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SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2

Guide

  
  
Publication Date: November 14, 2024
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Examples

Copyright © 2010–2024 SUSE LLC and contributors. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or (at your option) version 1.3; with the Invariant Section being this copyright notice and license. A copy of the license version 1.2 is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.

For SUSE trademarks, see https://www.suse.com/company/legal/. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Trademark symbols (®, ™ etc.) denote trademarks of SUSE and its affiliates. Asterisks (*) denote third-party trademarks.

All information found in this book has been compiled with utmost attention to detail. However, this does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither SUSE LLC, its affiliates, the authors nor the translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.

About this guide

  

SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is the reference platform for the software development of SAP. It is optimized for SAP applications. This document provides detailed information about installing and customizing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability is also part of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

1 Overview

  

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications Guide is divided into the following chapters:

What is SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications?

An overview of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

Planning the installation

Information on hardware requirements, the installation workflow, partitioning, and other installation planning aspects.

Installing the operating system

Installing the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system that forms the basis of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

Installing SAP applications

Installing SAP applications on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, either directly after the installation of the operating system or in a running system.

Setting up an installation server for SAP media sets

Setting up a server for all Installation Media used within your organization.

Software components

Description of tools to configure SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

2 Available documentation and resources

  

This manual contains links to additional documentation resources that are either available on the system or online.

Online documentation

Visit https://documentation.suse.com/#sles-sap for the latest version of this guide in different formats. You can find whitepapers and other resources in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications resource library: https://www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap/resource-library/.

Find the online documentation for other products at https://documentation.suse.com/.

Note
Note: Latest updates

The latest documentation updates are normally available in the English version of the documentation.

SUSE Knowledgebase

If you have run into an issue, also check out the Technical Information Documents (TIDs) that are available online at https://www.suse.com/support/kb/. Search the SUSE Knowledgebase for known solutions driven by customer need.

Release notes

For release notes, see https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/.

In your system

For offline use, the release notes are also available under /usr/share/doc/release-notes on your system. The documentation for individual packages is available at /usr/share/doc/packages.

Many commands are also described in their manual pages. To view them, run man, followed by a specific command name. If the man command is not installed on your system, install it with sudo zypper install man.

3 Improving the documentation

  

Your feedback and contributions to this documentation are welcome. The following channels for giving feedback are available:

Service requests and support

For services and support options available for your product, see https://www.suse.com/support/.

To open a service request, you need a SUSE subscription registered at SUSE Customer Center. Go to https://scc.suse.com/support/requests, log in, and click Create New.

Bug reports

Report issues with the documentation at https://bugzilla.suse.com/.

To simplify this process, click the Report an issue icon next to a headline in the HTML version of this document. This preselects the right product and category in Bugzilla and adds a link to the current section. You can start typing your bug report right away.

A Bugzilla account is required.

Contributions

To contribute to this documentation, click the Edit source document icon next to a headline in the HTML version of this document. This will take you to the source code on GitHub, where you can open a pull request.

A GitHub account is required.

Note
Note: Edit source document only available for English

The Edit source document icons are only available for the English version of each document. For all other languages, use the Report an issue icons instead.

For more information about the documentation environment used for this documentation, see the repository's README.

Mail

You can also report errors and send feedback concerning the documentation to <>. Include the document title, the product version, and the publication date of the document. Additionally, include the relevant section number and title (or provide the URL) and provide a concise description of the problem.

4 Documentation conventions

  

The following notices and typographic conventions are used in this document:

  • /etc/passwd: Directory names and file names

  • PLACEHOLDER: Replace PLACEHOLDER with the actual value

  • PATH: An environment variable

  • ls, --help: Commands, options, and parameters

  • user: The name of a user or group

  • package_name: The name of a software package

  • Alt, Alt–F1: A key to press or a key combination. Keys are shown in uppercase as on a keyboard.

  • File, File › Save As: menu items, buttons

  • AMD/Intel This paragraph is only relevant for the AMD64/Intel 64 architectures. The arrows mark the beginning and the end of the text block.

    IBM Z, POWER This paragraph is only relevant for the architectures IBM Z and POWER. The arrows mark the beginning and the end of the text block.

  • Chapter 1, “Example chapter”: A cross-reference to another chapter in this guide.

  • Commands that must be run with root privileges. You can also prefix these commands with the sudo command to run them as a non-privileged user: 

    # command
> sudo command

  • Commands that can be run by non-privileged users: 

    > command

  • Commands can be split into two or multiple lines by a backslash character (\) at the end of a line. The backslash informs the shell that the command invocation will continue after the line's end: 

    > echo a b \
c d

  • A code block that shows both the command (preceded by a prompt) and the respective output returned by the shell: 

    > command
output

  • Notices

    Warning
    Warning: Warning notice

    Vital information you must be aware of before proceeding. Warns you about security issues, potential loss of data, damage to hardware, or physical hazards.

    Important
    Important: Important notice

    Important information you should be aware of before proceeding.

    Note
    Note: Note notice

    Additional information, for example about differences in software versions.

    Tip
    Tip: Tip notice

    Helpful information, like a guideline or a piece of practical advice.

  • Compact Notices

    Note

    Additional information, for example about differences in software versions.

    Tip

    Helpful information, like a guideline or a piece of practical advice.

5 Support

  

Find the support statement for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications and general information about technology previews below. For details about the product lifecycle, see https://www.suse.com/lifecycle.

If you are entitled to support, find details on how to collect information for a support ticket at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15/html/SLES-all/cha-adm-support.html.

5.1 Support statement for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications

  

To receive support, you need an appropriate subscription with SUSE. To view the specific support offers available to you, go to https://www.suse.com/support/ and select your product.

The support levels are defined as follows:

L1

Problem determination, which means technical support designed to provide compatibility information, usage support, ongoing maintenance, information gathering and basic troubleshooting using available documentation.

L2

Problem isolation, which means technical support designed to analyze data, reproduce customer problems, isolate a problem area and provide a resolution for problems not resolved by Level 1 or prepare for Level 3.

L3

Problem resolution, which means technical support designed to resolve problems by engaging engineering to resolve product defects which have been identified by Level 2 Support.

For contracted customers and partners, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is delivered with L3 support for all packages, except for the following:

  • Technology previews.

  • Sound, graphics, fonts, and artwork.

  • Packages that require an additional customer contract.

  • Some packages shipped as part of the module Workstation Extension are L2-supported only.

  • Packages with names ending in -devel (containing header files and similar developer resources) will only be supported together with their main packages.

SUSE will only support the usage of original packages. That is, packages that are unchanged and not recompiled.

5.2 Technology previews

  

Technology previews are packages, stacks, or features delivered by SUSE to provide glimpses into upcoming innovations. Technology previews are included for your convenience to give you a chance to test new technologies within your environment. We would appreciate your feedback. If you test a technology preview, please contact your SUSE representative and let them know about your experience and use cases. Your input is helpful for future development.

Technology previews have the following limitations:

  • Technology previews are still in development. Therefore, they may be functionally incomplete, unstable, or otherwise not suitable for production use.

  • Technology previews are not supported.

  • Technology previews may only be available for specific hardware architectures.

  • Details and functionality of technology previews are subject to change. As a result, upgrading to subsequent releases of a technology preview may be impossible and require a fresh installation.

  • SUSE may discover that a preview does not meet customer or market needs, or does not comply with enterprise standards. Technology previews can be removed from a product at any time. SUSE does not commit to providing a supported version of such technologies in the future.

For an overview of technology previews shipped with your product, see the release notes at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes.

1 What is SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications?

  

SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is a bundle of software and services that addresses the specific needs of SAP users. It is the only operating system that is optimized for all SAP software solutions.

Target use cases include:

  • Unix to Linux migrations and replatforming

  • SAP appliances

  • SAP cloud deployments

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications consists of software components and service offerings which are described in the following sections. The figure Offerings of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications shows an overview of which software components and services are also available with other products from SUSE (green) and which are exclusively available with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications (blue).

Offerings of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications
Figure 1.1: Offerings of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications
  

1.1 Software components

  

As depicted in Figure 1.1, “Offerings of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications”, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server but contains several additional software components such as SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability, and the installation workflow. These software components are briefly explained in the following sections.

1.1.1 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

  

The current release is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is the most interoperable platform for mission-critical computing, both physical and virtual.

1.1.2 SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability

  

This component consists of:

  • Flexible, policy-driven clustering

  • Cluster-aware file system and volume management

  • Continuous data replication

  • Setup and installation

  • Management and administration tools

  • Resource agents, also for SAP

  • Virtualization-aware

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability provides two resource agents specifically for working with SAP applications:

  • SAPInstance which allows starting and stopping instances of SAP products.

  • SAPDatabase which allows starting and stopping all databases supported by SAP applications (SAP HANA, SAP MaxDB, SAP ASE, Oracle, Sybase, IBM DB2).

For more information about SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability, see the Administration Guide (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15) and the White Papers and Best Practice Guides in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications Resource Library (https://www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap/resource-library/).

1.1.3 Simplified SAP HANA system replication setup

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications supports SAP HANA System Replication using components of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability and two additional resource agents (RA). Additionally, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications ships with a YaST wizard that simplifies the cluster setup.

1.1.3.1 SAPHana Resource agent

  

This resource agent from SUSE supports scale-up scenarios by checking the SAP HANA database instances for whether a takeover needs to happen. Unlike with the pure SAP solution, takeovers can be automated.

It is configured as a parent/child resource: The parent assumes responsibility for the SAP HANA databases running in primary mode, whereas the child is responsible for instances that are operated in synchronous (secondary) status. In case of a takeover, the secondary (child resource instance) can automatically be promoted to become the new primary (parent resource instance).

This resource agent supports system replication for the following scale-up scenarios:

  • Performance-optimized scenario.  Two servers (A and B) in the same SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability cluster, one primary (A) and one secondary (B). The SAP HANA instance from the primary server (A) is replicated synchronously to the secondary server (B).

  • Cost-optimized scenario.  The basic setup of A and B is the same as in the Performance-Optimized Scenario. However, the secondary server (B) is also used for non-productive purposes, such as for an additional SAP HANA database for development or QA. The production database is only kept on permanent memory, such as a hard disk. If a takeover needs to occur, the non-productive server will be stopped before the takeover is processed. The system resources for the productive database are then increased as quickly as possible via an SAP hook call-out script.

  • Chain/multi-tier scenario.  Three servers (A, B, and C), of which two are located in the same SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability cluster (A and B). The third server (C) is located externally. The SAP HANA system on the primary server (A) is replicated synchronously to the secondary server (B). The secondary server (B) is replicated asynchronously to the external server (C).

    If a takeover from A to B occurs, the connection between B and C remains untouched. However, B is not allowed to be the source for two servers (A and C), as this would be a “star” topology, which is not supported with current SAP HANA versions (such as SPS11).

    Using SAP HANA commands, you can then manually decide what to do:

    • The connection between B and C can be broken, so that B can connect to A.

    • If replication to the external site (C) is more important than local system replication, the connection between B and C can be kept.

For all of the scenarios, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications supports both single-tenant and multi-tenant (MDC) SAP HANA databases. That is, you can use SAP HANA databases that serve multiple SAP applications.

1.1.3.2 SAPHanaTopology Resource agent

  

To make configuring the cluster as simple as possible, SUSE has developed the SAPHanaTopology resource agent. This agent runs on all nodes of a SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability cluster and gathers information about the status and configurations of SAP HANA system replications. It is designed as a normal (stateless) clone.

1.1.3.3 YaST wizard to set up SAP HANA clusters

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications now additionally ships a YaST wizard that manages the initial setup of such clusters according to best practices. The wizard is part of the package yast2-sap-ha and can be started using YaST, via HA Setup for SAP Products.

For more information, see Chapter 7, Setting up an SAP HANA cluster.

1.1.3.4 For more information

  

For more information, see:

1.1.4 Installation workflow

  

The installation workflow offers a guided installation path for both the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system and the SAP application. For more information, see Section 2.5, “Overview of the installation workflow”.

Additionally, the installation workflow can be extended by third-party vendors or customers using Supplementary Media. For more information about creating Supplementary Media, see Appendix C, Supplementary Media.

1.1.5 Malware protection with ClamSAP

  

ClamSAP integrates the ClamAV anti-malware toolkit into SAP NetWeaver and SAP Mobile Platform applications to enable cross-platform threat detection. For example, you can use ClamSAP to allow an SAP application to scan for malicious uploads in HTTP uploads.

For more information, see Chapter 12, Protecting against malware with ClamSAP.

1.1.6 SAP HANA security

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications contains additional features to help set up well-secured SAP HANA installations.

1.1.6.1 Firewall for SAP HANA

  

Securing SAP HANA can require many additional firewall rules. To simplify firewall setups for SAP HANA, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications contains the package HANA-Firewall which provides preconfigured rules and integrates with firewalld.

For more information, see Section 11.2, “Configuring HANA-Firewall”.

1.1.6.2 Hardening guide for SAP HANA

  

For information on hardening the underlying operating system, see the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications resource library: https://www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap/resource-library/. There, find the document OS Security Hardening for SAP HANA.

1.1.7 Simplified operations management

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications combines several features that enable simplified operations management.

1.1.7.1 System tuning with saptune

  

The system tuning application saptune allows you to automatically and comprehensively tune your system as recommended by SAP for use with SAP S/4HANA, SAP NetWeaver, or SAP HANA/SAP BusinessOne. To do this, saptune activates tuned profiles. These allow tuning several kernel parameters, depending on the hardware components you are using, such as the amount of available RAM.

For more information, see Chapter 9, Tuning systems with saptune.

1.1.7.2 Patterns providing dependencies of SAP applications

  

To simplify working with software dependencies of SAP applications, SUSE has created patterns that combine relevant dependency RPM packages for specific applications:

  • SAP BusinessOne Server Base

  • SAP HANA Server Base

  • SAP NetWeaver Server Base

Important
Important: Packages May Be Missing from Patterns

The selection of packages of the software patterns is defined while a specific release (Service Pack or major version) of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is developed. This package selection is stable over the lifetime of this particular release. When working with SAP applications that have been released more recently than your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications version, dependencies can be missing from the patterns.

For definitive information about the dependencies of your SAP application, see the documentation provided to you by SAP.

1.1.7.3 ClusterTools2

  

ClusterTools2 provides tools that help set up and manage a Corosync/pacemaker cluster. Among them are wow which helps create highly available system resources, and ClusterService which allows managing a cluster.

Additionally, ClusterTools2 provides scripts that automate common cluster tasks:

  • Scripts that perform checks. For example, to find out whether a system is set up correctly for creating a pacemaker cluster.

  • Scripts that simplify configuration. For example, to create a Corosync configuration.

  • Scripts that monitor the system and scripts that show or collect system information. For example, to find known error patterns in log files.

For more information, see the man page of the respective tool, included with the package ClusterTools2.

1.2 Software repository setup

  

Software included with operating systems based on SUSE Linux Enterprise is delivered as RPM packages, a form of installation package that can have dependencies on other packages. On a server or an installation medium, these packages are stored in software repositories (sometimes also called “channels”).

By default, computers running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications are set up to receive packages from multiple repositories. Of each of the standard repositories, there is a “Pool” variant that represents the state of the software when it was first shipped. There is also an “Update” variant that includes the newest maintenance updates for the software in the “Pool” variant.

If you registered your system during installation, your repository setup should include the following:

Table 1.1: Standard repositories
  

Content

Base repository (“Pool”)

Update repository

Base packages of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

SLE-Module-Basesystem15-SP2-Pool

SLE-Module-Basesystem15-SP2-Updates

Basic server functionality of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

SLE-Module-Server-Applications15-SP2-Pool

SLE-Module-Server-Applications15-SP2-Updates

Packages specific to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications

SLE-Module-SAP-Applications15-SP2-Pool

SLE-Module-SAP-Applications15-SP2-Updates

Packages specific to SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability

SLE-Product-HA15-SP2-Pool

SLE-Product-HA15-SP2-Updates

The tables in this section do not show Debuginfo and Source repositories, which are also set up but disabled by default. The Debuginfo repositories contain packages that can be used for debugging regular packages. The Source repositories contain source code for packages.

Depending on your installation method, you may also see SLE-15-SP2-SAP-15.2-0 which is the installation medium. It contains packages from all of the base software repositories listed above.

Because there are own repositories for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, SUSE can ship packages and patches that are specific to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

Note
Note: ESPOS updates shipped directly in update repositories

Unlike in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11, updates related to Extended Service Pack Overlay Support (ESPOS) are shipped directly from the Update repositories. This means there is no separate ESPOS repository to set up.

In addition to the standard repositories, you can enable SLE Modules and SLE Extensions either during the installation or from the running system using YaST or the command SUSEConnect.

For information about all modules and extensions available for the SUSE Linux Enterprise product line, see https://documentation.suse.com/sles/15-SP2/html/SLES-all/art-modules.html.

For more information about SUSE Package Hub, see Section A.3, “SUSE Package Hub”. For information about life cycle and support of modules and extensions, see Section 1.3, “Included Services”.

1.3 Included Services

  
Extended Service Pack Overlap Support (ESPOS)

Subscriptions for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications include Extended Service Pack Overlap Support (ESPOS). It extends the overlap between the support periods of two consecutive service packs by three years. During this period, you receive support and all relevant maintenance updates under the terms of Long Term Service Pack Support (LTSS).

