Installation Guide

Automate Desktop
11.3.10
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Table of Contents
Before You Begin 1
System Requirements 1
Hardware 1
Operating System 1
Additional Software Requirements 2
Installing Automate Desktop 3
InstallSheild Wizard Installation 3
Command-line Installation 3
What You Will Need 4
Installation Properties 4
Installing Automate Desktop Using Command-lines 6
Upgrading Automate Desktop Using Command-lines 6
Creating an Install Log 7
Enabling Remote Administration 7
Installing Automate Desktop Developer Tools 7
Installing Automate Desktop Runtime Component 7
Updating Automate Desktop 9
Upgrading Automate Desktop 11

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 Before You Begin / System Requirements

Before You Begin

IMPORTANT: Prior to version 11.1.30, Automate Desktop was named Automate. As of the date of this
publication, Automate Desktop 11.3.10 still refers to this product as Automate.

This installation guide describes how to install, update, and upgrade to Automate Desktop 11. It is
recommended to read through the entire guide before getting started. If you have any questions, contact
HelpSystems Support.
For more information regarding Automate Desktop 11 settings and features, refer to the Automate
Desktop 11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.

System Requirements
This section lists the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements to
install/update/upgrade and run Automate Desktop 11.

Hardware
Hardware Minimum Requirements Recommended Requirements
Component
Processor 2 Ghz 32-bit or 64-bit 3 Ghz, multi-core 32-bit or 64-bit
processor processor (or higher)
Memory 4 GB RAM 6 GB RAM (or higher)
Hard Drive 5 GB available hard drive 5 GB available hard drive space (or
space higher)
Display 1280x1024 resolution, 32 MB 1280x1024 resolution, 32 MB video
video RAM RAM (or higher)

Operating System
l Microsoft Windows Server 2016
l Microsoft Windows 10
l Microsoft Windows 8.1
l Microsoft Windows 8
l Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
l Microsoft Windows Server 2012
l Microsoft Windows 7 SP1
l Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
l Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2
l Microsoft Windows Vista SP2

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 Before You Begin / System Requirements

Additional Software Requirements

l .Net Framework 4.0 (included)
l Windows Installer 4.5 (included)

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 Installing Automate Desktop / InstallSheild Wizard Installation

Installing Automate Desktop

Automate Desktop can be installed using the InstallSheild Wizard installer file, or by using simple
command-line parameters through the use of the Windows Installer executable MSIExec.exe, along
with the Automate Desktop MSI file.

InstallSheild Wizard Installation

IMPORTANT:
Before attempting to perform a new installation of Automate Desktop:
l Confirm you have full administrator privileges.
l Temporarily disable any anitivirus applications during the installation process. Some antivirus
applications may block the installation of third-party applications, such as Automate Desktop.

To perform a new installation of Automate Desktop:

1. Depending on your operating system, download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Automate
Desktop 11 installer file to your computer from the HelpSystems Community Portal.
2. Navigate to the folder where the installer file was saved.
3. Right-click on the installer .exe file and then select Run as administrator.
4. Follow the InstallShield Wizard instructions to begin installation.
5. Navigate through the wizard until you reach the Installation Details dialog box. Choose one of the
following installation types, based on how you intend to use the product:
l Full Automate installation (default) - Installs all of the components that are included with

the full version of Automate, including the Automate Task Service and all user interfaces
such as the Task Administrator and Task Builder. If you select this option, skip to step 7.
l Automate Runtime installation - Contains only the Automate Task Service which performs

tasks as directed by developers. It does not contain any user interfaces. If you select this
option, proceed to step 6.
6. If you chose Automate Runtime installation in step 5, enter a remote access password for the
Runtime component. For more information on remote access, see Remote Administration in the
Automate Desktop11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.
7. Click Install to continue through the remainder of the wizard until installation is complete.
8. Open Automate 11 Task Administrator to begin configuring Automate Desktop.

