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Creating an On Premise Agent to integrate with ChemCloud

Hector Williamson avatar
Written by Hector Williamson
Updated over 2 months ago

This guide provides a detailed walkthrough on installing and setting up the Workato On Premise Agent (Workato OPA) on a Windows system.

Workato OPA is a solution to the challenges of integrating an on-premise ERP system, such as IP address changes, firewalls, and software upgrades. It's installed on the local server and creates a secure link to the ChemCloud platform. You can find more information about Workato OPA here.

Before starting the installation process, ensure to have the following prerequisites:

1. Workato OPA installer: Download the Workato On Premise Agent Installer onto your server from link here.

2. Activation code (valid for 1 hr only): The ChemCloud activation code, which will be sent to you by your ChemCloud contact. Make sure to ask for this code once you have downloaded the installer and are about to install it, as the code is only valid for 1 hour.

Follow the steps below to Install and then Turn On the Workato OPA:

Installation Steps

Step 1:

Once you have downloaded the installer, start the installation process by double-clicking the installer.

Step 2:

Proceed by clicking next.

Step 3:

Enter a relevant name for the installation for example 'ChemCloud'. Make sure the option to install as a Windows service is selected. Click Next.

Step 4:

Click on Install. An activation code prompt will appear. This code should have been received from ChemCloud.

Step 5:

Paste the activation code in the provided field.

Step 6:

Continue by clicking next.

Step 7:

Click finish to complete the installation.

'Turning on' the Workato OPA

After the installation, you should start the OPA immediately and set it to start on system boot.

Step 1:

This can be done by navigating to system services.

Step 2:

Scroll down to find Workato on-prem agent.

Step 3:

Double-click on Workato and press start. Ensure the Startup type is set to automatic so that the Workato OPA starts automatically when the server restarts.

That's it. You have now setup a secure connection from your server through which ChemCloud can access your ERP.

Additional step for SOAP Connections: SOAP Connections add-on

If your ERP only has only SOAP connections available, there is an additional SOAP add-on required (page describing how it works here).

Step 1: Locate the on-prem agent

Locate the OPA directory on your filesystem. Typical locations are:

  • Unix-like operating systems: /opt/workato

  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Workato Agent

  • macOS: Location varies.

$ ls /opt/workato
bin  conf  jre  lib  lib_ext

The rest of this guide refers to this path as $OPA.

Step 2: Make sure a Java Development Kit version 17 or later is installed

First, check if the JDK is already installed. It must be version 17 or later. Typical locations are:

  • Linux: /usr/lib/java

  • Ubuntu: /usr/share/java/

  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-<release>

  • macOS: Location varies based on distribution. Example: /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-17.jdk/Contents/Home

$ ls /usr/lib/java
bin  conf  include  jmods  legal  lib  release

Ensure that the JDK installation is actually a JDK and not just a JRE (Java Runtime Environment), as this is required by Apache CXF. You can confirm this by checking for the javac binary:

$ ls /usr/lib/java/bin/java*
bin/java  bin/javac  bin/javadoc  bin/javap

If version 17+ of the JDK is not already installed, pick one of the many JDK distributions(opens new window) and follow the installation instructions.

After installing the JDK, confirm the installation by listing the JDK folder:

$ ls /path/to/jdk
bin  conf  include  jmods  legal  lib  release

Step 3: Download the SOAP extension package

The SOAP extension consists of two JAR files, packaged up and available for download at this URL:

https://workato-opa-extensions.s3.amazonaws.com/soap-extensions/soap-extension-latest.zip(opens new window)

The following commands download and extract the package, moving the JAR files into the $OPA/ext folder. Note that $OPA represents the directory where the on-prem agent is installed.

$ curl -o soap-extension.zip https://workato-opa-extensions.s3.amazonaws.com/soap-extensions/soap-extension-latest.zip
$ unzip soap-extension.zip -d $OPA/ext

Confirm that both of the SOAP extension files are present in $OPA/ext:

$ ls $OPA/ext | grep soap_extension
soap_extension.jar
soap_extension_client.jar

Step 4: Configure the OPA and the extension

The OPA configuration file is $OPA/conf/config.yml. To use the SOAP extension, you must update the configuration file according to the following instructions.

4.1 Set the classpath to the SOAP extension

Set the classpath to the path of the folder where the SOAP extension JAR files are located (typically $OPA/ext, with $OPA representing the directory where the on-prem agent is installed):

server:
   classpath: C:\Program Files\Workato Agent\ext

4.2 Register the SOAP extension

extensions:
   soap:
      controllerClass: com.workato.extension.soap.ExtensionController

4.3 Make sure the OPA can find the JDK.

By default, the SOAP extension will check for a JDK at the following locations:

  • JDK_HOME environment variable

  • jdk.home system property

Alternatively, set the JDK path explicitly:

extensions:
   soap:
      controllerClass: com.workato.extension.soap.ExtensionController
      jdkHome: /path/to/jdk


​

Step 5: Restart the OPA

Follow the instructions in the OPA documentation on how to stop and restart the OPA.

Step 6: ChemCloud will now install the SOAP connector and release it for use

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