Extended Service Pack Overlap Support allows you to perform service pack migrations within three and a half years instead of only six months. This enables you to schedule migrations more easily and perform testing before a migration under less restrictive time constraints. At an additional cost, SUSE also offers LTSS. With LTSS, you receive support for a particular service pack after the ESPOS period ends. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications includes one and a half years of general support and three years of ESPOS for each service pack.

The last service pack in each SLE family does not have ESPOS. Instead of ESPOS, it includes a longer general support period. Because of that, LTSS is available only for the last service pack. All other service packs already include three years of ESPOS, which equals LTSS.

For more information, refer to the following resources:

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Priority Support for SAP Applications

Subscriptions for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications include SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Priority Support for SAP Applications. It offers technical support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications directly from SAP. The joint support infrastructure is provided by support engineers from SUSE Technical Support and SAP. It is based upon SAP Resolve and offers seamless communication with both SAP and SUSE. This “One Face to the Customer” support model reduces complexity and lowers the total cost of ownership.

For more information, see SAP Note 1056161: SUSE Priority Support for SAP Applications (https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/1056161).

Important
Important: Life Cycle and Support for Modules and Extensions

Modules and extensions have a different life cycle than SLES for SAP and SUSE provides different support offerings for them:

  • Modules:

    • Life Cycle.  Varies depending on the module.

    • Support.  Only up-to-date packages are supported. Support is included with your subscription for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. You do not need an additional registration key.

  • Extensions

    • Life Cycle.  Releases are usually coordinated with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

    • Support.  Support is available but not included with your subscription for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. You need an additional registration key.

  • Unsupported Extensions (SUSE Package Hub and SUSE Software Development Kit)

    • Life Cycle.  Releases are usually coordinated with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

    • Support.  There is no support beyond fixes for security and packaging issues. You do not need an additional registration key.

2 Planning the installation

  

Read this chapter carefully, as it helps you plan the installation: It lists requirements and helps you collect data about your system.

2.1 Hardware requirements

  

This section lists minimum hardware requirements for the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications and gives basic guidance on the expected hardware requirements of certain SAP software. For the most up-to-date information about the hardware requirements of SAP software, see the official sizing guidelines at https://service.sap.com/sizing.

Supported CPU

Intel 64

IBM POWER 8 (with PowerVM)

IBM POWER 9 (with PowerVM)

Hard disk

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications requires at least 41 GB (without swap) of hard disk space for the system volume. In addition to that, reserve an appropriate amount of hard disk space for the swap partition.

To install an SAP application such as SAP NetWeaver, you need at least 200 GB of free disk space in addition to the required space for the operating system for the application's /data partition.

To install SAP HANA, you need either:

  • An SAP BusinessOne-certified machine

  • A compatible machine that meets the requirements for SAP HANA TDI (Tailored Datacenter Integration). That is, you need the following amounts of free disk space in addition to the required space for the operating system:

    • 52 GB of free disk space for the partition /usr/sap

    • Space for three partitions for SAP HANA data: /hana/data (same size as RAM), /hana/log (same size as RAM up to a maximum of 512 GB), and /hana/shared (same size as RAM up to a maximum of 1 TB).

For more information about SAP HANA refer to https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_HANA_PLATFORM (the section Implement › SAP HANA Master Guide › SAP HANA Deployment Options  › On-Premise Deployments).

RAM

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system itself requires a minimum of 1024 MB of total RAM or a minimum of 512 MB of RAM per CPU core (choose whichever is higher).

Any SAP software you install will require additional RAM.

To install SAP HANA, your machine needs a minimum of 24 GB of RAM.

For more information about configuring hardware for SAP HANA, see SAP Note 1944415: Hardware Configuration Guide and Software Installation Guide for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with SAP HANA and SAP Business One (https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/1944415).

For more information about partitioning, see Section 2.7, “Partitioning”.

2.2 Installation image

  

Unlike previous SLE products, the entire SLE 15 SP2 product line can be installed from a single installation medium: SLE 15 SP2 Online media 1. If you want to install without network access or registration, download the SLE 15 SP2 Full media 1 image. Both ISO images are available from https://download.suse.com/.

Burn the image onto a physical DVD or copy it to a removable flash disk. Make sure the size of the disk is sufficient for the desired image. Alternatively, use a virtual DVD-ROM device for installation in a virtual machine.

Tip
Tip: Copying the Installation Media Image to a Removable Flash Disk

Use the following command to copy the contents of the installation image to a removable flash disk. 

> sudo dd if=IMAGE of=FLASH_DISK bs=4M && sync

Replace IMAGE with the path to the installation media image file and FLASH_DISK with the flash device.

2.3 Offline migration

  

The migration paths for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications are identical to those for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Enhanced Service Pack Overlay Support (ESPOS). Find detailed information in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Upgrade Guide at https://documentation.suse.com/sles/html/SLES-all/cha-upgrade-paths.html.

2.4 Installation methods

  

There are multiple ways of installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications:

2.5 Overview of the installation workflow

  

The installation workflow of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications consists of the following steps:

  1. Installation of the operating system (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server). See Section 3.1, “Using the installation workflow”.

  2. SAP Installation Wizard, part 1: Copying all required SAP media to the local disk or selecting a shared storage medium to use. See Section 4.3, “Using the SAP Installation Wizard”, in particular Step 1.

  3. SAP Installation Wizard, part 2: Collecting all parameters for the actual installation by querying the user interactively. See Section 4.3, “Using the SAP Installation Wizard”, in particular Step 10.

  4. SAP Installation Wizard, part 3: Running the SAP Installer. See Section 4.3, “Using the SAP Installation Wizard”, in particular Step 13.

Most of these steps do not need to be run immediately after each other, which allows for flexibility in how you install systems. This means that you can prepare a single installation as a first step and then continue from there. For example:

  • Install the operating system (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) only.

    or

  • Install the operating system (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server), copy SAP media, and collect SAP installation parameters.

Then, create disk images, copy them to other systems, and adjust SAP installation parameters. Finally, finish the installation on each machine individually.

2.6 Required data for installing

  
Operating system

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation requires the following data for every physical server:

  • Network configuration parameters, such as host name, domain, IP address, subnet mask, domain search list (DNS), IP for name server, IP for gateway

  • Administrator (root) password for the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation

SAP application

The installation of an SAP application generally requires specifying:

  • SAP SID

  • SAP Instance Number

  • A password for the SAP application

Depending on the SAP application you are installing, more parameters may be necessary, such as T-Shirt Sizing or parameters for virtual networking.

SAP HANA database

The installation of SAP HANA requires specifying:

  • SAP SID

  • SAP Instance Number

  • Whether to enable Multitenant Database Containers (MDC). The multi-tenant support of SAP HANA allows having multiple databases that run as one SAP HANA installation. (To use SAP HANA MDC, you need SAP HANA Life Cycle Manager.)

    For a single-tenant installation, choose No.

    For a multi-tenant instance administrated by one SIDadm user, choose Yes with low isolation.

    For a multi-tenant instance administrated in which each database has its own SIDadm user, choose Yes with high isolation.

  • A password for the SAP HANA database

For more information about installing SAP software, see the SAP documentation at https://help.sap.com and https://support.sap.com.

2.7 Partitioning

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications creates the partitioning table in two stages:

  1. Partitioning for the operating system (stage 1) (during the installation of the operating system)

  2. Partitioning for the SAP system (stage 2) (during the installation of the SAP product)

2.7.1 Partitioning for the operating system (stage 1)

  

During the installation of the operating system, partitions for the operating system are created.

A logical volume group (LVG) named /dev/system will be created. This LVG contains two logical volumes (LVs):

  • /dev/system/root: by default 60 GB to account for the operating system and SAP media

  • /dev/system/swap: by default 2 GB, avoid setting a smaller size. See also SAP Note 2578899: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15: Installation notes (https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2578899).

Additionally, a boot or UEFI partition will be created as necessary.

2.7.2 Partitioning for the SAP system (stage 2)

  

The partitioning for the SAP system can be created by:

This part of the partitioning can only be created after the operating system has been installed. That means the partitions are created either in the installation workflow after the reboot or in the running system.

Depending on the product you are installing and your particular use case, the amount of hard disk space necessary can vary.

For information on partitioning for the SAP system using AutoYaST, see Appendix B, Partitioning for the SAP system using AutoYaST.

3 Installing the operating system

  

The following section provides instructions for installing the base operating system. Using the installation workflow, you can install either using a local installation medium or over the network. Alternatively, you can install using AutoYaST.

3.1 Using the installation workflow

  

The installation workflow is a guided installation of the operating system with optimized settings for SAP applications. During the installation workflow, you can choose whether you want to install an SAP application. If so, you will be asked to provide SAP installation media when the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation is finished. You can also choose whether to install third-party extensions.

This section assumes that you are starting the installation from a local medium. To learn how to start the installation from a remote medium, see Section 3.2, “Using SLES for SAP media from the network”.

For more information, see Section 2.5, “Overview of the installation workflow”.

This section guides you through the installation of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications operating system.

Important
Important: Installing oracle databases

To be able to install an Oracle database later, install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server first and then convert your installation to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

This is necessary because the installer for Oracle databases queries for the existence of certain files, not all of which are included in an SLES for SAP installation.

For more information about converting, see Section 3.4, “Converting an SLES installation to an SLES for SAP installation”.

Procedure 3.1: Starting the OS installation
  

    • On AMD64/Intel 64, boot from the installation media. From the boot menu, select Installation.

    • On POWER, follow the instructions in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server documentation, see Deployment Guide, Part “Installation Preparation”, Chapter “Installation on IBM POWER” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    Installation media boot menu
    Figure 3.1: Installation media boot menu
      

    While the initial operating system is starting, you can view boot messages by pressing Esc. When this process has completed, the graphical installation workflow will start. As the first step, the installation workflow will check for updates for itself. After that, it will be ready to start the installation.

  2. Select the default system language under Language.

    Language, keyboard and product selection
    Figure 3.2: Language, keyboard and product selection
      

  3. Select the appropriate keyboard layout under Keyboard Layout. To test whether the selected layout matches your physical keyboard, use the text box Keyboard Test.

  4. SLE 15 SP2 provides a single installation ISO for the entire product line. Therefore, you need to select the product to install on this page.

    Under Product to install, choose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2.

  5. Read the license agreement. If you agree, select I Agree to the License Terms. Proceed with Next.

    Otherwise, cancel the installation with Abort › Abort Installation.

  6. (Optional) If automatic network configuration via DHCP fails, the screen Network Settings will open.

    If instead the screen Registration appears, your network connection works. To change network settings anyway, click Network Configuration.

    When you are finished configuring networking, proceed with Next.

    Important
    Important: Configure networking as recommended by SAP

    Make sure to configure the network connection as recommended in the documentation provided to you by SAP.

    For information about configuring networking, see Administration Guide, Chapter “Basic Networking”, Section “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

  7. On the screen Registration, enter your E-mail Address and Registration Code. Successful registration is a prerequisite for receiving product updates and the entitlement to technical support.

    Proceed with Next.

    Important
    Important: Register at this step

    Make sure to register your system at this step in the installation. Otherwise, you can only install a minimal SLE system and will not receive updates.

    To install a full (but not updated) SLES for SAP system without network access during the installation, use the SLE 15 SP2 Packages ISO image from https://download.suse.com. You can then choose Skip registration on this page and select the SLE 15 SP2 Packages ISO image as an add-on product on the next page.

    Registration
    Figure 3.3: Registration
      

  8. When asked whether to enable update repositories, choose Yes.

  9. After the system is successfully registered, YaST lists available modules for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications from the SUSE Customer Center. The default selection covers the most common cases. To enable an additional module, activate its entry.

    Note
    Note: Release notes

    From this point on, the Release Notes can be viewed from any screen during the installation process by selecting Release Notes.

    Proceed with Next.

  10. (Optional) The Add On Product dialog allows you to add additional software sources (so-called “repositories”) to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, that are not provided by the SUSE Customer Center. Such add-on products may include third-party products, drivers, or additional software for your system.

  11. Choose the System Role. System roles are predefined use cases which tailor the system for the selected scenario. For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, you can choose between:

    • SLES for SAP Applications: Default, recommended for most situations. This system role contains the following properties:

      • Supports the installation wizard for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

      • Enables RDP access (Remote Desktop Protocol).

      • Provides special partitioning recommendations.

    • SLES with GNOME: Can be necessary in specific cases. This installation path is not covered in this document. For more information about this installation path, see Installation Quick Start, Section “Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    Additional system roles are available for specific use cases (High Availability, text mode, minimal, and KVM/XEN virtualization hosts).

    Proceed with Next.

    System role
    Figure 3.4: System role
      
Procedure 3.2: Finishing the OS installation
  

  1. Choose whether to enable the following options:

    • To install an SAP Application along with the system, activate Launch the SAP Installation Wizard right after the operating system is installed.

    • To enable RDP access (Remote Desktop Protocol) to this machine, activate Enable RDP service and open port in firewall.

      For more information about connecting via RDP, see Chapter 13, Connecting via RDP.

  2. Review the proposed partition setup for the volumes /dev/system/root and /dev/system/swap. The volume /dev/system/data will be created later, as described in Section 2.7, “Partitioning”.

    Suitable values are preselected. However, if necessary, change the partition layout. You have the following options:

    Guided setup

    Create a new partitioning suggestion based on your input.

    Expert partitioner

    Open the Expert Partitioner described in Deployment Guide, Chapter “Advanced Disk Setup”, Section “Using the YaST Partitioner” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    For partitioning advice specific to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, see Section 2.7, “Partitioning”.

    To accept the proposed setup without changes, proceed with Next.

    Suggested partitioning
    Figure 3.5: Suggested partitioning
      

  3. Select the clock and time zone to use on your system. To manually adjust the time or to configure an NTP server for time synchronization, choose Other Settings. For detailed information, see Deployment Guide, Chapter “Installation with YaST”, Section “Clock and Time Zone” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    Proceed with Next.

  4. Type a password for the system administrator account (called root) and repeat the password under Confirm Password. You can use the text box Test Keyboard Layout to make sure that all special characters appear correctly.

    In case you would like to enable password-less authentication via SSH login, you can import a key via Import Public SSH Key. If you want to completely disable root login via password, upload a key only and do not provide a root password. A login as system administrator will only be possible via SSH using the respective key in this case.

    For more information, see Deployment Guide, Chapter “Installation with YaST”, Section “Password for the System Administrator root” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    Proceed with Next.

    Important
    Important: Do not forget the root password

    The user root has the permission to carry out all administrative tasks. Without this password, you cannot log in to the system as root. The password entered here cannot be retrieved later.

  5. On the screen Installation Settings, you can review and, if necessary, change several proposed installation settings. Each setting is shown alongside its current configuration. To change parts of the configuration, click the appropriate headline or other underlined items.

    Important
    Important: Firewall configuration

    The software firewall of SLES for SAP is enabled by default. However, often, the ports your SAP product requires to be open are not opened automatically. This means that there may be network issues until you open the required ports manually.

    For details, see Section 11.1, “Configuring firewalld”.

    Installation settings
    Figure 3.6: Installation settings
      

  6. When you are satisfied with the system configuration, click Install.

    Depending on your software selection, you may need to agree to further license agreements before you are asked to confirm that you want to start the installation process.

    Warning
    Warning: Deletion of data

    The installation process fully or partially overwrites existing data on the disk.

    In the installation confirmation box, click Install.

    When the installation of the operating system is finished, the system will reboot automatically:

    • If you chose to only prepare the system for installation, the system will boot to a desktop login screen.

    • If you chose to install an SAP application now, the installation will continue after a reboot. Continue with Chapter 4, Installing SAP applications.

3.2 Using SLES for SAP media from the network

  

This section provides a short description of how to install from an installation medium served over the network. This allows, for example, using a regular SLES medium to install SLES for SAP.

  1. Copy the content of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications installation media to a Web server (for example, example.com), to the directory /srv/www/htdocs/sap_repo.

  2. Boot from an SLES installation medium.

  3. Select one of the boot menu options using the keys ↓/↑. Then add to the command line. To do so, specify the parameters listed below:

    • To allow network usage, add ifcfg=*=dhcp (though this should be the default).

    • Add the parameter install=SERVER/DIRECTORY.

  4. Follow the instructions in Section 3.1, “Using the installation workflow”.

For more information, see Deployment Guide, Chapter “Remote Installation” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

To avoid having to use an SLES installation medium to initialize the system, you can boot over the network via PXE. For details, see AutoYaST Guide, Chapter “Booting via PXE over the Network” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

3.3 Using an external AutoYaST profile

  

For more information about installing with AutoYaST, see:

For more information about partitioning for SAP applications with AutoYaST, see Section 2.7, “Partitioning”.

If you plan to deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications from a SUSE Manager server, refer to SUSE Manager “Reference Manual”, “Systems”, “Autoinstallation” and SUSE Manager “Advanced Topics”, Chapter “Minimalist AutoYaST Profile for Automated Installations and Useful Enhancements” (https://documentation.suse.com/suma;).

3.4 Converting an SLES installation to an SLES for SAP installation

  

To convert an installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 or JeOS 15 SP2 to an installation of SLES for SAP, use the script Migrate_SLES_to_SLES-for-SAP.sh. The script will register the system correctly and subscribe it to the appropriate repositories.

Make sure that you have an e-mail address for registration and a registration code for SLES for SAP.

