Understanding basic authentication for Pega Robot Manager users
Basic authentication works by prompting the user for a user name and password, which Pega Platform validates against the credentials that are stored in the Pega database. In this method, the authentication information is retrieved from the server with just one call, which makes that method faster than other, more complex authentication mechanisms.
The management and login process for robot operators depends on your implementation type.
Attended robot operators
When using attended robot operators, the case worker (for example, a call center
agent) must start Pega Robot Runtime manually on their
desktop and provide the login credentials, so that the robot operator can download
the automation package and start working. Every time the password of the robot
operator changes (either because of password expiration, or because of a forced
change during the first-time login of a new operator), the case worker must manually
change the password in Pega Platform, as shown in the following
example:
Unattended robot operators
To securely connect robot operators to Pega Robot Manager and
maintain operational flexibility, the RPA service needs three operator types
involved for one robot operator to run:
The following table provides a description of each step in the registration sequence of unattended robot operators:
| Step | Description | Additional information |
| 1 | The RPA service uses the dispatch operator at the beginning of a robot session to start and authenticate the service connection with Pega Robot Manager. | The dispatch operator is the only operator type you must provision and whose password you can change. For more information, see: |
| 2 | After the RPA service authenticates, it switches to the newly created RPA service operator. The RPA service operator manages Windows sessions of robot operators by starting, stopping or scheduling Pega Robot Runtime. | You specify this operator's name in the
For more information, see Updating the robotics configuration files for basic authentication. |
| 3 | When started by the RPA service, Pega Robot Runtime establishes the initial connection to Pega Robot Manager by using the dispatch operator. Then, Pega Robot Runtime switches to the Runtime operator. | You specify this operator's name in the in the
Runtime operator is the robot that uses the GetNextWork function and is visible in the Pega Robot Manager interface. For more information, see Updating the robotics configuration files for basic authentication. |
Configure Pega Robot Manager users for basic authentication by completing the following process:
- Authenticating Pega Robot Manager users through the basic method
Configure your robotic solution for basic authentication by updating the configuration files as required and specifying basic as the default authentication method for new Pega Robot Manager users.
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