2 with 18.2.4, 2 with a version prior to 18.2.0). In this case, 3 versions is displayed.