  1. Install the package migrate-sles-to-sles4sap.

  2. Execute the following command: 

    # Migrate_SLES_to_SLES-for-SAP.sh

  3. When asked to confirm to continue the migration, press Y, then Enter.

  4. When asked, type the e-mail address to use for registration, then press Enter.

  5. When asked, type the registration key, then press Enter.

    Wait until the script is finished. Afterward, you are subscribed to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications software repositories and the package SLES-release is removed in favor of SLES_SAP-release.

Important
Important: Script does not install default SLES for SAP packages

The script does not install all packages that are included with a default SLES for SAP installation. However, you can install these yourself manually. To install the default package selection, use: 

# zypper in patterns-server-enterprise-sap_server

4 Installing SAP applications

  

This section guides you through the installation of SAP media sets you received from SAP.

4.1 Products that can be installed using SAP Installation Wizard

  

Using the SAP Installation Wizard, you can install stand-alone SAP HANA database instances. Additionally, the following SAP products (along with a database) can be installed using the SAP Installation Wizard:

  • SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511

  • SAP NetWeaver 7.5

  • SAP NetWeaver 7.4 Support Release 2

  • SAP NetWeaver 7.4 Support Release 1

  • SAP NetWeaver 7.4

  • SAP Enhancement Package 1 for SAP NetWeaver 7.3

  • SAP NetWeaver 7.3

  • SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE) 7.2

  • SAP EHP1 for SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE) 7.1

  • SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE) 7.1

  • SAP EHP1 for SAP NetWeaver Mobile/Banking 7.1

  • SAP EHP1 SAP NetWeaver Process Integration 7.1

  • SAP EHP1 for SAP NetWeaver Adaptive Computing Controller 7.1

  • SAP NetWeaver Mobile/Banking 7.1

  • SAP NetWeaver Process Integration 7.1

  • SAP NetWeaver Adaptive Computing Controller 7.1

  • SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA

  • SAP Business Suite 7i 2016

  • SAP Business Suite 7i 2013 Support Release 2

  • SAP Business Suite 7i 2013 Support Release 1

  • SAP Business Suite 7i 2011 Java

  • SAP Business Suite 7i 2010 Java

  • SAP Business Suite 7 Support Release 1 Java

  • SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Support Release 1

  • SAP Solution Manager 7.1 powered by SAP HANA

  • SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP 7.4, OEM version 1.0

Important
Important: Installation of Oracle databases not possible

The SAP Installation Wizard does not allow installing products together with Oracle databases. To install an Oracle database, install the base product SUSE Linux Enterprise Server first, then install the Oracle database and later convert your installation to SLES for SAP. This is necessary because the Oracle databases installer queries for the existence of certain files, not all of which are included in a SLES for SAP installation.

For more information about converting, see Section 3.4, “Converting an SLES installation to an SLES for SAP installation”.

4.2 First steps

  

These first steps are only relevant during the installation workflow.

  1. When the system is booted, it displays the screen Welcome. Proceed with Next.

  2. The screen Network Settings will now open. This gives you an opportunity to change the network settings.

    When you are finished configuring networking, proceed with Next.

    Important
    Important: Configure networking as recommended by SAP

    Make sure to configure the network connection according to the documentation of your SAP application.

    For information about configuring networking, see Administration Guide, Chapter “Basic Networking”, Section “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    (While the next screen loads, the Welcome screen may appear again for a few seconds.)

  3. Choose one of the following options:

    Create SAP file systems and start SAP product installation

    Allows installing an SAP application and setting up the system as a server providing SAP installation routines to other systems.

    Continue with Section 4.3, “Using the SAP Installation Wizard”.

    Only create SAP HANA file systems, do not install SAP products now

    Create an SAP HANA file system on SAP BusinessOne-certified hardware.

    Important
    Important: Hardware requirements

    Make sure your machine fulfills the hardware requirements for SAP HANA detailed in Section 2.1, “Hardware requirements”. Otherwise, this option will not create a new file system and the installation workflow ends at this point.

    Finish wizard and proceed to OS login

    Do not install an SAP application and continue to the login screen of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

    Proceed with Next.

4.3 Using the SAP Installation Wizard

  

Use the SAP Installation Wizard to install an SAP NetWeaver system (including database) or an SAP HANA system.

To install other SAP applications or to create a more advanced SAP HANA setup, directly use one of the installation methods provided by SAP instead of this wizard.

Tip
Tip: Installing an SAP application in a fully installed system

This process is documented as it appears during the installation workflow. However, it also applies to the YaST module SAP Installation Wizard which is available in the installed system.

To start the SAP Installer, from the desktop, choose Applications › System › YaST, continue in the YaST control center by choosing Miscellaneous › SAP Installation Wizard.

Tip
Tip: SAP Installation Wizard configuration

The SAP Installation Wizard configuration is specified and documented in /etc/sysconfig/sap-installation-wizard. You can change it according to your needs.

  1. In the screen SAP Installation Wizard, provide the Location of the SAP Installation Master (Figure 4.1, “Location of SAP installation master”). The location can either be a local, removable, or remote installation source.

    Location of SAP installation master
    Figure 4.1: Location of SAP installation master
      

    Select the appropriate option from the drop-down box. In the text box, specify the path to your source according to the format given in the following table.

    Table 4.1: Media source path
      

    Option

    Description

    Format of Path

    Local Sources

    dir://

    a local directory

    /path/to/dir/

    Removable Sources

    device://

    a locally connected hard disk

    devicename/path/to/dir/on/device

    usb://

    a USB mass storage device

    /path/to/dir/on/USB

    cdrom://

    a CD or DVD

    //

    Remote Sources

    nfs://

    an NFS share

    server_name/path/to/dir/on/device

    smb://

    an SMB share

    [user_name:password@]server_name//path/to/dir/on/server[?workgroup=workgroup_name]

    Tip
    Tip: Remote location specification

    To install from an NFS source, specify the name of the server and the complete path to the media data. For information about setting up a remote installation server, see Chapter 6, Setting up an installation server for SAP media sets.

    If you have installed an SAP application from an installation server before or set up your system to be an installation server, you can also directly choose that server as the provider of the Installation Master. To do so, use the drop-down box below Choose an installation master.

  2. Under Advanced Options, choose from the following options:

    Collect installation profiles for SAP products but do not execute installation

    Use this option to set the installation parameters, but not perform the actual installation. With this option, the SAP Installer (SAPinst) will stop without performing the actual SAP product installation. However, the steps that follow fully apply.

    For more information, see Section 4.4, “Continuing an installation using an installation profile”.

    Serve all installation media (including master) to local network via NFS

    Set up this system as an installation server for other SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications systems. The media copied to this installation server will be offered through NFS and can be discovered via Service Location Protocol (SLP).

    Proceed with Next.

    The SAP Installation Wizard will now copy the Installation Master to your local disk. Depending on the type of Installation Master you selected, the installation will continue differently:

    • If you are installing an SAP HANA database, skip ahead to Step 8.

    • If you are installing an SAP NetWeaver application, continue with the next step.

  3. On the screen SAP Installation Wizard, provide the location of additional Installation Media you want to install. This can include an SAP kernel, a database, and database exports.

    Copy a medium

    Specify a path to additional Installation Media. For more information about specifying the path, see Table 4.1, “Media source path”.

    Skip copying of medium

    Do not copy additional Installation Media. Choose this option if you do not need additional Installation Media or to install additional Installation Media directly from their source, for example CDs/DVDs or flash disks.

    When choosing this option despite your SAP product requiring additional Installation Media, you will later need to provide the SAP Installer (SAPinst) with the relevant paths.

    Proceed with Next.

    If you chose to copy Installation Media, the SAP Installation Wizard will copy the relevant files to your local hard disk.

    SAP Installation Wizard: additional Installation Media
    Figure 4.2: SAP Installation Wizard: additional Installation Media
      

  4. After copying the Installation Media, you will be asked whether you want to prepare additional Installation Media. To do so, click Yes. Then follow the instructions in Step 3.

    Otherwise, click No.

  5. In the screen What Would You Like to Install, under The SAP product is, choose how you want to install the product:

    SAP standard system

    Install an SAP application including its database.

    SAP standalone engines

    Engines that add functionality to a standard product: SAP TREX, SAP Gateway, and Web Dispatcher.

    Distributed system

    An SAP application that is separated onto multiple servers.

    SAP high-availability system

    Installation of SAP NetWeaver in a high-availability setup.

    System rename

    Allows changing the various system properties such as the SAP system ID, database ID, instance number, or host name. This can be used to install the same product in a very similar configuration on different systems.

    SAP Installation Wizard: installation type and database
    Figure 4.3: SAP Installation Wizard: installation type and database
      

  6. If you selected SAP Standard System, Distributed System, or SAP High-Availability System, additionally choose a back-end database under Back-end Databases.

    Proceed with Next.

  7. You will now see the screen Choose a Product. The products shown depend on the Media Set and Installation Master you received from SAP. From the list, select the product you want to install.

    Proceed with Next.

    SAP Installation Wizard: choose a product
    Figure 4.4: SAP Installation Wizard: choose a product
      

  8. You will be asked whether to copy Supplementary Media or Third-Party Media. To do so, click Yes and then follow the instructions in Step 3.

    Otherwise, click No.

    Note
    Note: Difference between Supplementary Media/Third-Party Media and additional software repositories

    Both types of delivery mechanisms allow installing software that is neither part of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications media nor part of your Media Set from SAP. However, the delivery mechanism is different:

    • Supplementary Media/Third-Party Media is installed using an AutoYaST file which allows creating an installation wizard and custom installation scripts.

    • Additional software repositories are RPM package repositories that you will remain subscribed to. This means you receive updates for Third-Party Media along with your regular system updates.

    For information on creating Supplementary Media, see Appendix C, Supplementary Media.

  9. On the screen Additional software repositories for your SAP installation, you can add further software repositories. For example, for add-ons that are packaged as RPM. To do so, click Add new software repositories. For more information about adding repositories, see Deployment Guide, Chapter “Installing and Removing Software”, Section “Adding Software Repositories” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

    Proceed with Next.

    Note
    Note: Location of copied SAP media

    At this point, all data required for the SAP installation has been copied to /data/SAP_CDs (unless you chose to skip the process of copying). Each Installation Medium is copied to a separate directory. You might find the following directory structure, for example: 

    > ls /data/SAP_CDs
742-KERNEL-SAP-Kernel-742
742-UKERNEL-SAP-Unicode-Kernel-742
RDBMS-MAX-DB-LINUX_X86_64
SAP-NetWeaver-740-SR2-Installation-Export-CD-1-3
SAP-NetWeaver-740-SR2-Installation-Export-CD-2-3
SAP-NetWeaver-740-SR2-Installation-Export-CD-3-3

    /data/SAP_CDs is the default directory as specified in the /etc/sysconfig/sap-installation-wizard configuration file.

  10. Depending on the product you are installing, one or more dialogs will prompt you to supply values for several configuration parameters for the SAP application you are installing.

    Supply the values as described in the documentation provided to you by SAP. Help for the configuration parameters is also available on the left side of the dialog. For more information, see Section 2.6, “Required data for installing”.

    Fill out the form (or forms), then proceed with OK.

    Dialog to configure product parameters
    Figure 4.5: Product parameters
      

    When you are done, the SAP Installation Wizard will download additional software packages.

  11. You will be asked whether to continue the installation or prepare another SAP product for installation. If you choose to prepare another SAP product, start from the beginning of this procedure.

  12. (Optional) When installing SAP HANA on a system that is not certified for SAP HANA and does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for SAP HANA TDI (Tailored Datacenter Integration), you will be asked whether to continue. If you receive this message unexpectedly, check Section 2.1, “Hardware requirements” and the sizing guidelines from SAP at https://service.sap.com/sizing (you need your SAP ID to access the information).

    Otherwise, continue with Yes.

  13. The following steps differ depending on the type of SAP application you are installing:

    • When installing an SAP HANA database, SAP HANA will now be installed without further question.

    • When installing an SAP NetWeaver application, the actual installation will be performed using the SAP Installer (SAPinst). After a few seconds, SAP Installer will open automatically.

      Follow the SAP Installer as described in the documentation provided by SAP. Most configuration parameters are correctly filled already.

    SAP Installer: defining parameters
    Figure 4.6: SAP Installer: defining parameters
      
    Tip
    Tip: Installation log files

    If the installation of the SAP application fails, refer to the installation log files. They are located in /var/adm/autoinstall. Failed installations are recorded in files with names ending in .err.

    For more information about log files, see Chapter 15, Important log files.

  14. The final screen is Installation Completed.

    To create an AutoYaST file for this installation, activate Clone This System for AutoYaST. The AutoYaST file will be placed in /root/autoinst.xml.

    Click Finish.

4.4 Continuing an installation using an installation profile

  

If you chose Collect installation profiles but do not execute installation during the previous run of the SAP Installation Wizard, this section will show you how to continue the installation of the selected SAP applications.

When collecting an installation profile, the SAP Installation Wizard copies product images to /data/SAP_CDs. It also prepares an installation environment for every product under the path /data/SAP_INST: 

/data/SAP_INST/0/Instmaster
/data/SAP_INST/1/Instmaster
/data/SAP_INST/2/Instmaster
[...]

These files are re-used in the following. To continue the installation, follow these steps:

  1. In /etc/sysconfig/sap-installation-wizard, set the following: 

    SAP_AUTO_INSTALL="yes"

  2. In the case of an SAP HANA/SAP BusinessOne installation, the SAP Installation Wizard will later use the parameters documented in the AutoYaST files in /data/SAP_INST/number.

    If you need to change any parameters, make sure to adapt the AutoYaST files at this point.

  3. Open the YaST control center and start SAP Installation Wizard.

  4. You will be asked whether to continue the pending installation. Select Install.

  5. All further interactions happen within the SAP Installer. Follow the steps of SAP Installer as described in the documentation provided to you by SAP.

    • In the case of an SAP NetWeaver installation, all parameters of the SAP Installer will be offered again for fine-tuning.

    • In the case of an SAP HANA/SAP BusinessOne installation, the installer will not be offer to make any changes to parameters.

4.5 Partitioning for an SAP application without the SAP Installation Wizard

  

If you do not want to use the SAP Installation Wizard, you can also create the partitioning for SAP applications directly from the command line. First, find the correct partitioning file in the directory /usr/share/YaST2/include/sap-installation-wizard/ or create your own partitioning file. For more information, see Section 2.7.2, “Partitioning for the SAP system (stage 2)”.

When you have determined the correct partitioning XML file, run: 

# yast2 sap_create_storage_ng ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_PARTITIONING_FILE

4.6 Automated installation of SAP applications with AutoYaST

  

The SAP Installation Wizard can be used from AutoYaST to automate the installation of SAP Applications.

4.6.1 SAP HANA installation

  

The following AutoYaST snippet shows how an SAP HANA or SAP TREX installation can be automated: 

<sap-inst>
  <products config:type="list">
    <product>
      <media config:type="list">
        <medium>
          <url>nfs://server/path1</url>
          <type>sap</type>
        </medium>
        <medium>
          <url>nfs://server/path3</url>
          <type>supplement</type>
        </medium>
      </media>
      <sapMasterPW>PASSWORD</sapMasterPW>
      <sid>SID</sid>
      <sapInstNr>INSTANCE_NUMBER</sapInstNr>
      <sapMDC>no</sapMDC>
    </product>
  </products>
</sap-inst>

  • The sapMDC element is only applicable to SAP HANA.

  • The sapVirtHostname element must be specified for distributed or highly available installations.

For a full SAP HANA example, including partitioning, see /usr/share/doc/packages/sap-installation-wizard/hana-autoyast.xml.

