Installation - OpCon RPA

What is it?

This page walks you through installing OpCon RPA on a Windows system and connecting it to OpCon. The procedure has five steps:

1. Add an RPA agent in Solution Manager.
2. Install Netcom Relay (cloud installations only).
3. Copy the ACS Plugin DLL into the OpCon plugins directory.
4. Run the RPA Agent installer.
5. Connect the RPA Agent to OpCon.

During the procedure, you will switch between two interfaces:

• The OpCon Solution Manager web interface.
• The RPA Tray Client that opens after installation on the Windows host.

No OpCon user required

Starting in 1.1.0, OpCon RPA stores tasks locally on the RPA Agent and no longer requires a dedicated OpCon user or an OpCon API connection. You do not need to create an RPA user in Solution Manager.

Before you begin

Have these three files ready:

File	Where to get it	What it is for
SMANetcomRelay.exe	Provided by your OpCon representative	Cloud installations only — installs Netcom Relay
sma.acs.OpConRPA.dll	OpCon Web Installer (OWI) — Integrations section	The ACS plugin that lets OpCon communicate with the RPA Agent
RPAAgent_x.y.z.msi	OpCon Web Installer (OWI) — Agents section	The RPA Agent installer (x.y.z is the version number)

You also need:

• A Solution Manager user account with privileges to add an RPA agent.
• Local administrator rights on the Windows system where the RPA Agent will run.

On-premises vs. cloud

Netcom Relay is required only when integrating RPA with a cloud instance of OpCon CORE Automate / Solution Manager. On-premises installations skip Step 3.

Step 1 — Add an RPA agent in Solution Manager

To define the RPA agent that OpCon routes jobs to, complete the following steps:

1. In Solution Manager, go to Library > Agents.

2. Select Add to add a new Agent.

3. Give the agent a name.

4. Select RPA from the Type list above General Settings.

5. When prompted, enter the Netcom Relay name. You must do this before you can open the RPA Settings page:

   • Cloud: enter the name you used during Relay installation.
   • On-premises (no Relay): type <Default>.

   

6. Open the RPA Settings section at the bottom of the page. Leave this page open — you will return to it in Step 5.

Step 2 — Install Netcom Relay (cloud only)

If you are installing OpCon RPA for cloud, install Netcom Relay before continuing. For full instructions, see Netcom Relay setup.

tip

Netcom Relay installation requires local administrator rights. When prompted to allow the app to make changes to your device, select Yes.

After Relay is installed, return to this page and continue with Step 3.

Step 3 — Copy the ACS Plugin DLL

To copy the ACS Plugin DLL into the OpCon plugins directory, complete the following steps:

1. In Windows File Explorer, open the OpCon plugins directory:
   • On-premises: C:\ProgramData\OpConxps\SAM\plugins
   • Cloud: open C:\ProgramData\OpConxps\ and drill down to the Plugins directory.
2. Copy sma.acs.OpConRPA.dll into the plugins directory.

Step 4 — Install the RPA Agent

To install the RPA Agent on the host Windows system, complete the following steps:

1. Double-click RPAAgent_x.y.z.msi (the version number may differ).
2. When prompted to allow this app to make changes to your device, select Yes.
3. When the installation finishes, the RPA Tray Client opens automatically.

Step 5 — Connect the RPA Agent to OpCon

In this step, you switch between the RPA Tray Client (on the Windows host) and Solution Manager (in your browser, on the page you left open in Step 1).

5a. Copy the RPA HTTPS URI into Solution Manager

1. In the RPA Tray Client, select Settings in the left menu.

   

2. On the RPA Agent tab, copy the value from the HTTPS URI field.

   

3. In Solution Manager, paste the URI into the RPA Server URI field of the RPA Settings section you opened in Step 1.

   

5b. Generate and apply the API token

1. Back in the RPA Tray Client, select Generate Token. The token is automatically copied to your clipboard.

   

2. In Solution Manager, paste the token into the API Token field.

   

3. Save your Solution Manager changes.

After you save, OpCon can communicate with the RPA Agent. Setup is complete.

Verify the installation

After the success message:

• Confirm the RPA Tray Client is running in the Windows system tray.
• In Solution Manager, confirm the RPA agent shows as available under Library > Agents.

FAQs

Do I need Netcom Relay if I am not using OpCon Cloud? No. Netcom Relay is required only for cloud integrations with OpCon CORE Automate / Solution Manager. On-premises installations skip Step 2.

Where do I place the ACS Plugin DLL on an on-premises installation? For on-premises installations, place sma.acs.OpConRPA.dll in C:\ProgramData\OpConxps\SAM\plugins.

Do I need to create an OpCon user for RPA? No. Starting in 1.1.0, OpCon RPA stores tasks locally on the RPA Agent and no longer requires an OpCon user or an OpCon API connection.

What do I enter for the Netcom Relay name on an on-premises installation? Type <Default>. Solution Manager requires a value before it lets you open the RPA Settings page.

Glossary

Term	Definition
ACS Plugin DLL	The OpCon Application Connection Studio plugin file (sma.acs.OpConRPA.dll) used by the OpCon SAM to communicate with the RPA Agent.
RPA Agent	The agent that performs robot task automation on a target Windows machine.
RPA Tray Client	The local Windows interface that runs alongside the RPA Agent, used to configure the HTTPS URI and API token.
Netcom Relay	The OpCon component that routes communication between the OpCon Server and the RPA Agent for cloud installations.
OpCon Web Installer (OWI)	A tool that bundles OpCon installer artifacts, including the ACS Plugin DLL and the RPA Agent Installer.
Solution Manager	The OpCon web interface used to configure agents and schedules.