NOTE: License keys are not required during the installation process. This information can be entered
in the Task Administrator under Options > License after installation is complete. For more
information on product licensing, see License in the Automate Desktop 11 User Guide on the
HelpSystems Community Portal.

Command-line Installation
Automate Desktop components can also be installed using simple command-line parameters through
the use of the Windows Installer executable MSIExec.exe along with the Automate MSI file. This

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 Installing Automate Desktop / Command-line Installation

allows for easy mass deployment and simplified automated installations.

What You Will Need

Command-line installation requires the following items:
1. Automate Desktop installation MSI file.
2. Automate Desktop 11 license keys.
3. Automate license key of current version (if upgrading from a earlier version of Automate to
Automate Desktop 11).

Installation Properties
The following properties can be used during a command-line installation of Automate Desktop 11.
Properties and their values are separated by equal signs and should appear after the MSIExec.exe
command but before MSIExec switch options. While the property values are not case sensitive, all
properties must be entered in uppercase.

Property Description Example

SERIALCODE The Automate SERIALCODE="AM11-12345-67890-
Desktop 11 license 12345-67890-12345"
key used to register
the software. If this
is not provided,
Automate will install
as a 30 day
evaluation version.
UPGRADESERIAL The Automate UPGRADESERIAL="AM11-1234-1234-
Desktop license key 1234-1234"
used in association
with the upgrade
license key (for
those who acquired
an upgrade
license). If the
SERIALCODE
parameter specifies
an upgrade license
key, this property
must be used as
well.

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 Installing Automate Desktop / Command-line Installation

Property Description Example

LOGGINGDATASOU Automate Desktop LOGGINGDATASOURCE="<Connection
RCE allows a valid String>"
database
connection string to
use for External
Database Logging.
If this property is
supplied, External
Database Logging
is automatically
enabled after
installation is
completed. For
more information,
see External
Database Logging
in the Automate
Desktop 11 User
Guide on the
HelpSystems
Community Portal.
REMOTEPASSWOR Enables Remote REMOTEPASSWORD="MyPassword"
D Administration and
set the password to
the value of
REMOTEPASSWO
RD. Must be
supplied for Agent
installations,
otherwise
administration of
product is not
possible.
REMOTEPORT (Optional) Use a REMOTEPORT="8100"
port other than the
default 7977 for
Remote
Administration
connections.

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 Installing Automate Desktop / Command-line Installation

Installing Automate Desktop Using Command-

lines
To install Automate Desktop 11, use the following command-line:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "<path and filename of Automate Desktop MSI file>"
SERIALCODE="AM11-12345-67890-12345-67890-12345" /qn

Where <path and filename of Automate Desktop MSI file> is the full path to the
Automate Desktop installation, and SERIALCODE is set to your Automate Desktop serial number. The
/i switch specifies an install, and /qn indicates a silent install with no user dialogs. For example, if the
path and filename of the Automate Desktop MSI file was C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi
and the Automate Desktop 11 serial number was AM11-12345-67890-12345-67890-12345, the
command line would look like this:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi" SERIALCODE="AM11-
12345-56780-12345-56780-12345" /qn

The installation would then proceed silently in the background. The install is complete when the
Automate Desktop "A" icon appears in the system tray near the system clock indicating the start of
Automate Desktop service.

NOTE: The SERIALCODE property sets the serial code for the Automate Desktop product and must
be present in order for the product to register properly with the system. While the serial code itself is
not case sensitive, the keyword SERIALCODE must be in uppercase.

Upgrading Automate Desktop Using Command-

lines
When upgrading from an earlier version of Automate Desktop, you must also specify the original license
key with the UPGRADESERIAL parameter. For example, if the path and filename of the Automate
Desktop MSI file was C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi, the Automate Desktop 11 license
key was AM11-12345-67890-12345-67890-12345 and the Automate 10 serial number was "AM9-1234-
1234-1234-1234", the command line would look like this:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi" SERIALCODE="AM11-
12345-56780-12345-56780-12345" UPGRADESERIAL="AM10-12345-12345-12345-
12345" /qn

The installation would then proceed silently in the background. The install is complete when the
Automate Desktop "A" icon appears in the system tray near the system clock.