4.6.2 SAP NetWeaver installation

  

For SAP NetWeaver, the following example shows how the installation can be automated. Specifically, this example is tailored to installing ASCS Instance of an SAP NetWeaver 7.5 ABAP Server distributed system with MaxDB (product ID NW_ABAP_ASCS:NW750.ADA.ABAP). When installing other products based on SAP NetWeaver, not all of the following variables may be necessary or these variables might need to be replaced by others:

  • The master password for the SAP NetWeaver instance: MASTER_PASSWORD

  • The SAP Identifier (SID): SID

  • The SAP kernel: KERNEL

  • The SAP instance number: INSTANCE_NUMBER

  • The ASCS virtual host name: ASCS_VIRTUAL_HOSTNAME

  • The SCS virtual host name: SCS_VIRTUAL_HOSTNAME 

<sap-inst>
  <products config:type="list">
    <product>
      <media config:type="list">
        <medium>
          <url>nfs://SERVER/PATH1</url>
          <type>sap</type>
        </medium>
        <medium>
          <url>nfs://SERVER/PATH2</url>
          <type>sap</type>
        </medium>
        <medium>
          <url>nfs://SERVER/PATH3</url>
          <type>supplement</type>
        </medium>
      </media>
      <productID>NW_ABAP_ASCS:NW750.ADA.ABAP</productID>
      <iniFile>
        <![CDATA[
# Password for the Diagnostics Agent specific <dasid>adm user. Provided value
# may be encoded.
DiagnosticsAgent.dasidAdmPassword =

# Windows domain in which the Diagnostics Agent users must be created.
# The property is Microsoft Windows only. This is an optional property.
DiagnosticsAgent.domain =

# Password for the Diagnostics Agent specific SAPService<DASID> user.
# Provided value may be encoded.
# The property is Microsoft Windows only.
DiagnosticsAgent.sapServiceDASIDPassword =

NW_GetMasterPassword.masterPwd = MASTER_PASSWORD

# Human readable form of the Default Login language - valid names are stored
# in a table of the subcomponent NW_languagesInLoadChecks. Used when freshly
# installing an ABAP stack for the machine that performs an ABAP load (in the
# case of a distributed system, that is the database, otherwise it is used by
# the normal installer). The available languages must be declared in the
# LANGUAGES_IN_LOAD parameter of the product.xml . In this file, the one
# character representation of the languages is used. Check the same table in
# the subcomponent mentioned above.
NW_GetSidNoProfiles.SAP_GUI_DEFAULT_LANGUAGE =

# The drive to use (Windows only)
NW_GetSidNoProfiles.sapdrive =

# The /sapmnt path (Unix only)
NW_GetSidNoProfiles.sapmnt = /sapmnt

# The SAP System ID of the system to install
NW_GetSidNoProfiles.sid = SID

# Will this system be unicode system?
NW_GetSidNoProfiles.unicode = true

NW_SAPCrypto.SAPCryptoFile = /data/SAP_CDs/745-UKERNEL-SAP-Unicode-Kernel-745/DBINDEP/SAPEXE.SAR

NW_SCS_Instance.ascsInstanceNumber =

NW_SCS_Instance.ascsVirtualHostname = ASCS_VIRTUAL_HOSTNAME

NW_SCS_Instance.instanceNumber = INSTANCE_NUMBER

NW_SCS_Instance.scsInstanceNumber =

NW_SCS_Instance.scsMSPort =

NW_SCS_Instance.scsVirtualHostname = SCS_VIRTUAL_HOSTNAME

NW_System.installSAPHostAgent = true

NW_Unpack.igsExeSar =

NW_Unpack.igsHelperSar =

NW_Unpack.sapExeDbSar =

NW_Unpack.sapExeSar =

NW_Unpack.sapJvmSar =

NW_Unpack.xs2Sar =

NW_adaptProfile.templateFiles =

# The FQDN of the system.
NW_getFQDN.FQDN =

# Do we want to set the FQDN for the system?
NW_getFQDN.setFQDN = false

# The path to the JCE policy archive to install into the Java home directory
# if it is not already installed.
NW_getJavaHome.jcePolicyArchive =

hostAgent.domain =

# Password for the SAP Host Agent specific sapadm user. Provided value may be
# encoded.
hostAgent.sapAdmPassword = MASTER_PASSWORD

nwUsers.sapDomain =

nwUsers.sapServiceSIDPassword =

nwUsers.sidadmPassword =
            ]]>
      </iniFile>
    </product>
  </products>
</sap-inst>

5 Upgrading a SAP HANA cluster

  

This chapter describes how to upgrade your SAP HANA cluster with the YaST module SUSE HANA Cluster Update. This acts as a wizard and guides you through all the SAP HANA cluster maintenance procedures.

The official SAP HANA documentation describes the so-called Near Zero Downtime Upgrade Process. The YaST module is based on this process and handles the part of the procedure related to the SUSE cluster. Not all steps can be done automatically. Some steps need to be performed manually by the SAP HANA administrator. The YaST module will inform you during the process.

This YaST module is available in the yast2-sap-ha package for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 and higher. Currently, the wizard is only prepared to handle the SAP HANA Scale-up Performance Optimized scenario.

The upgrade covers the following tasks:

  1. Section 5.1, “Preparing the upgrade”

  2. Section 5.2, “Upgrading your SAP HANA cluster”

  3. Section 5.3, “Finishing the upgrade task”

5.1 Preparing the upgrade

  

Ensure passwordless SSH access between the two nodes (primary and secondary) for root. Keep in mind, some cloud service providers might not have set up SSH access for the root by default.

  1. Install the yast2-hana-update package on both nodes: 

    # zypper install yast2-hana-update

    After the installation, you can find the module SUSE HANA Cluster Update in the YaST Control Center.

  2. On the secondary node, start the YaST Control Center and open the SUSE HANA Cluster Update module.

  3. In the YaST module, review the prerequisites. Make sure to fulfill all of them before continuing with the next step. Keep in mind that the wizard supports only the HANA Scale-up Performance Optimized scenario.

  4. To upgrade the SAP HANA system, select the secondary node.

  5. Select the location of the installation medium.

    Point to the location where the SAP medium is located. If wanted, check Mount an update medium on all hosts and provide the NFS share and path.

    Important
    Important: Differences between SAP HANA version 1.0 and 2.0

    If you are upgrading from SAP HANA version 1.0 to version 2.0, make sure to check This is a HANA 1.0 to HANA 2.0 upgrade.

    The YaST module will copy the PKI SSFS keys from the former secondary node to the former primary node. More information is available through the Help button.

Continue with Section 5.2, “Upgrading your SAP HANA cluster”.

5.2 Upgrading your SAP HANA cluster

  

  1. Review the update plan generated by the wizard.

    The wizard shows you two steps: automatic and manual. In this automatic step, the wizard puts cluster resources into maintenance mode before it starts with the automatic steps. The manual steps are SAP HANA specific and need to be executed by a SAP HANA administrator. For more information, see the official SAP HANA documentation.

  2. Update the SAP HANA software.

    The wizard executes the automatic actions and waits until the SAP HANA administrator performs the SAP HANA upgrade.

  3. Perform the SAP HANA upgrade.

  4. Review the plan for the primary (remote) node.

    After the SAP HANA upgrade is done, the wizard shows the update plan. When you continue with this step, the wizard turns the primary node into a secondary node to make it ready for the upgrade.

    Keep in mind that this step can take some time.

Continue with Section 5.3, “Finishing the upgrade task”.

5.3 Finishing the upgrade task

  

  1. Update the former primary node.

    Pay special attention to the --hdbupd_server_nostart option in this step.

  2. Restore the previous state of the cluster.

    By default, the wizard registers the former master as now being secondary on the SAP HANA system replication. If you wish to revert the system replication to its original state, click the Reverse button.

  3. Review the update summary.

    You can review the original and current SAP HANA versions and the cluster state.

    Note
    Note: Dealing with intermediate cluster state

    If the wizard is faster than the status update of the cluster resources, the summary shows an intermediate cluster state. The cluster state is UNDEFINED or DEMOTED.

    To overcome this, check the cluster status again with the command SAPHanaSR-showAttr and make sure the former secondary node is now in the state PROMOTED.

Refer to the SUSE blog post https://www.suse.com/c/how-to-upgrade-your-suse-sap-hana-cluster-in-an-easy-way/ for further information.

6 Setting up an installation server for SAP media sets

  

Using the SAP Installation Wizard, it is possible to copy the SAP media sets from a remote server (for example, via NFS or SMB). However, using the option provided there means that you need to install the product at the same time. Additionally, it does not allow for copying all SAP media used in your organization to a single server.

However, you can easily create such a server on your own. For example, to put the SAP media sets on an NFS Server, proceed as follows:

Procedure 6.1: Adding SAP product installation files to an NFS server
  

  1. On your installation server, create the directory /srv/www/htdocs/sap_repo.

  2. Open the file /etc/exports and add the following: 

    /srv/www/htdocs/sap_repo *(ro,no_root_squash,sync,no_subtree_check,insecure)
    Important
    Important: Executable rights must be visible

    Clients must be able to see which files are executable. Otherwise, SUSE's SAP Installation Wizard will not be able to execute the SAP Installer.

  3. In /srv/www/htdocs/sap_repo, create a directory for every SAP medium you have. Give these directories speaking names, so you can identify them later on. For example, you could use names like kernel, java, or hana.

  4. Copy the contents of each SAP medium to the corresponding directory with cp -a.

    Important
    Important: Avoid using Windows* operating systems for copying

    Using a Windows operating system for copying from/to Windows file systems like NTFS can break permission settings and capitalization of files and directories.

You can now install from the NFS server you set up. In the SAP Installation Wizard, specify the path this way: server_name/srv/www/htdocs/sap_repo. For more information about specifying the path, see Table 4.1, “Media source path”.

For information about setting up an NFS server from scratch, see Administration Guide, Part “Services”, Chapter “Sharing File Systems with NFS”, Section “Installing NFS Server” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

For information about installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from an NFS server, see Deployment Guide, Chapter “Remote Installation”, Section “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

7 Setting up an SAP HANA cluster

  

You can use a YaST wizard to set up SAP HANA or SAP S/4HANA Database Server clusters according to best practices, including SAP HANA system replication. A summary of the setup options is given in Section 1.1.3, “Simplified SAP HANA system replication setup”.

Administrators can now use the SAP HANA-SR Wizard to run the module unattended, usually for on-premises deployments. Additionally, it is possible to configure the SAP HANA cluster on Azure now. The YaST module identifies automatically when running on Azure and configures an extra resource needed on Pacemaker.

The following Best Practices from the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications Resource Library (https://www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap/resource-library/) contain setup instructions:

  • Performance-optimized scenario and multi-tier/chained scenario: Setting up a SAP HANA SR Performance Optimized Infrastructure

  • Cost-optimized scenario: Setting up a SAP HANA SR Cost Optimized Infrastructure

Important
Important: Wizard can only be used for initial configuration

The YaST wizard described in the following can only be used for the initial cluster configuration.

To reconfigure a cluster, use the separate YaST module Cluster (available from package yast2-cluster). For more information about its usage, see Administration Guide, Part “Installation, Setup and Upgrade”, Chapter “Using the YaST Cluster Module” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

7.1 Prerequisites

  

The following procedure has prerequisites:

  • Two machines which both have an SAP HANA installation created by the SAP Installation Wizard or SAP HANA Application Lifecycle Management. Both machines need to be on the same L2 network (subnet).

    In the case of a multi-tier/chained scenario, there must also be a third machine elsewhere.

  • The machines are not yet set up as a high-availability cluster.

  • openSSH is running on both machines and the nodes can reach each other via SSH. However, if that has not already happened, the wizard will perform the SSH key exchange itself.

    For more information about SSH, see Security and Hardening Guide, Part “Network Security”, Chapter “SSH: Secure Network Operations” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

  • A disk device that is available to both nodes under the same path for SBD. It must not use host-based RAID, cLVM2 or reside on a DRBD instance. The device can have a small size, for example, 100 MB.

  • You have created either:

    • A key in the SAP HANA Secure User Store on the primary node

    • An initial SAP HANA backup on the primary node

  • The package yast2-sap-ha is installed on both the primary and the secondary node.

  • HANA-Firewall is set up on both computers with the rules HANA_HIGH_AVAILABILITY and HANA_SYSTEM_REPLICATION on all relevant network interfaces.

    For information about setting up HANA-Firewall, see Section 11.2, “Configuring HANA-Firewall”.

  • Cost-optimized scenario only: The secondary node has a second SAP HANA installation. The database may be running but will be stopped automatically by the wizard.

  • Cost-optimized scenario only: For the non-production SAP HANA instance, you have created an SAP HANA Secure User Store key QASSAPDBCTRL for monitoring purposes. For more information, see SAP HANA SR Cost Optimized Scenario, Chapter “Installing the SAP HANA Databases on both cluster nodes”, Section “Postinstallation configuration”, Section “Install the non-productive SAP HANA database (QAS)” at https://www.suse.com/products/sles-for-sap/resource-library/.

7.2 Setup

  

The following procedure needs to be executed on the primary node (also called the “master”). Before proceeding, make sure the prerequisites listed in Section 7.1, “Prerequisites” are fulfilled.

  1. Open the YaST control center. In it, click HA Setup for SAP Products in the category High Availability.

  2. If an SAP HANA instance has been detected, you can choose between the scale-up scenarios Performance-optimized, Cost-optimized, or Chained (multi-tier). For information about these scale-up scenarios, see Section 1.1.3, “Simplified SAP HANA system replication setup”.

    Continue with Next.

    Screenshot of replication scenario selection

  3. This step of the wizard presents a list of prerequisites for the chosen scale-up scenario. These prerequisites are the same as those presented in Section 7.1, “Prerequisites”.

    Continue with Next.

  4. The next step lets you configure the communication layer of your cluster.

    • Provide a name for the cluster.

    • The default transport mode Unicast is usually appropriate.

    • Under Number of rings, a single communication ring usually suffices.

      For redundancy, it is often better to use network interface bonding instead of multiple communication rings. For more information, see Administration Guide, Part “Configuration and Administration”, Chapter “Network Device Bonding” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

    • From the list of communication rings, configure each enabled ring. To do so, click Edit selected, then select a network mask (IP address) and a port (Port number) to communicate over.

      Finish with OK.

    • Additionally, decide whether to enable the configuration synchronization service Csync2 and Corosync secure authentication using HMAC/SHA1.

      For more information about Csync2, see Administration Guide Part “Installation, Setup and Upgrade”, Chapter “Using the YaST Cluster Module”, Section “Transferring the Configuration to All Nodes” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

      For more information about Corosync secure authentication, see Administration Guide, Part “Installation, Setup and Upgrade”, Chapter “Using the YaST Cluster Module”, Section “Defining Authentication Settings” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

    Proceed with Next.

    Screenshot of communication layer configuration

  5. The wizard will now check whether it can connect to the secondary machine using SSH. If it can, it will ask for the root password to the machine.

    Enter the root password.

    The next time the primary machine needs to connect to the secondary machine, it will connect using an SSH certificate instead of a password.

  6. For both machines, set up the host names and IP address (for each ring).

    Host names chosen here are independent from the virtual host names chosen in SAP HANA. However, to avoid issues with SAP HANA, host names must not include hyphen characters (-).

    If this has not already been done before, such as during the initial installation of SAP HANA, host names of all cluster servers must now be added to the file /etc/hosts. For this purpose, activate Append to /etc/hosts.

    Proceed with Next.

  7. If NTP is not yet set up, do so. This avoids the two machines from running into issues because of time differences.

    1. Click Reconfigure.

    2. On the tab General Settings, activate Now and on Boot.

    3. Add a time server by clicking Add. Click Server and Next. Then specify the IP address of a time server outside of the cluster. Test the connection to the server by clicking Test.

      To use a public time server, click Select › Public server and select a time server. Finish with OK.

      Proceed with OK.

    4. On the tab Security Settings, activate Open Port in Firewall.

    5. Proceed with Next.

  8. In the next step, choose fencing options. The YaST wizard only supports the fencing mechanism SBD (STONITH block device). To avoid split-brain situations, SBD uses a disk device which stores cluster state.

    The chosen disk must be available from all machines in the cluster under the same path. Ideally, use either by-uuid or by-path for identification.

    The disk must not use host-based RAID, cLVM2 or reside on a DRBD instance. The device can have a small size, for example, 100 MB.

    Warning
    Warning: Data on device will be lost

    All data on the chosen SBD device or devices will be deleted.

    To define a device to use, click Add, then choose an identification method such as by-uuid and select the appropriate device. Click OK.

    To define additional SBD command-line parameters, add them to SBD options.

    If your machines reboot particularly fast, activate Delay SBD start.

    For more information about fencing, see the Administration Guide at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

    Proceed with Next.

  9. The following page allows configuring watchdogs which protect against the failure of the SBD daemon itself and force a reboot of the machine in such a case.

    It also lists watchdogs already configured using YaST and watchdogs that are currently loaded (as detected by lsmod).

    To configure a watchdog, use Add. Then choose the correct watchdog for your hardware and leave the dialog with OK.

    For testing, you can use the watchdog softdog. However, we highly recommend using a hardware watchdog in production environments instead of softdog. For more information about selecting watchdogs, see Administration Guide, Part “Storage and Data Replication”, Chapter “Storage Protection”, Section “Conceptual Overview”, Section “Setting Up Storage-based Protection”, Section “Setting up the Watchdog” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

    Proceed with Next.

  10. Set up the parameters for your SAP HANA installation or installations. If you have selected the cost-optimized scenario, additionally fill out details related to the non-production SAP HANA instance.

    Production SAP HANA instance

    • Make sure that the System ID and Instance number match those of your SAP HANA configuration.

    • Replication mode and Operation mode usually do not need to be changed.

      For more information about these parameters, see the HANA Administration Guide provided to you by SAP.

    • Under Virtual IP address, specify a virtual IP address for the primary SAP HANA instance. Under Virtual IP Mask, set the length of the subnetwork mask in CIDR format to be applied to the Virtual IP address.

    • Prefer site takeover defines whether the secondary instance should take over the job of the primary instance automatically (true). Alternatively, the cluster will restart SAP HANA on the primary machine.

    • Automatic registration determines whether primary and secondary machine should switch roles after a takeover.

    • Specify the site names for the production SAP HANA instance on the two nodes in Site name 1 and Site name 2.

    • Having a backup of the database is a precondition for setting up SAP HANA replication.

      If you have not previously created a backup, activate Create initial backup. Under Backup settings, configure the File name and the Secure store key for the backup. The key in the SAP HANA Secure User Store on the primary node must have been created before starting the wizard.

      For more information, see the documentation provided to you by SAP.

    • Cost-optimized scenario only: Within Production system constraints, configure how the production instance of SAP HANA should behave while inactive on the secondary node.

      Setting the Global allocation limit allows directly limiting memory usage. Activating Preload column tables will increase memory usage.

      For information about the necessary global allocation limit, see documentation provided to you by SAP such as How to Perform System Replication for SAP HANA at https://archive.sap.com/documents/docs/DOC-47702.

    Cost-optimized scenario only: non-production SAP HANA instance

    • Make sure that the System ID and Instance number match those of your non-production SAP HANA instance.

      These parameters are needed to allow monitoring the status of the non-production SAP HANA instance using the SAPInstance resource agent.

    • Generate a hook script for stopping the non-production instance and starting the production instance and removing the constraints on the production system. The script is written in Python 2 and can be modified as necessary later.

      Click Hook script and then set up the correct user name and password for the database. Then click OK.

      You can now manually verify and change the details of the generated hook script. When you are done, click OK to save the hook script at /hana/shared/SID/srHook.

      Warning
      Warning: Passwords stored in plain text

      By default, the hook script stores all credentials in plain text. To improve security, modify the script yourself.

    Proceed with Next.

    Screenshot of SAP HANA options (cost-optimized scenario)
    Figure 7.1: SAP HANA options (cost-optimized scenario)
      

  11. On the page High-Availability Configuration Overview, check that the setup is correct.

    To change any of the configuration details, return to the appropriate wizard page by clicking one of the underlined headlines.

    Proceed with Install.

  12. When asked whether to install additional software, confirm with Install.

  13. After the setup is done, there is a screen showing a log of the cluster setup.

    To close the dialog, click Finish.

  14. Multi-tier/chain scenario only: Using the administrative user account for the production SAP HANA instance, register the out-of-cluster node for system replication: 

    SIDadm > hdbnsutil -sr_register --remoteHost=SECONDARY_HOST_NAME \
--remoteInstance=INSTANCE_NUMBER --replicationMode=async \
--name=SITE_NAME

7.3 Unattended setup using SAP HANA-SR wizard

  

An unattended setup requires a manual installation of HANA first. The result is saved into a file containing all configuration options that were chosen. If the administrator needs to reproduce the installation, with this file the installation can be run automatically and unattended.

To use it, perform the following steps on both nodes:

  1. On the production machines with SAP HANA installed, create a configuration file by running the sap_ha YaST module.

  2. On the last screen, click the Save configuration button.

  3. Decide what you want to do:

    • To review the configuration, upload and validate the configuration on the primary SAP HANA machine and run: 

      # yast2 sap_ha readconfig CONFIGURATION_FILE_PATH

      It is possible to start the installation on the review screen.

    • To start the installation based on the provided configuration file unattended, run: 

      # yast2 sap_ha readconfig CONFIGURATION_FILE_PATH unattended

  4. Import, validate, and install the cluster unattended, based on the provided configuration file: 

    # yast2 sap_ha readconfig CONFIGURATION_FILE_PATH unattended

7.4 Using Hawk

  

After you have set up the cluster using the wizard, you can open Hawk directly from the last screen of the HA Setup for SAP Products wizard.

To revisit Hawk, open a browser and as the URL, enter the IP address or host name of any cluster node running the Hawk Web service. Alternatively, enter the virtual IP address you configured in Section 7.2, “Setup”. 

https://HAWKSERVER:7630/

On the Hawk login screen, use the following login credentials:

  • Username: hacluster

  • Password: linux

Important
Important: Secure password

Replace the default password with a secure one as soon as possible: 

# passwd hacluster

7.5 For more information

  

8 Tuning systems with sapconf

  

The package sapconf is available in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. It sets recommended parameters for the following types of SAP applications: SAP NetWeaver, SAP HANA and SAP HANA-based applications.

Note
Note

This chapter describes sapconf version 5.

Note
Note: The sapconf command has been removed

In SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 and 12, the sapconf command was included in the package with the same name.

For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 this has been changed: the command sapconf have been removed from the sapconf package. The package contains a systemd service only. There is no sapconf command line tool anymore, no sapconf/tuned profiles, and no tuned.

8.1 Overview of sapconf

  

To use sapconf, make sure that the package sapconf is installed on your system.

Overview of sapconf5 in SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 12
  
sapconf5 (without tuned)

  • sapconf-netweaver (sapconf profile as a replacement for tuned profile)

  • sapconf-hana (sapconf profile as a replacement for tuned profile)

  • sapconf-bobj (sapconf profile as a replacement for tuned profile)

  • sapconf-ase (sapconf profile as a replacement for tuned profile)

Overview of sapconf5 in SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 15
  
sapconf5 (without tuned)

no profiles anymore

Note that if you previously made changes to the system tuning, those changes may be overwritten by sapconf.

sapconf 5 ships a systemd service which applies the tuning and ensures that related services are running.

Note
Note: No profiles in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2

In SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15, sapconf no longer supports profiles.

8.2 Verifying sapconf setup

  

With sapconf 5.0.2 onwards the check tool sapconf_check is available, which verifies the correct setup of sapconf. For example: 

# sapconf_check
This is sapconf_check v1.0.
It verifies if sapconf is set up correctly and will give advice to do so.
Please keep in mind:
- This tool does not check, if the tuning itself works correctly.
- Follow the hints from top to down to minimize side effects.
Checking sapconf
================
[ OK ] sapconf package has version 5.0.2
[ OK ] saptune.service is inactive
[ OK ] saptune.service is disabled
[WARN] tuned.service is enabled/active with profile 'virtual-guest -> Sapconf does not require tuned! Run 'systemctl stop tuned.service', if not needed otherwise.
[FAIL] sapconf.service is inactive -> Run 'systemctl start sapconf.service' to activate the tuning now.
[FAIL] sapconf.service is disabled -> Run 'systemctl enable sapconf.service' to activate sapconf at boot.1 warning(s) have been found.
2 error(s) have been found.
Sapconf will not work properly!

If sapconf_check finds problems, it will give hints how to resolve the issue. The tool will not verify if the system has been tuned correctly. It only checks that sapconf is setup correctly and has been started.

8.3 Enabling and disabling sapconf and viewing its status

  

After the installation of sapconf, the sapconf service is enabled.

You can inspect or change the status of sapconf as described in the following:

  • To see the status of the service sapconf: 

    # systemctl status sapconf

    The service should be displayed as active (exited).

  • To start the service sapconf: 

    # systemctl start sapconf

  • Should sapconf be disabled, enable and start it with: 

    # systemctl enable --now sapconf

  • To stop the service sapconf: 

    # systemctl stop sapconf

    This command will disable the vast majority of optimizations immediately. The only exceptions from this rule are options that require a system reboot to enable/disable.

  • To disable sapconf, use: 

    # systemctl disable sapconf

    If you have not specifically enabled any of the services that sapconf depends on yourself, this will also disable most tuning parameters and all services used by sapconf.

Tip
Tip: Additional services that sapconf relies on

In addition to the sapconf service it also relies on the following two services:

  • sysstat which collects data on system activity.

  • uuidd which generates time-based UUIDs that are guaranteed to be unique even in settings where many processor cores are involved. This is necessary for SAP applications.

8.4 Configuring sapconf

  

In general, the default configuration of sapconf already uses the parameter values recommended by SAP. However, if you have special needs, you can configure the tool to better suit those.

All parameters of sapconf can be found in the file /etc/sysconfig/sapconf. The file can be edited directly. All parameters in this file are explained by means of comments and references to SAP Notes which can be viewed at https://launchpad.support.sap.com/.

When sapconf is updated, all customized parameters from this file will be preserved as much as possible. However, sometimes parameters cannot be transferred cleanly to the new configuration file. Therefore, after updating it is advisable to check the difference between the previous custom configuration which during the update is moved to /etc/sysconfig/sapconf.rpmsave and the new version at /etc/sysconfig/sapconf.

Log messages related to this file are written to /var/log/sapconf.log.

When editing either of these files, you will find that some values are commented by means of a # character at the beginning of the line. This means that while the parameter is relevant for tuning, there is no suitable default for it.

Conversely, you can add # characters to the beginning of the line to comment specific parameters. However, you should avoid this practice, as it can lead to sapconf not properly applying the profile.

To apply edited configuration, restart sapconf: 

# systemctl restart sapconf

Confirming that a certain parameter value was applied correctly works differently for different parameters. Hence, the following serves as an example only:

Example 8.1: Checking parameters
  

To confirm that the setting for TCP_SLOW_START was applied, do the following:

  • View the log file of sapconf to see whether it applied the value. Within /var/log/sapconf.log, check for a line containing this text: 

    Change net.ipv4.tcp_slow_start_after_idle from 1 to 0

    Alternatively, the parameter may have already been set correctly before sapconf was started. In this case, sapconf will not change its value: 

    Leaving net.ipv4.tcp_slow_start_after_idle unchanged at 1

  • The underlying option behind TCP_SLOW_START can be manually configured at /proc/sys/net.ipv4.tcp_slow_start_after_idle. To check its actual current value, use: 

    # sysctl net.ipv4.tcp_slow_start_after_idle

8.5 Removing sapconf

  

To remove sapconf from a system, uninstall its package with: 

# zypper rm sapconf

Note that when doing this, dependencies of sapconf will remain installed. However, the service sysstat will go into a disabled state. If it is still relevant to you, make sure to enable it again.

8.6 Using tuned together with sapconf

  

With version 5 sapconf does not rely on tuned anymore. This means both tools can be used independently. sapconf will print a warning in it's log if tuned service is started.

Note
Note: Important: using tuned and sapconf together

If you are going to use tuned and sapconf simultaneously, be very careful, that bot tools do not configure the same system parameters.

8.7 For more information

  

The following man pages provide additional information about sapconf:

  • Detailed description of all tuning parameters set by sapconf: man 5 sapconf

  • Information about configuring and customizing the sapconf profile: man 7 sapconf

Also see the blog series detailing the updated version of sapconf at:

9 Tuning systems with saptune

  

This chapter presents information about tuning SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications to work optimally with SAP applications.

Using saptune, you can tune a system for SAP NetWeaver, SAP HANA/SAP BusinessObjects, and SAP S/4HANA applications.

Important
Important

This chapter describes saptune version 3 which does not use tuned anymore.

9.1 Enabling saptune

  

To enable saptune to tune an SAP application, use the following procedure:

  1. To tune a system, first find a tuning solution. To find the appropriate solution, use: 

    > saptune solution list

    saptune recognizes the following tuning solutions (groups of SAP Notes):

    • BOBJ.  Solution for running SAP BusinessObjects.

    • HANA.  Solution for running an SAP HANA database.

    • MAXDB.  Solution for running an SAP MaxDB database.

    • NETWEAVER.  Solution for running SAP NetWeaver application servers.

    • S4HANA-APPSERVER.  Solution for running SAP S/4HANA application servers.

    • S4HANA-APP+DB.  Solution for running both SAP S/4HANA application servers and SAP HANA on the same host.

    • S4HANA-DBSERVER.  Solution for running the SAP HANA database of an SAP S/4HANA installation.

    • SAP-ASE.  Solution for running an SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise database.

    • NETWEAVER+HANA.  Solution for running both SAP application servers and SAP HANA on the same host.

    • NETWEAVER+MAXDB.  Solution for running both SAP application servers and MAXDB on the same host.

    Alternatively, you can tune the computer according to recommendations from specific SAP Notes. A list of notes that you can tune for is available via: 

    # saptune note list

    • To set up saptune with a preconfigured solution, use: 

      # saptune solution apply SOLUTION

    • To set up saptune for the recommendations of a specific SAP Note, use: 

      # saptune note apply NOTE

  3. To start saptune and enable it at boot, make sure to run the following command: 

    # saptune service enablestart

    To make sure that sapconf and tuned gets stopped and disabled too, run instead: 

    # saptune service takeover
Note
Note: Combining optimizations

It is possible to combine solutions and notes. However, only one solution can be active at a time. In rare cases, notes can have conflicting options or parameters. Arrange your notes carefully to avoid conflicts. The last note always takes priority over conflicting options or parameters of previous notes.

9.2 Disabling saptune

  

To disable and stop saptune, run: 

# saptune service disablestop

9.3 Updating saptune

  

To update saptune to a new version, just update the package.

Since a package update can contain updates of SAP Notes and SAP Solutions, restart saptune with saptune service restart to re-apply the tuning. Check afterwards with saptune note verify if all recommendations are still met.

Important
Important

The saptune tool does not rely on tuned anymore. Configuring tuned to set up saptune 3 will not work. To start and enable saptune 3 use one of the following methods: 

  • saptune service enablestart

    Enables and starts the saptune.service. 

  • saptune service takeover

    Enables and starts the saptune.service and also disables sapconf as well as tuned. 

  • saptune daemon start

    Deprecated. Gets redirected to saptune service takeover.

9.4 Managing SAP Notes

  

In the following sections you will learn how to create, delete, and rename SAP Notes and much more.

9.4.1 Customizing an SAP Note

  

Every SAP Note can be configured freely with: 

# saptune note customise NOTE

The command includes changing a value or disabling a parameter.

9.4.2 Creating a new SAP Note

  

It is possible to create a new SAP Note with: 

# saptune note create NOTE

All features of saptune are available.

9.4.3 Deleting an SAP Note

  

The following command deletes a created note, including the corresponding override file, if available: 

# saptune note delete test
Note to delete is a customer/vendor specific Note.
Do you really want to delete this Note (test2)? [y/n]: y

The note may not be applied at the time. Keep in mind the following points:

  • A confirmation is needed to finish the action.

  • Internal SAP Notes shipped by saptune cannot be deleted. Instead, the override file is removed when available.

  • If the note is already applied, the command is terminated with the information that the note first needs to be reverted before it can be deleted.

9.4.4 Renaming an SAP Note

  

This command allows renaming a created note to a new name. If a corresponding override file is available, this file is renamed, too: 

# saptune note rename test test2
Note to rename is a customer/vendor specific Note.
Do you really want to rename this Note (test) to the new name 'test2'? [y/n]: y

The note may not be applied at the time. Keep in mind the following points:

  • A confirmation is needed to finish the action.

  • Internal SAP Notes shipped by saptune cannot be renamed.

  • If the note is already applied, the command is terminated with the information that the note first needs to be reverted before it can be deleted.

9.4.5 Showing the configuration of an SAP Note

  

The shipped configuration of a note can be listed with: 

# saptune note show NOTE

9.4.6 Verifying an SAP Note or an SAP Solution

  

The commands saptune note verify NOTE and saptune solution verify SOLUTION list the following data for each active or requested note:

  • The parameter name

  • The expected value (default)

  • A configured override (created using saptune customise)

  • The current system value

  • Whether the current state follows the SAP recommendation

9.4.7 Simulating the application of an SAP Note or an SAP Solution

  

To show each parameter of a note, use the following command: 

# saptune note simulate

The command to show each parameter of a solution is as follows: 

# saptune solution simulate

The command lists the current system value and the expected values (default and override).

9.4.8 Reverting an SAP Note

  

To revert an SAP Note, run the following command:

# saptune note revert NOTE

This restores all parameters of the SAP Note to their values at the time of application.

To revert everything, use the following command:

# saptune note revert all

9.4.9 Editing a SAP Note

  

Each custom SAP Note can be edited by:

# saptune note edit NOTE

9.4.10 Listing all enabled or applied SAP Notes

  

To list all enabled SAP Notes, run: 

# saptune note enabled

To list all applied SAP Notes, run:

# saptune note applied

9.5 Managing SAP Solutions

  

This chapter explains how to work with SAP Solutions.

9.5.1 Creating a new SAP Solution

  

To create a new SAP Solution, run:

# saptune solution create SOLUTION

9.5.2 Deleting SAP Solution

  

To delete an SAP Solution, run the following command:

# saptune solution delete myHANA

Solution to delete is a customer/vendor specific Solution.
Do you really want to delete this Solution 'myHANA'? [y/n]: y

The SAP Solution may not be applied at the time. Keep in mind the following points:

  • A confirmation is required to finish the action.

  • SAP Solutions shipped by saptune cannot be deleted.

  • If the SAP Solution is already applied, the command is terminated with the information that the SAP Solution first needs to be reverted before it can be deleted.

9.5.3 Renaming an SAP Solution

  

To rename an SAP Solution, run the following command:

# saptune solution rename myHANA myHANA2

Solution to rename is a customer/vendor specific Solution.
Do you really want to rename this Solution 'myHANA' to the new name 'myHANA2'? [y/n]:

The SAP Solution may not be applied at the time. Keep in mind the following points:

  • A confirmation is needed to finish the action.

  • SAP Solutions shipped by saptune cannot be renamed.

  • If the SAP Solution is already applied, the command will be terminated with the information, that the SAP Solution first needs to be reverted before it can be renamed.

9.5.4 Showing the configuration of an SAP Solution

  

To list the configuration of an SAP Solution, run the following command:

# saptune solution show SOLUTION

9.5.5 Switching to another SAP Solution

  

Starting with saptune version 3.1, it is easier to switch to a different solution using the saptune solution change SOLUTION command.

Keep in mind that internally the current solution is reverted first, and then the new solution is applied. If you have additional notes configured, the order is not preserved.

If the same solution is already applied, no action is taken. Otherwise the current solution gets reverted and the new one applied. The command prompts for confirmation before making the change. This can be disabled by adding the --force option.

9.5.6 Reverting an SAP Solution

  

To revert an SAP Solution, run the following command:

# saptune solution revert SOLUTION

The SAP Solution must be applied. This reverts all SAP Notes parts of the SAP Solution that are still applied.

9.5.7 Editing a custom SAP Solution

  

To edit a custom SAP Solution, run:

# saptune solution edit SOLUTION

9.5.8 Listing enabled/applied SAP Solution

  

To list enabled SAP Solution, run:

# saptune solution enabled

To list applied SAP Solution, run:

# saptune solution applied

If SAP Notes from an applied SAP Solution have been reverted, the string (partial) has been added to the solution name.

9.6 Verification and troubleshooting

  

To see the current status of saptune, run the following command:

# saptune status

The output contains the following:

  • status of the saptune, sapconf, and tuned service

  • version of package and running saptune

  • details about configured SAP Solution and SAP Notes

  • details about staging

  • status of systemd system state

  • virtualization environment (new in saptune version 3.1)

  • tuning compliance (new in saptune version 3.1)

If a problem occurs, use the saptune_check command (in version 3.1, you can also use the command saptune check) that runs checks, reports problems and offers advice on how to solve them.