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 Installing Automate Desktop / Command-line Installation

Creating an Install Log

To create a log file to trace the progress of the installation, use the /L option and specify the level of
logging. For example, to create a verbose log, the command-line would look like this:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi" SERIALCODE="AM10-
12345-56780-12345-56780-12345" /qn /L*v AMInstall.log

Enabling Remote Administration

To enable Remote Administration, use the REMOTEPASSWORD property. For example:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi" SERIALCODE="AM11-
12345-56780-12345-56780-12345" REMOTEPASSWORD="mypassword"

You can further specify a TCP/IP port other than the default (7977) using the REMOTEPORT property.
For example:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\AutoMateInstall\AutoMate.msi" SERIALCODE="AM11-
12345-56780-12345-56780-12345" REMOTEPASSWORD="mypassword"
REMOTEPORT="8100"

Installing Automate Desktop Developer Tools

To enable external database logging, you must first know the datasource connection string to use. If you
have already configured the datasource on an installation of Automate Desktop using the Automate
Desktop Task Administrator, the datasource string can be found in the registry under: HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AutoMate\TaskService\Logging and the Value name is:
DBExternalDatasource. Apply this entry after the SERIALCODE property. For example:

EXAMPLE:
msiexec.exe /i <path and filename to Automate MSI file>
SERIALCODE="AM10-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx"
LOGGINGDATASOURCE="<datasourcestring>" /qn

Installing Automate Desktop Runtime Component

Automate Desktop Runtime installations require a REMOTEPASSWORD property be supplied.
Because Automate Desktop Runtime components lack the Task Administrator and Task Builder
Development interfaces, the Task Service cannot be configured without remote administration.

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 Installing Automate Desktop / Command-line Installation

NOTE: If the Runtime component is installed without a remote password, the product will need to be
uninstalled and reinstalled with the correct properties.

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 Updating Automate Desktop /

Updating Automate Desktop

IMPORTANT:
Before attempting to update Automate Desktop:
l Confirm you have full administrator privileges.
l Temporarily disable any anitivirus applications during the update process. Some antivirus
applications may block the installation of third-party applications, such as Automate Desktop.

To update to the latest version of Automate Desktop 11:

1. Open Automate 11 Task Administrator.
2. From the Task Administrator, select Options > System Settings.
3. Double-click Backup & Restore.
4. In the Backup & Restore dialog box, do the following:
a. Select Backup.
b. For Archive location, enter the desired path and filename of where to save the backup
.ama file, or use the predefined settings.
c. Select Backup tasks and triggers.
d. Select Include constants and system preferences.
e. Click Backup.
5. Once the .ama file is created, close Automate Desktop 11.
6. In Windows, navigate to Services.
7. From the list of Windows services, right-click on Automate 11 and then select Stop.
8. In Windows, navigate to the Control Panel and uninstall Automate 11.
9. Depending on your operating system, download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Automate
Desktop 11 installer file to your computer from the HelpSystems Community Portal.
10. Navigate to the folder where the installer file was saved.
11. Right-click on the installer .exe file and then select Run as administrator.
12. Follow the InstallShield Wizard instructions to begin installation.
13. Navigate through the wizard until you reach the Installation Details dialog box. Choose one of the
following installation types, based on how you intend to use the product:
l Full Automate installation (default) - Installs all of the components that are included with

the full version of Automate, including the Automate Task Service and all user interfaces
such as the Task Administrator and Task Builder. If you select this option, skip to step 15.
l Automate Runtime installation - Contains only the Automate Task Service which performs

tasks as directed by developers. It does not contain any user interfaces. If you select this
option, proceed to step 14.
14. If you chose Automate Runtime installation in step 13, enter a remote access password for the
Runtime component. For more information on remote access, see Remote Administration in the
Automate Desktop11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.
15. Click Install to continue through the remainder of the wizard until installation is complete.
16. Open Automate 11 Task Administrator.