9.7 Machine-readable output

  

Starting with version 3.1, saptune supports machine-readable output (JSON) for the following commands:

  • saptune [daemon|service] status

  • saptune note list|verify|enabled|applied

  • saptune solution list|verify|enabled|applied

  • saptune status

  • saptune version

The machine-readable output makes it possible to integrate saptune into scripts and configuration management solutions.

To generate JSON output, add --format json as the first option, for example: 

> saptune --format json note applied | jq
{
"$schema": "file:///usr/share/saptune/schemas/1.0/saptune_note_applied.schema.json",
"publish time": "2023-08-29 17:05:45.627",
"argv": "saptune --format json note applied",
"pid": 1538,
"command": "note applied",
"exit code": 0,
"result": {
    "Notes applied": [
    "941735",
    "1771258",
    "1980196",
    "2578899",
    "2684254",
    "2382421",
    "2534844",
    "2993054",
    "1656250"
    ]
},
"messages": []
}

If a command does not yet support JSON output, the command fails with the result block set to "implemented": false: 

[+]
> saptune --format json staging status | jq
{
"$schema": "file:///usr/share/saptune/schemas/1.0/saptune_staging_status.schema.json",
"publish time": "2023-08-29 17:08:16.708",
"argv": "saptune --format json staging status",
"pid": 1653,
"command": "staging status",
"exit code": 1,
"result": {
    "implemented": false
},
"messages": []
}

9.8 Staging

  

It is possible that a new saptune package can contain both binary changes (for example, bug fixes) and new or altered SAP Notes and SAP Solutions. In certain situations, it is preferable to deploy bug fixes and new features while leaving modifications to the system configuration out.

With staging enabled, SAP Note and SAP Solution changes in a package update are not activated immediately. They are placed in a staging area, which can be reviewed and released later.

Important
Important

With the current implementation, a package update overwrites the staging if staging is enabled.

Staging is disabled by default, and it can be enabled with the following command:

# saptune staging enable

From that point, SAP Note and SAP Solution changes shipped by a saptune package are put in the staging area. To view the staging area, run:

# saptune staging list

You can print a tabular overview of the differences of the SAP Note and SAP Solution in the staging and working area with the following command:

# saptune staging diff [NOTE...|SOLUTION...|all]

After reviewing the differences, you can perform an analysis to see if a release has potential issues or requires additional steps. To do this, run the following command: 

# saptune staging analysis [NOTE...|SOLUTION...|all]

To release an SAP Note or an SAP Solution from the staging area, use the command as follows: 

# saptune staging [--force|--dry-run] [NOTE..|SOLUTION...|all]

The command presents an analysis (see saptune staging analysis) and carries out the release after asking for confirmation.

9.9 Tuning kernel parameters manually using sysctl

  

In addition to or instead of tuning kernel parameters using saptune, you can also use sysctl to make manual adjustments to kernel parameters. However, such changes using sysctl do not persist across reboots by default. To make them persist across reboots, add them to one of the configuration files read by sysctl.

Tip
Tip: sysctl and saptune

If you plan to configure sysctl parameters for your SAP system, consider using saptune as the central tool for managing such configurations.

For more information about sysctl, see the man pages sysctl(8), sysctl.conf(5), and sysctl.d(5).

9.10 For more information

  

See the following man pages:

  • man 8 saptune

  • man 8 saptune-migrate

  • man 8 saptune-note

Also see the project home page https://github.com/SUSE/saptune/.

10 Tuning Workload Memory Protection

  
Important
Important

If you have systemd-based SAP instances, read Section 10.9, “Systems running both systemd-based and regular SAP instances” and Section 10.10, “Systems running only systemd-based instances” before setting up Workload Memory Protection.

Keeping SAP applications in physical memory is essential for their performance. In older product versions, the Page Cache Limit prevented a swap out to disk by a growing page cache (in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP1 onwards and in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12). In SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15, the Page Cache Limit has been replaced by the more advanced Workload Memory Protection.

Workload Memory Protection puts SAP instances into a dedicated cgroup (v2) and tells the kernel, by the memory.low parameter, the amount of memory to keep in physical memory. This protects the processes in this cgroup against any form of memory pressure outside that cgroup, including a growing page cache. Workload Memory Protection cannot protect against memory pressure inside this cgroup. It covers the memory of all instances together on one host.

The value for memory.low depends on the kind of SAP instance and the workload and needs to be configured manually. If the system is under extreme pressure, the Linux kernel will ignore the memory.low value and try to stabilize the whole system, even by swapping or invoking the OOM killer.

For more information about cgroups, see https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15/html/SLES-all/cha-tuning-cgroups.html.

10.1 Architecture

  

WMP relies on three components:

cgroup2 memory controller (Linux kernel)

The cgroup2 memory controller parameter memory.low allows defining an amount of memory, which the Linux kernel will keep in physical memory. This amount of memory will be excluded from the reclaiming process unless the entire system is in a critical memory situation.

WMP uses memory.low to prevent memory from SAP processes from being paged or swapped out to disk. Apart from the memory controller, cgroup1 controllers are still available, but are not mounted any more.

systemd

systemd provides the infrastructure to create and maintain the cgroup hierarchy and allows the configuration of cgroup parameters. WMP ships systemd configuration files to allow easy configuration of memory.low via systemd methods.

SAP start service

The SAP start service manages the starting and stopping of SAP instances. An important feature for WMP is the configurable execution of programs before the instance itself gets started in the instance profile. WMP uses this method to call a program to move the sapstart process into a designated cgroup, so the SAP instance will be started inside that cgroup.

10.2 Support for Workload Memory Protection

  

WMP is supported for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 on AMD64/Intel 64 and POWER for one or multiple SAP systems on one host, such as:

  • App Server (SAP NetWeaver, SAP S/4HANA) or

  • SAP HANA 1.0/2.0

Workload Memory Protection does not cover databases other than SAP HANA. Depending on their start method, the processes might run inside or outside the dedicated cgroup. If they run inside, the memory consumption needs to be taken into account when determining memory.low.

Important
Important: Restrictions of WMP

Using WMP comes with benefits, but you should be aware of some restrictions:

  • WMP cannot protect against memory pressure inside the dedicated cgroup.

  • WMP cannot protect SAP systems or their instances from each other. All SAP processes share the same memory limit. If you have multiple SAP systems (for example, SAP NetWeaver and SAP S/4HANA), WMP cannot shield one SAP application from the other.

  • Support for SUSE’s HA cluster solution is not yet available.

10.3 Setting up Workload Memory Protection

  

10.3.1 Preparing for Workload Memory Protection

  

  1. Check if your SAP software (SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver etc) is installed. The group sapsys is needed during the package installation of sapwmp later. If you skip that part, you will get a warning message (see Important: Watch out for order of packages).

  2. Stop the SAP system: 

    # systemctl stop sapinit

    The service can be enabled, but all SAP processes need to be terminated.

  3. Install the package sapwmp: 

    > sudo zypper install sapwmp
    Important
    Important: Watch out for order of packages

    The following message should only appear if no SAP software has been installed on the system: 

    Warning: sapsys group not found warning: group sapsys does not exist - using root

    Remove the package sapwmp and install the SAP software first before installing sapwmp again.

    As an alternative, you can fix ownership and permission after installing the SAP software with: 

    > sudo chgrp sapsys /usr/lib/sapwmp/sapwmp-capture && \
chmod +s /usr/lib/sapwmp/sapwmp-capture

    The following message can be ignored: 

    Warning: Found memory controller on v1 hierarchy. Make sure unified hierarchy only is used.

    Switching to unified hierarchy is done in the next step.

  4. Add systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=true to the kernel command line by adding it to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT in /etc/default/grub like: 

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="... systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=true swapaccount=1"

    With this change, only cgroup2 controllers will be mounted on /sys/fs/cgroup. Cgroup1 controllers, except the memory controller, are still available and can be used though. Tools using cgroup1 might not work out of the box any more and might need reconfiguration. Also, the required mount structure for cgroup1 needs to be provided.

    The parameter swapaccount=1 is not needed for WMP to work, but it aids the analysis in support cases to show the amount of swapped out memory for each cgroup.

  5. Rewrite the GRUB2 configuration: 

    > sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

    After reboot (will be done later), the cgroup hierarchy is switched to v2 (unified hierarchy) only.

  6. Configure MemoryLow for the SAP.slice: 

    > sudo systemctl set-property SAP.slice MemoryLow=...

    This command creates a drop-in in /etc/systemd/system.control/SAP.slice.d/ to set MemoryLow.

    The sapwmp package includes the systemd configuration SAP.slice which creates the cgroup of the same name for the SAP instances. MemoryLow is the systemd equivalent of the cgroup parameter memory.low mentioned in the introduction. The value for MemoryLow depends on the type of the SAP application and the workload.

    For SAP HANA

    Since SAP HANA has a Global Allocation Limit, its value can be used directly.

    SAP Application Server (SAP NetWeaver, SAP S/4HANA)

    For the Application Server, the sizing for the workload should indicate the value for MemoryLow. The sapwmp package contains a monitoring part which might be useful to determine MemoryLow. See Section 10.6, “Monitoring memory usage”.

    Keep in mind:

    • All SAP instances on one host are inside the SAP.slice. MemoryLow must cover the amount of memory of all instances together on that host. You cannot protect SAP systems or their instances from each other.

    • If you are using a database other than SAP HANA, some database processes might be part of SAP.slice. Their memory consumption needs to be taken into account when determining the MemoryLow value.

    • Never choose a value for MemoryLow very close to or larger than your physical memory. System services and additional installed software require memory too. If they are forced to use swap too extensively, at the expense of the SAP application, your system can become unresponsive.

    Note
    Note: Correctly calculate MemoryLow value

    MemoryLow takes the memory size in bytes. If the value is suffixed with K, M, G, or T, the specified memory size is parsed as Kibibytes, Mebibytes, Gibibytes, or Tebibytes (with the base 1024 instead of 1000, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix), respectively. Alternatively, a percentage value may be specified, which is taken relative to the installed physical memory on the system.

    The underlying cgroup memory controller will round up the value to a multiple of the page size. To avoid confusion, set the value for MemoryLow to a multiple of the page size.

  7. Create a backup of each SAP instance profile. Errors in a profile can prevent a SAP system from starting.

  8. For each SAP instance, add the following line to the instance profile (usually located in /usr/sap/SID/SYS/profile/) after the last Execute_ line: 

    Execute_20 = local /usr/lib/sapwmp/sapwmp-capture -a

    If necessary, increase the number of the Execute statement so that it is the highest one, which means that that line is executed last.

    Important
    Important: Editing instance profiles

    Edit the instance profiles directly only if you do not have the profiles imported into the database to manage them via the SAP GUI (transaction RZ11). If you have imported them, use the SAP GUI to add the lines. Profile files located in the file system are overwritten and any manual changes would be lost!

Now the system is ready for a reboot.

10.3.2 Reboot and verification

  

  1. Reboot the system.

  2. After rebooting, verify that cgroups v2 has indeed been used: 

    # grep  cgroup /proc/mounts
cgroup /sys/fs/cgroup cgroup2 rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime 0 0

  3. Verify that the cgroup was created successfully and the low memory value has been set: 

    > systemctl show -p MemoryLow SAP.slice
MemoryLow=18487889920    <- Should be your chosen value (always in bytes)!

# cat /sys/fs/cgroup/SAP.slice/memory.low
18487889920    <- Should be your chosen value!

    The variable MemoryLow can be set to any value, but the content of the variable is always a multiple of the page size. Keep this in mind if you notice a slight difference between the values.

  4. Check that all SAP instance processes are in the correct system slices/cgroup.

    If you have not enabled sapinit.service start the service now. If autostart is not enabled in the instance profiles, start the instances before you check.

    Example: 

    # systemd-cgls -a /sys/fs/cgroup/SAP.slice
Directory /sys/fs/cgroup/SAP.slice:
|-wmp-rd91fd6b3ca0d4c1183659ef4f9a092fa.scope
| |-3349 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/ERS10/profile/HA0_ERS10_sapha0er
| `-3375 er.sapHA0_ERS10 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/ERS10/profile/HA0_ERS10_sapha0er N...
|-wmp-r360ebfe09bcd4df4873ef69898576199.scope
| |-3572 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_D01_sapha0ci
| |-3624 dw.sapHA0_D01 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_D01_sapha0ci
...

    The sapstartsrv process of an instance always remains in the user slice of SIDadm. Only the sapstart process and its children will be moved to the target cgroup.

    For each instance, a directory wmp-rSCOPEID.scope exists with all processes of this instance. The SCOPEID is a random 128-bit value in hexadecimal.

    The SAP HostAgent is not covered by WMP and remains partly in sapinit.slice and partly in the user slice of sapadm.

  5. If the processes are not in the cgroup, check if the Execute lines in the instance profiles are correct. Also each instance start should now be logged in the system log /var/log/messages: 

    ...
2020-06-16T18:41:28.317233+02:00 server-03 sapwmp-capture: Found PIDs:
2020-06-16T18:41:28.317624+02:00 server-03 sapwmp-capture:      17001
2020-06-16T18:41:28.317813+02:00 server-03 sapwmp-capture:      16994
2020-06-16T18:41:28.317959+02:00 server-03 sapwmp-capture:      16551
2020-06-16T18:41:28.319423+02:00 server-03 sapwmp-capture: Successful capture into SAP.slice/wmp-r07a27e12d7f2491f8ccb9aeb0e080aaa.scope
2020-06-16T18:41:28.319672+02:00 server-03 systemd[1]: Started wmp-r07a27e12d7f2491f8ccb9aeb0e080aaa.scope.
...

To verify the correct setup, run wmp-check. The script checks the setup of Workload Memory Protection:

  • Correct setup of cgroup2.

  • Ownership and permission of the capture program.

  • WMP entries of SAP instance profiles.

  • Correct cgrop of running SAP instance processes.

  • Correct setup of SAP.slice.

  • Sane configuration of MemoryLow. However, it cannot determine if the MemoryLow value has been chosen wisely.

  • Setup of the optional memory sampler.

  • Setup of optional swap accounting.

It assumes SAP instances profiles can be found beneath /usr/sap/SID/SYS/profile/.

10.4 Configuring Workload Memory Protection

  

To configure WMP, edit /etc/sapwmp.conf: 

# NOTE: Local changes may be reverted after update of WMP package. Check for
#      .rpmsave file to restore & merge changes.

## Description: Slice unit name where workload is put into
## Type:        string
## Default:     "SAP.slice"
DEFAULT_SLICE="SAP.slice"

## Description: Comma-separated list of command names to which capture is
##              applied (matching against /proc/$PID/stat)
## Type:        string
## Default:     sapstart
PARENT_COMMANDS=sapstart

After any change, restart all SAP instances.

Warning
Warning

Altering /etc/sapwmp.conf should not be necessary. Do not do it until you know exactly what you are doing!

10.5 Changing the value of MemoryLow

  

To change the value of MemoryLow run: 

# systemctl set-property SAP.slice MemoryLow=...

The changes will take effect immediately.

The underlying cgroup memory controller will round up the value to a multiple of the page size. To avoid confusion, set the value of MemoryLow to a multiple of the page size.

Important
Important: Value of MemoryLow

Never set MemoryLow to a value lower than the memory already accounted in SAP.slice. To check, run: 

# systemctl show -p MemoryCurrent SAP.slice

10.6 Monitoring memory usage

  

Logging the memory usage can be necessary not only to determine the value for memory.low, but also for monitoring the correct operation of WMP.

To enable monitoring, activate the shipped timer unit: 

# systemctl enable --now wmp-sample-memory.timer

Now the timer should be listed by systemctl list-timers: 

# systemctl list-timers
NEXT    LEFT       LAST    PASSED  UNIT                     ACTIVATES
...
Tue...  9min left  Tue...  4s ago  wmp-sample-memory.timer  wmp-sample-memory.service
...

If you check the current configuration, you can see that memory data is collected every 10 minutes with a randomized delay of three minutes: 

# systemctl cat wmp-sample-memory.timer
# /usr/lib/systemd/system/wmp-sample-memory.timer
[Unit]
Description=WMP periodic log of memory consumption

[Timer]
OnCalendar=*:0/10
RandomizedDelaySec=180
AccuracySec=60

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

To change this, create a drop-in file and reload systemd (for example, by increasing the interval to 30 minutes): 

# mkdir /etc/systemd/system/wmp-sample-memory.timer.d

# cat <<EOF >/etc/systemd/system/wmp-sample-memory.timer.d/override.conf
[Timer]
OnCalendar=
OnCalendar=*:0/30
EOF

# systemctl daemon-reload

(The first OnCalendar= line is important for deleting previously defined OnCalendar= settings.)

To see the memory consumption, check the system log for lines written by wmp_memory_current: 

# grep wmp_memory_current /var/log/messages
...


2020-09-14T12:02:40.337266+02:00 server-03 wmp_memory_current: SAP.slice : memory.low=21474836480 memory.current=2294059008 memory.swap.current=0 , user.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=5499219968 memory.swap.current=0 , init.scope : memory.low=0 memory.current=8364032 memory.swap.current=0 , system.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=1863335936 memory.swap.current=0
2020-09-14T12:03:00.767838+02:00 server-03 wmp_memory_current: SAP.slice : memory.low=21474836480 memory.current=2294022144 memory.swap.current=0 , user.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=5499473920 memory.swap.current=0 , init.scope : memory.low=0 memory.current=8364032 memory.swap.current=0 , system.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=1862586368 memory.swap.current=0
2020-09-14T12:04:00.337315+02:00 server-03 wmp_memory_current: SAP.slice : memory.low=21474836480 memory.current=2294022144 memory.swap.current=0 , user.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=5499207680 memory.swap.current=0 , init.scope : memory.low=0 memory.current=8355840 memory.swap.current=0 , system.slice : memory.low=0 memory.current=1862746112 memory.swap.current=0
...

Here is a reformatted log line to get a better impression: 

2020-09-14T12:02:40.337266+02:00 server-03 wmp_memory_current:
SAP.slice    : memory.low=21474836480 memory.current=2294059008 memory.swap.current=0 ,
user.slice   : memory.low=0           memory.current=5499219968 memory.swap.current=0 ,
init.scope   : memory.low=0           memory.current=8364032    memory.swap.current=0 ,
system.slice : memory.low=0           memory.current=1863335936 memory.swap.current=0

For each cgroup directly below /sys/fs/cgroup/ one comma-separated block exists. On a normal system, you should find at least user.slice, system.slice, and init.scope. WMP adds SAP.slice.

Each block contains the information about the current value of memory.low and memory.current, and the currently allocated amount of physical memory of processes in this cgroup.

If you enabled swap accounting (swapaccount=1) during setup, you also have memory.swap.current, the amount of swapped-out memory of the cgroup.

All values are in bytes. See Step 6 in Section 10.3.1, “Preparing for Workload Memory Protection”.

Tip
Tip: Script for printing

You can find a script to print the information as table or CSV here: https://github.com/scmschmidt/wmp_log_extract

10.7 Verifying correct operation

  

Besides monitoring memory consumption and swapping (see Section 10.6, “Monitoring memory usage”), you should also regularly check that all SAP instance processes are in their scopes below SAP.slice.

To do so, run systemd-cgls and check each instance process.

Example: 

# systemd-cgls -a /sys/fs/cgroup/SAP.slice
Directory /sys/fs/cgroup/SAP.slice:
|-wmp-rd91fd6b3ca0d4c1183659ef4f9a092fa.scope
| |-3349 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/ERS10/profile/HA0_ERS10_sapha0er
| `-3375 er.sapHA0_ERS10 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/ERS10/profile/HA0_ERS10_sapha0er N...
|-wmp-r360ebfe09bcd4df4873ef69898576199.scope
| |-3572 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_D01_sapha0ci
| |-3624 dw.sapHA0_D01 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_D01_sapha0ci
...

A simpler test would be to list all processes, including cgroups, for all SIDs used on the system.

Example: 

> ps -eo user,pid,cgroup:60,args | grep -e [h]a0adm
ha0adm    2062 0::/user.slice/user-1001.slice/user@1001.service/init.scope  /usr/lib/systemd/systemd --user
ha0adm    2065 0::/user.slice/user-1001.slice/user@1001.service/init.scope  (sd-pam)
ha0adm    3081 0::/SAP.slice/wmp-r73c594e050904c9c922a312dd9a28fd4.scope    sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_ASCS00_sapha0as
ha0adm    3133 0::/SAP.slice/wmp-r73c594e050904c9c922a312dd9a28fd4.scope    ms.sapHA0_ASCS00 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_ASCS00_sapha0as
ha0adm    3134 0::/SAP.slice/wmp-r73c594e050904c9c922a312dd9a28fd4.scope    en.sapHA0_ASCS00 pf=/usr/sap/HA0/SYS/profile/HA0_ASCS00_sapha0as
ha0adm    3327 0::/SAP.slice/wmp-ra42489517eb846c282c57681e627a496.scope    sapstart pf=/usr/sap/HA0/ERS10/profile/HA0_ERS10_sapha0er
...

All instance processes except sapstartsrv need to be in a scope below 0::/SAP.slice/.

To verify the correct setup, use the wmp-check tool. See Section 10.3.2, “Reboot and verification” for more details.

10.8 Uninstalling Workload Memory Protection

  

  1. Stop the SAP system completely. The sapinit.service has to be stopped, but can stay enabled. All SAP processes have to be terminated.

  2. Remove any changes made to SAP.slice, such as setting MemoryLow: 

    # systemctl revert SAP.slice

  3. (Optional) Remove the package sapwmp: 

    # zypper remove sapwmp

    This step is optional. The package can stay on the system without having an influence.

  4. (Optional) Remove systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=true from GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT in /etc/default/grub.

    This step is optional. You can keep cgroup2 without using WMP.

  5. Rewrite the GRUB2 configuration: 

    # grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

    After the next boot, the system is switched back to the hybrid cgroup hierarchy.

  6. Remove the line to call sapwmp-capture from each SAP instance profile (usually located in /usr/sap/SID/SYS/profile/): 

    Execute_20 = local /usr/lib/sapwmp/sapwmp-capture -a
    Important
    Important: Backup is necessary

    Before editing an instance profile, create a backup! Errors in a profile can prevent an SAP system from starting!

    Important
    Important: About editing profiles directly

    Edit the instance profiles directly only if you have not imported the profiles into the database to manage them via the SAP GUI (transaction RZ11). If you have imported them, use the SAP GUI to add the lines. Profile files located in the file system are overwritten, and any manual changes will be lost!

  7. Reboot the system and verify that your SAP system has been started successfully.

10.9 Systems running both systemd-based and regular SAP instances

  

With SAP kernel version 788 and certain specified patch levels of older kernel releases (722, 753, 777, 781, 785), the SAP Start Service supports systemd. Such a systemd-based instance comes with its own systemd service that the SAP Start Service places into its own cgroup (SAPSID_NR.service) under SAP.slice. This affects the Workload Memory Protection setup. For systemd-based SAP instances, the following instructions apply:

  • Skip the step that adds the capture program to the instance profile. If you are migrating an instance to support systemd, remove this entry from the profile. Keep in mind that systemd-based instances are always put into a cgroup under SAP.slice and therefore become part of Workload Memory Protection protection.

  • Set MemoryLow=infinity for the SAPSID_NR.service to make the protection work correctly. Example for SAPNW1_01.service: 

    sudo systemctl set-property SAPNW1_01.service MemoryLow=infinity

  • Set MemoryLow=infinity for the saphostagent.service to make the protection work correctly 

    sudo systemctl set-property saphostagent.service MemoryLow=infinity

The following example demonstrates a mixed environment. The SAP Host Agent and instance 01 are systemd-based, instance 00 is not. Both instances are under SAP.slice either in the cgroup managed by the SAP Start Service (SAPNW1_01.service) or Workload Memory Protection (wmp-rece5b7fa372e4619a9623e120aa23a23.scope). MemoryLow= for SAP.slice has been set as well as MemoryLow=infinity for all the cgroups below. 

>  systemd-cgls
Control group /:
-.slice
├─SAP.slice 
│ ├─SAPNW1_01.service 
│ │ ├─ 887 /usr/sap/NW1/ASCS01/exe/sapstartsrv pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ ├─2838 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ ├─2895 ms.sapNW1_ASCS01 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ └─2896 en.sapNW1_ASCS01 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ ├─saphostagent.service 
│ │ ├─ 900 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/saphostexec pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile -nodaemon -trace
│ │ ├─ 984 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapstartsrv pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile
│ │ └─2428 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/saposcol -l -w60 pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile
│ └─wmp-rece5b7fa372e4619a9623e120aa23a23.scope 
│   ├─5522 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
│   ├─7824 dw.sapNW1_D00 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
│   ├─7825 ig.sapNW1_D00 -mode=profile pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
...

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow SAP.slice
MemoryLow=24584065024

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow wmp-rece5b7fa372e4619a9623e120aa23a23.scope 
MemoryLow=infinity

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow SAPNW1_01.service 
MemoryLow=infinity

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow saphostagent.service 
MemoryLow=infinity

Further information about the systemd integration is available at SAP Note 139184 - Linux: systemd integration for sapstartsrv and SAP Host Agent.

10.10 Systems running only systemd-based instances

  
Note
Note

SUSE's HA cluster solutions are supported for fully systemd-based SAP systems.

A SAP system consisting of systemd-based instances can only rely on cgroup2 for memory protection.

The instances are placed into a dedicated cgroup (default is SAP.slice) by the SAP Start Service. Therefore it is only necessary to switch to the unified cgroup2 hierarchy and set MemoryLow= correctly.

If Workload Memory Protection is already configured, follow the instructions in Section 10.9, “Systems running both systemd-based and regular SAP instances”. Afterwards, you can remove the package sapwmp from the system, unless you want to use the wmp-sample-memory.timer and wmp-sample-memory.service to monitor memory usage.

To configure the memory protection for a system consisting of only systemd-based SAP instances, perform the following steps:

The following example demonstrates a systemd-based environment. The SAP Host Agent and all instances are in their cgroups under SAP.slice. MemoryLow= for SAP.slice has been set as well as MemoryLow=infinity for all the cgroups below. 

>  systemd-cgls
Control group /:
-.slice
├─SAP.slice 
│ ├─SAPNW1_00.service 
│ │ ├─5522 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
│ │ ├─7824 dw.sapNW1_D00 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
│ │ ├─7825 ig.sapNW1_D00 -mode=profile pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_D00_systemdproj
...
│ ├─SAPNW1_01.service 
│ │ ├─ 887 /usr/sap/NW1/ASCS01/exe/sapstartsrv pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ ├─2838 sapstart pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ ├─2895 ms.sapNW1_ASCS01 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ │ └─2896 en.sapNW1_ASCS01 pf=/usr/sap/NW1/SYS/profile/NW1_ASCS01_systemdproj
│ └─saphostagent.service 
│   ├─ 900 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/saphostexec pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile -nodaemon -trace
│   ├─ 984 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapstartsrv pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile
│   └─2428 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/saposcol -l -w60 pf=/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/host_profile
...

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow SAP.slice
MemoryLow=24584065024

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow wmp-rece5b7fa372e4619a9623e120aa23a23.scope 
MemoryLow=infinity

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow SAPNW1_01.service 
MemoryLow=infinity

>  systemctl show -p MemoryLow saphostagent.service 
MemoryLow=infinity

11 Firewalling

  

This chapter presents information about restricting access to the system using firewalling and encryption and gives information about connecting to the system remotely.

11.1 Configuring firewalld

  

By default, the installation workflow of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications enables firewalld.

Note
Note: firewalld replaces SuSEfirewall2

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 GA introduces firewalld as the new default software firewall, replacing SuSEfirewall2. SuSEfirewall2 has not been removed from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 GA and is still part of the main repository, though not installed by default. If you are upgrading from a release older than SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 GA, SuSEfirewall2 will be unchanged and you must manually upgrade to firewalld (see Security and Hardening Guide).

The firewall needs to be manually configured to allow network access for the following:

Additionally, open the ports 1128 (TCP) and 1129 (UDP).

SAP applications require many open ports and port ranges in the firewall. The exact numbers depend on the selected instance. For more information, see the documentation provided to you by SAP.

11.2 Configuring HANA-Firewall

  

To simplify setting up a firewall for SAP HANA, install the package HANA-Firewall. HANA-Firewall adds rule sets to your existing SuSEfirewall2 configuration.

HANA-Firewall consists of the following parts:

  • YaST module SAP HANA firewall.  Allows configuring, applying, and reverting firewall rules for SAP HANA from a graphical user interface.

  • Command-line utility hana-firewall.  Creates XML files containing firewall rules for SAP HANA.

    If you prefer, you can configure the rule sets using the configuration file at /etc/sysconfig/hana-firewall instead of using YaST.

Important
Important: SAP HANA MDC databases

For multi-tenant SAP HANA (MDC) databases, determining the port numbers that need to be opened is not yet possible automatically. If you are working with a multi-tenant SAP HANA database system, before you use YaST, run a script on the command line to create a new service definition: 

# cd /etc/hana-firewall.d
# hana-firewall define-new-hana-service

You need to switch to the directory /etc/hana-firewall.d, otherwise the rule file for the new service will be created in a place where it cannot be used.

The script will ask several questions: Importantly, it will ask for TCP and UDP port ranges that need to be opened.

Note
Note: Install HANA-Firewall packages

Before continuing, make sure that the packages HANA-Firewall and yast2-hana-firewall are installed.

Procedure 11.1: Using HANA-Firewall
  

  1. Make sure the SAP HANA databases for which you want to configure the firewall are correctly installed.

  2. To open the appropriate YaST module, select Applications › YaST, Security and Users › SAP HANA Firewall.

  3. Under Global Options, activate Enable Firewall. Additionally, decide whether to Allow Remote Shell Access (SSH).

  4. Choose a network interface under Allowed Services on Network Interface.

  5. Allow network services by selecting them in the list box on the left and clicking →. Remove services by selecting them in the list box on the right and clicking ←.

    To add services other than the preconfigured ones, use the following notation: 

    SERVICE_NAME:CIDR_NOTATION

    For more information about the CIDR notation, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_Inter-Domain_Routing. To find out which services are available on your system, use getent services.

    HANA-Firewall screenshot

  6. Repeat from Step 4 for all network interfaces.

  7. When you are done, click OK.

    The firewall rules from HANA-Firewall will now be compiled and applied. Then, the service hana-firewall will be restarted.

  8. Finally, check whether HANA-Firewall was enabled correctly: 

    # hana-firewall status
HANA firewall is active. Everything is OK.

For more information, see the man page of hana-firewall.

11.3 SAProuter integration

  

The SAProuter software from SAP allows proxying network traffic between different SAP systems or between an SAP system and outside networks. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications now provides integration for SAProuter into systemd. This means that SAProuter will be started and stopped properly with the operating system and can be controlled using systemctl.

Before you can use this functionality, make sure the following has been installed, in this order:

  • An SAP application that includes SAProuter

  • The SAProuter systemd integration, packaged as saprouter-systemd

If you got the order of applications to install wrong initially, reinstall saprouter-systemd.

To control SAProuter with systemctl, use:

  • Enabling the SAProuter service: systemctl enable saprouter

  • Starting the SAProuter service: systemctl start saprouter

  • Showing the Status of SAProuter service: systemctl status saprouter

  • Stopping the SAProuter service: systemctl stop saprouter

  • Disabling the SAProuter service: systemctl disable saprouter

12 Protecting against malware with ClamSAP

  

ClamSAP integrates the ClamAV anti-malware toolkit into SAP NetWeaver and SAP Mobile Platform applications. ClamSAP is a shared library that links between ClamAV and the SAP NetWeaver Virus Scan Interface (NW-VSI). The version of ClamSAP shipped with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 supports NW-VSI version 2.0.

Important
Important: Avoid false positive reports for large files exeeding maximum file size

By default, ClamAV is not scanning files exeeding various limits like file sizes, nesting level, or scan time. Such files are reported as "OK". The current default settings for the ClamAV virus scan engine in the clamscan commandline tool and the clamd scan daemon are set in a way that:

  • Files and archives are scanned, but only up to the configured or default limits for size, nesting level, scan time, etc.

  • The scan engine reports these files as being "OK".

  • This could potentially allow attackers to bypass the virus scanning.

Alerts can be enabled to set the --alert-exceeds-max=yes option on the clamscan commandline or via AlertExceedsMax TRUE in clamd.conf for daemon based scans. Settings these options will cause a "FOUND" report of status type Heuristics.Limits.Exceeded. You need to handle such files differently in front-ends or processing of reports.

Before enabling the alert, ensure that front-ends will not suddenly quarantine or remove those files.

12.1 Installing ClamSAP

  

  1. On the application host, install the packages for ClamAV and ClamSAP. To do so, use the command: 

    > sudo zypper install clamav clamsap

  2. Before you can enable the daemon clamd, initialize the malware database: 

    > sudo freshclam

  3. Start the service clamd: 

    > sudo systemctl start clamd

  4. Check the status of the service clamd with: 

    > systemctl status clamd
● clamd.service - ClamAV Antivirus Daemon
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/clamd.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: active (running) since Tue 2017-04-11 10:33:03 UTC; 24h ago
[...]

12.2 Creating a virus scanner group in SAP NetWeaver

  

  1. Log in to the SAP NetWeaver installation through the GUI. Do not log in as a DDIC or SAP* user, because the virus scanner needs to be configured cross-client.

  2. Create a Virus Scanner Group using the transaction VSCANGROUP.

    Edit View Scanner Group with editable table

  3. To switch from view mode to change mode, click the button Change View (Change View).

    Confirm the message This table is cross-client by clicking the check mark. The table is now editable.

  4. Select the first empty row. In the text box Scanner Group, specify CLAMSAPVSI. Under Group Text, specify CLAMSAP.

    Make sure that Business Add-in is not checked.

    Edit View Scanner Group with editable table

  5. To save the form, click the button Save (Save).

12.3 Setting up the ClamSAP library in SAP NetWeaver

  

  1. In the SAP NetWeaver GUI, call the transaction VSCAN.

  2. To switch from view mode to change mode, click the button Change View (Change View).

    Confirm the message This table is cross-client by clicking the check mark. The table is now editable.

  3. Click New entries.

  4. Fill in the form accordingly:

    • Provider Type: Adapter (Virus Scan Adapter)

    • Provider Name: VSA_HOSTNAME (for example: VSA_SAPSERVER)

    • Scanner Group: The name of the scanner group that you set up in Section 12.2, “Creating a virus scanner group in SAP NetWeaver” (for example: CLAMSAPVSI)

    • Server: HOSTNAME_SID_INSTANCE_NUMBER (for example: SAPSERVER_P04_00)

    • Adapter Path: libclamdsap.so

    Form New Entries: Details of Added Entries

  5. To save the form, click the button Save.

12.4 Configuring the default location of virus definitions

  

By default, ClamAV expects the virus definitions to be located in /var/lib/clamsap. To change this default location, proceed as follows:

  1. Log in to the SAP NetWeaver installation through the GUI. Do not log in as a DDIC or SAP* user, because the virus scanner needs to be configured cross-client.