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 Updating Automate Desktop /

17. Under Managed Tasks, verify all custom tasks are available. If any of your tasks are missing,
proceed to step 18. Otherwise, the update is complete.
18. If your tasks are missing after performing an update (see step 17), you will need to restore the
backup .ama file you created in step 4. From the Task Administrator, select Options > System
Settings.
19. Double-click Backup & Restore.
20. In the Backup & Restore dialog box, do the following:
a. Select Restore.
b. For Archive location, browse to the path used in step 4b and then select the .ama backup
file.
c. Select Restore tasks and triggers (overwrites current tasks).
d. Select Restore constants and system preferences.
e. Click Restore.
21. Under Managed Tasks, verify all custom tasks are restored. If any of your tasks are still missing,
contact HelpSystems Support.

NOTE: For more information regarding backing up and restoring your Automate Desktop data, see
Backup & Restore in the Automate Desktop 11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.

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 Upgrading Automate Desktop /

Upgrading Automate Desktop

IMPORTANT:
Before attempting to upgrade Automate Desktop:
l Confirm you have full administrator privileges.
l Temporarily disable any anitivirus applications during the upgrade process. Some antivirus
applications may block the installation of third-party applications, such as Automate Desktop.

NOTE: It is not required or recommended to uninstall your current version of Automate before
installing Automate Desktop 11. Due to the difference between major versions, it is best practice to
continue to use your current version of Automate as your main production system and turn off Task
Triggering until every job and task has been tested in Automate Desktop 11. Once all tasks and jobs
have been tested are running in Automate Desktop 11, stop the earlier version's service in Windows
Services (for example, Automate 10) and then uninstall the application.

To upgrade from an earlier major version of Automate to Automate Desktop 11:

1. Open Automate Desktop 11 Task Administrator.
2. From the Task Administrator, select Options > System Settings.
3. Double-click Backup & Restore.
4. In the Backup & Restore dialog box, do the following:
a. Select Backup.
b. For Archive location, enter the desired path and filename of where to save the backup
.ama file, or use the predefined settings.
c. Select Backup tasks and triggers.
d. Select Include constants and system preferences.
e. Click Backup.
5. Depending on your operating system, download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Automate
Desktop 11 installer file to your computer from the HelpSystems Community Portal.
6. Navigate to the folder where the installer file was saved.
7. Right-click on the installer .exe file and then select Run as administrator.
8. Follow the InstallShield Wizard instructions to begin installation.
9. Navigate through the wizard until you reach the Installation Details dialog box. Choose one of the
following installation types, based on how you intend to use the product:
l Full Automate installation (default) - Installs all of the components that are included with

the full version of Automate, including the Automate Task Service and all user interfaces
such as the Task Administrator and Task Builder. If you select this option, skip to step 11.
l Automate Runtime installation - Contains only the Automate Task Service which performs

tasks as directed by developers. It does not contain any user interfaces. If you select this
option, proceed to step 10.
10. If you chose Automate Runtime installation in step 9, enter a remote access password for the
Runtime component. For more information on remote access, see Remote Administration in the
Automate Desktop11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.
11. Click Install to continue through the remainder of the wizard until installation is complete.

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 Upgrading Automate Desktop /

12. Open Automate Desktop 11 Task Administrator.

13. From the Task Administrator, select Options > System Settings.
14. Double-click Backup & Restore.
15. In the Backup & Restore dialog box, do the following:
a. Select Restore.
b. For Archive location, browse to the path used in step 4b and then select the .ama backup
file.
c. Select Restore tasks and triggers (overwrites current tasks).
d. Select Restore constants and system preferences.
e. Click Restore.
16. Under Managed Tasks, verify all custom tasks are restored. If any of your tasks are missing,
contact HelpSystems Support.

NOTE: For more information regarding backing up and restoring your Automate Desktop data, see
Backup & Restore in the Automate Desktop 11 User Guide on the HelpSystems Community Portal.

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