  2. Select the CLAMSAPVSI group.

  3. In the left navigation pane, click Configuration Parameters.

  4. To switch from view mode to change mode, click the button Change View (Change View).

    Confirm the message This table is cross-client by clicking the check mark. The table is now editable.

    Figure 12.1:
      

  5. Click New Entries and select INITDRIVERDIRECTORY.

    Figure 12.2:
      

  6. Enter the path to a different virus scanner location.

  7. To save the form, click the button Save (Save).

12.5 Engaging ClamSAP

  

To run ClamSAP, go to the transaction VSCAN. Then click Start.

Change view “virus scan provider definition”
Figure 12.3: Change view “virus scan provider definition”
  

Afterward, a summary will be displayed, including details of the ClamSAP and ClamAV (shown in Figure 12.4, “Summary of ClamSAP data”).

Summary of ClamSAP data
Figure 12.4: Summary of ClamSAP data
  

12.6 For more information

  

For more information, also see the project home page https://sourceforge.net/projects/clamsap/.

13 Connecting via RDP

  

If you installed SLES for SAP with the RDP option activated or if you installed from a KIWI NG image, RDP is enabled on the machine via the service xrdp. Alternatively, you can enable RDP later as described at the end of this section.

You can connect using any software that supports RDP, such as:

  • Linux: Vinagre (available in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop/SLE WE and openSUSE) or Remmina (available in openSUSE)

  • Windows: Remote Desktop Connection

Important
Important: Connection parameters

Make sure to set up the connection with the following parameters:

  • Port: 3389

  • Color depth: 16-bit or 24-bit only

Procedure 13.1: Setting up RDP
  

If you have not set up an RDP connection during the installation, you can also do so later using the following instructions.

  1. First, create the necessary exception for your firewall, opening port TCP 3389 in all relevant zones. For example, if your internal network uses the internal zone, use the following command: 

    # firewall-cmd --zone=internal --add-port=3389/tcp

    This is a temporary assignment for testing the new setting. If you need to change more than one zone, change and test each zone one at a time.

  2. When you are satisfied that new configuration is correct, make it permanent: 

    # firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent
# firewall-cmd --reload

Find more information on using firewalld in https://docs.suse.com/sles/15/html/SLES-all/cha-security-firewall.html#sec-security-firewall-firewalld.

14 Creating operating system images

  

There are multiple ways to create custom operating system images from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. The preferred way is generally to use KIWI NG, which ingests an XML configuration file and then runs fully automatically.

Alternatively, you can also create an image from an existing installation that is cleaned up before re-use.

14.1 Creating images with KIWI NG

  

KIWI NG is a tool to create operating system images that can be easily copied to new physical or virtual machines. This section will present information on creating SLES for SAP images with KIWI NG.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications now supports creating images with KIWI NG using the template from the package kiwi-template-sap. However, there are certain restrictions in the current implementation:

  • Only building VMX disk images is supported. Building other image types is not supported.

  • You must provide an ISO image of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications at /tmp/SLES4SAP.iso, as the Open Build Service does not contain all necessary packages.

To build a basic image, use the following two commands:

  1. Build the root file system: 

    # kiwi -p SLES4SAP --root fsroot

  2. Build the VMX image: 

    # kiwi --create fsroot --type vmx -d build

To enable running graphical installations using SAPinst, the default settings of the image enable the following:

  • Installation of an IceWM desktop

  • The service xrdp is started automatically, so you can connect to the machine via RDP. For more information, see Chapter 13, Connecting via RDP.

For more information about KIWI NG and SLES for SAP:

14.2 Cleaning up an instance before using it as a master image

  

In some cases, it makes sense to use an image of an already-configured master instance on multiple systems instead of generating a KIWI NG image from scratch. For example, when your image needs to contain additional software or configuration that cannot be installed using KIWI NG.

However, normally such an image would contain certain configuration data that should not be copied along with the rest of the system.

To avoid needing to clean up manually, use the script clone-master-clean-up (available from the package of the same name).

It deletes the following data automatically:

  • Swap device (zero-wiped, then re-enabled)

  • SUSE registration information and repositories from SUSE, and the Zypper ID

  • User and host SSH keys and domain and host names

  • The generated HANA-Firewall script (but not the configuration itself)

  • Shell history, mails, cron jobs, temporary files (/tmp, /var/tmp), log files (/var/log), random seeds, systemd journal, collectd statistics, postfix configuration, parts of /root

  • /var/cache, /var/crash, /var/lib/systemd/coredump

Additionally, the following configuration is restored to defaults:

  • Network interfaces that do not use DHCP and network configuration (/etc/hostname, /etc/hosts, and /etc/resolv.conf)

  • sudo settings

Additionally, you can choose to set up a new root password. UUID-based entries in /etc/fstab are replaced by device strings. This script also ensures that if the first-boot section of the installation workflow was used for the original installation, it is run again on the next boot.

14.2.1 Configuring clone-master-clean-up

  

Before running clone-master-clean-up, the script can be configured in the following ways:

  • To configure the script to not clean up certain data, use the configuration file /etc/sysconfig/clone-master-clean-up.

    This file also gives short explanations of the available options.

  • To configure the script to clean up additional directories or files, create a list with the absolute paths of such directories and files: 

    /additional/file/to/delete.now
/additional/directory/to/remove

    Save this list as /var/adm/clone-master-clean-up/custom_remove.

14.2.2 Using clone-master-clean-up

  

To use the script, do: 

# clone-master-clean-up

Then follow the instructions.

14.2.3 For more information

  

The following sources provide additional information about clone-master-clean-up:

  • For general information, see the man page clone-master-clean-up.

  • For information on which files and directories might additionally be useful to delete, see /var/adm/clone-master-clean-up/custom_remove.template.

15 Important log files

  

The most important log files for this product can be found as follows:

  • The SAP Installation Wizard is a YaST module. You can find its log entries in /var/log/YaST/y2log.

  • All SAP knowledge is bundled in a library. You can find its log entries in /var/log/SAPmedia.log.

  • You can find log files related to auto-installation in /var/adm/autoinstall/logs.

A Additional software for SLES for SAP

  

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications makes it easy to install software that is not included with your subscription:

  • Extensions and modules allow installing additional software created and supported by SUSE. For more information about extensions and modules, see Deployment Guide, Part “Initial System Configuration”, Chapter “Installing Modules, Extensions, and Third Party Add-On Products” at https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15.

  • SUSE Connect Program allows installing packages created and supported by third parties, specifically for SLES for SAP. It also gives easy access to third-party trainings and support. See Section A.2, “SUSE connect program”.

  • SUSE Package Hub allows installation of packages created by the SUSE Linux Enterprise community without support. See Section A.3, “SUSE Package Hub”.

A.1 Identifying a base product for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications

  

To identify and distinguish SUSE products, use one of the following files:

/etc/os-release

A text file with key-value pairs, similar to shell-compatible variable assignments. Each key is on a separate line.

You can search for the CPE_NAME key; however, between different releases and service packs, the value may have been changed. If you need further details, refer to the article at https://www.suse.com/support/kb/doc/?id=7023490.

/etc/product.d/baseproduct

A link to an XML file. The /etc/product.d/ directory contains different .prod files.

Depending on which products you have purchased and how you installed your system, the link /etc/product.d/baseproduct can point to a different .prod file, for example, sle-module-sap-applications.prod. The same information as CPE_NAME is stored in the tag <cpeid>.

Among other information, both files contain the operating system and base product. The base product (key CPE_NAME and tag <cpeid>) follow the Common Platform Enumeration Specification.

Basically, you can extract any information from the file /etc/product.d/baseproduct either with the commands grep or xmlstarlet (both are available for your products). As XML is also text, use grep for “simple searches” when the format of the output does not matter much. However, if your search is more advanced, you need the output in another script, or your would like to avoid the XML tags in the output, use the xmlstarlet command instead.

For example, to get your base product, use grep like this: 

> grep cpeid /etc/products.d/baseproduct
<cpeid>cpe:/o:suse:sle-module-sap-applications:RELEASE:spSP_NUMBER</cpeid>

The RELEASE and SP_NUMBER are placeholders and describe your product release number and service pack.

The same can be achieved with xmlstarlet. You need an XPath (the steps that lead you to your information). With the appropriate options, you can avoid the <cpeid>/</cpeid> tags: 

> xmlstarlet sel -T -t -v "/product/cpeid" /etc/products.d/baseproduct
cpe:/o:suse:sle-module-sap-applications:RELEASE:spSP_NUMBER

A more advanced search (which would be difficult for grep) would be to list all required dependencies to other products. Assuming that basename points to sle-module-sap-applications.prod, the following command will output all product dependencies which are required for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications: 

>> xmlstarlet sel -T -t -v "/product/productdependency[@relationship='requires']/@name" /etc/products.d/baseproduct
SUSE_SLE
sle-ha

A.2 SUSE connect program

  

Start SUSE Connect Program from the YaST control center using SUSE Connect Program. Choose from the available options. To enable a software repository, click Add repository.

All software enabled by SUSE Connect Program originates from third parties. For support, contact the vendor in question. SUSE does not provide support for these offerings.

Note
Note: SUSEConnect command-line tool

The SUSEConnect command-line tool is a separate tool with a different purpose: It allows you to register installations of SUSE products.

A.3 SUSE Package Hub

  

SUSE Package Hub provides many packages for SLE that were previously only available on openSUSE. Packages from SUSE Package Hub are created by the community and come without support. The selection includes, for example:

  • The R programming language

  • The Haskell programming language

  • The KDE 5 desktop

To enable SUSE Package Hub, add the repository as described at https://packagehub.suse.com/how-to-use/.

For more information, see the SUSE Package Hub Web site at https://packagehub.suse.com.

B Partitioning for the SAP system using AutoYaST

  

Partitioning for the SAP system is controlled by the files from the directory /usr/share/YaST2/include/sap-installation-wizard/. The following files can be used:

  • SAP NetWeaver or SAP S/4HANA Application Server installation.  base_partitioning.xml

  • SAP HANA or SAP S/4HANA Database Server installation.  hana_partitioning.xml

  • SAP HANA or SAP S/4HANA Database Server installation on SAP BusinessOne-certified hardware.  hardware-specific partitioning file

The files will be chosen as defined in /etc/sap-installation-wizard.xml. Here, the content of the element partitioning is decisive.

If the installation is, for example, based on HA or a distributed database, no partitioning is needed. In this case, partitioning is set to NO and the file base_partitioning.xml is used.

Note
Note: autoinst.xml Cannot Be Used Here

autoinst.xml is only used for the installation of the operating system. It cannot control the partitioning for the SAP system.

The files that control partitioning are AutoYaST control files that contain a partitioning section only. However, these files allow using several extensions to the AutoYaST format:

  • If the partitioning_defined tag is set to true, the partitioning will be performed without any user interaction.

    By default, this is only used when creating SAP HANA file systems on systems certified for SAP HANA (such as from Dell, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, or Lenovo).

  • For every partition, you can specify the size_min tag. The size value can be given as a string in the format of RAM*N. This way you can specify how large the partition should minimally be (N times the size of the available memory (RAM)).

Procedure B.1: Creating a custom SAP partitioning setup
  

The steps below illustrate how to create a partitioning setup for TREX. However, creating a partitioning setup for other applications works analogously.

  1. In /usr/share/YaST2/include/sap-installation-wizard/, create a new XML file. Name it TREX_partitioning.xml, for example.

  2. Copy the content of base_partitioning.xml to your new file and adapt the new file to your needs.

  3. Finally, adapt /etc/sap-installation-wizard.xml to include your custom file. In the listitem for TREX, insert the following line: 

    <partitioning>TREX_partitioning</partitioning>
Important
Important: Do not edit base_partitioning.xml

Do not edit base_partitioning.xml directly. With the next update, this file will be overwritten.

For more information about partitioning with AutoYaST, see AutoYaST Guide, Chapter “Partitioning” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

C Supplementary Media

  

Supplementary Media allow partners or customers to add their own tasks or workflows to the Installation Wizard.

This is done by adding an XML file which will be part of an AutoYaST XML file. To be included in the workflow, this file must be called product.xml.

This can be used for various types of additions, such as adding your own RPMs, running your own scripts, setting up a cluster file system or creating your own dialogs and scripts.

C.1 product.xml

  

The product.xml file looks like a normal AutoYaST XML file, but with some restrictions.

The restrictions exist because only the parts of the XML that are related to the second stage of the installation are run, as the first stage was executed before.

The two XML files (autoyast.xml and product.xml) will be merged after the media is read and a “new” AutoYaST XML file is generated on the fly for the additional workflow.

The following areas or sections will be merged: 

<general>
  <ask-list>         1
  ...
<software>           2
  <post-packages>
  ...
<scripts>
  <chroot-scripts>   3
  <post-scripts>     4
  <init-scripts>     5
  ...

1

see Section C.2, “Own AutoYaST ask dialogs”

2

see Section C.3, “Installing additional packages”

3

after the package installation, before the first boot

4

during the first boot of the installed system, no services running

5

during the first boot of the installed system, all services up and running

All other sections will be replaced.

For more information about customization options, see AutoYaST Guide, Chapter “Configuration and Installation Options”, Section “Custom User Scripts” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

C.2 Own AutoYaST ask dialogs

  

For more information about the “Ask” feature of AutoYaST, see AutoYaST Guide, Chapter “Configuration and Installation Options”, Section “Ask the User for Values During Installation” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15).

For the Supplementary Media, you can only use dialogs within the cont stage (<stage>cont</stage>), which means they are executed after the first reboot.

Your file with the dialogs will be merged with the base AutoYaST XML file.

As a best practice, your dialog should have a dialog number and an element number, best with steps of 10. This helps to include later additions and could be used as targets for jumping over a dialog or element dependent on decisions. We also use this in our base dialogs and if you provide the right dialog number and element number, you can place your dialog between our base dialogs.

You can store the answer to a question in a file, to use it in one of your scripts later. Be aware that you must use the prefix /tmp/ay for this, because the Installation Wizard will copy such files from the /tmp directory to the directory where your media data also will be copied. This is done because the next Supplementary Media could have the same dialogs or same answer file names and would overwrite the values saved here.

Here is an example with several options: 

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE profile>
<profile xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns"
         xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">
<general>
  <ask-list config:type="list">
      <ask>
          <stage>cont</stage>
          <dialog config:type="integer">20</dialog>
          <element config:type="integer">10</element>
          <question>What is your name?</question>
          <default>Enter your name here</default>
          <help>Please enter your full name within the field</help>
          <file>/tmp/ay_q_my_name</file>
          <script>
             <filename>my_name.sh</filename>
             <rerun_on_error config:type="boolean">true</rerun_on_error>
             <environment config:type="boolean">true</environment>
             <source><![CDATA[
function check_name() {
           local name=$1
           LC_ALL=POSIX
           [ -z "$name" ] && echo "You need to provide a name." && return 1
           return 0
}
check_name "$VAL"
]]>
             </source>
             <debug config:type="boolean">false</debug>
             <feedback config:type="boolean">true</feedback>
          </script>
      </ask>
  </ask-list>
</general>
</profile>

C.3 Installing additional packages

  

You can also install RPM packages within the product.xml file. To do this, you can use the <post-packages> element for installation in stage 2.

For more information, see AutoYaST Guide, Chapter “Configuration and Installation Options”, Section “Installing Packages in Stage 2” (https://documentation.suse.com/sles-15). An example looks as follows: 

...
<software>
 <post-packages config:type="list">
  <package>yast2-cim</package>
 </post-packages>
</software>
...

C.4 Example directory for Supplementary Media

  

A minimal example for the Supplementary Media directory contains only a file called product.xml.

D GNU licenses

  

This appendix contains the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2.

GNU Free Documentation License

  

Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA. Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or non-commercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others.

This License is a kind of "copyleft", which means that derivative works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft license designed for free software.

We have designed this License to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation: a free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms that the software does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless of subject matter or whether it is published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference.

This License applies to any manual or other work, in any medium, that contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it can be distributed under the terms of this License. Such a notice grants a world-wide, royalty-free license, unlimited in duration, to use that work under the conditions stated herein. The "Document", below, refers to any such manual or work. Any member of the public is a licensee, and is addressed as "you". You accept the license if you copy, modify or distribute the work in a way requiring permission under copyright law.

A "Modified Version" of the Document means any work containing the Document or a portion of it, either copied verbatim, or with modifications and/or translated into another language.

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The "Invariant Sections" are certain Secondary Sections whose titles are designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the notice that says that the Document is released under this License. If a section does not fit the above definition of Secondary then it is not allowed to be designated as Invariant. The Document may contain zero Invariant Sections. If the Document does not identify any Invariant Sections then there are none.

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  1. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the History section of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version gives permission.

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Copyright (c) YEAR YOUR NAME.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU
Free Documentation License”.

If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and Back-Cover Texts, replace the “with...Texts.” line with this: 

with the Invariant Sections being LIST THEIR TITLES, with the
Front-Cover Texts being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST.

If you have Invariant Sections without Cover Texts, or some other combination of the three, merge those two alternatives to suit the situation.

If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, we recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free software.