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SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3

Installation Quick Start

Publication Date: December 12, 2024
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Preface

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 guides you through the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

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

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 below:

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

The current release is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is the most interoperable platform for mission-critical computing, both physical and virtual.

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability provides tools for flexible, policy-driven clustering and includes resource agents for managing SAP instances and SAP database back-ends.

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 additional resource agents for SAP HANA Scale-Up, Scale-Out, and for managing topology. Additionally, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications ships with a YaST wizard that simplifies the cluster setup.

Installation workflow

The installation workflow offers a guided installation path for both the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system and the SAP application. This workflow can be extended by third-party vendors using Supplementary Media. For more information, see Section 2.4, “Overview of the installation workflow”.

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.

SAP HANA firewall and SAP HANA hardening guide

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications additionally provides the package HANA-Firewall which integrates with firewalld to provide a preconfigured setup and rules to make securing SAP HANA as simple as possible.

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.

Simplified operations management

The system tuning profile provided by sapconf allows you to automatically and comprehensively tune your system as recommended by SAP.

cryptctl allows encrypting sensitive directories using LUKS. Encryption keys are located on a central server which can be located on customer premises. Encrypted partitions are automatically remounted after an unplanned reboot.

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

ClusterTools2 provides tools that help set up and manage a Corosync/pacemaker cluster.

1.2 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 TDI storage requirements, see:

https://www.sap.com/docs/download/2015/03/74cdb554-5a7c-0010-82c7-eda71af511fa.pdf

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 2.6, “Partitioning”.

2.2 Installation image

Unlike previous SLE products, the entire SLE 15 SP3 product line can be installed from a single installation medium: SLE 15 SP3 Online media 1. To install without network access or registration, download the SLE 15 SP3 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 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 4.2, “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 4.2, “Using the SAP Installation Wizard”, in particular Step 10.

  4. SAP Installation Wizard, part 3: Running the SAP Installer. See Section 4.2, “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.

2.5 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.

2.6 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)

2.6.1 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.

2.6.2 Partitioning for the SAP system (stage 2)

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.

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.

For more information, see Section 2.4, “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.

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.

  1. Select the default system language under Language.

    Language, keyboard and product selection
    Figure 3.2: Language, keyboard and product selection
  2. Select the appropriate keyboard layout under Keyboard Layout. To test whether the selected layout matches your physical keyboard, use the text box Keyboard Test.

  3. SLE 15 SP3 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 SP3.

  4. 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.

  5. (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).

  6. 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 SP3 Packages ISO image from https://download.suse.com. You can then choose Skip registration on this page and select the SLE 15 SP3 Packages ISO image as an add-on product on the next page.

    Registration
    Figure 3.3: Registration
  7. When asked whether to enable update repositories, choose Yes.

  8. 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.

  9. (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.

  10. 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.

  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 2.6, “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 want 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.

    Installation settings
    Figure 3.6: Installation settings
  6. When you are satisfied with the system configuration, click Install.

    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.

4 Installing SAP applications

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

4.1 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 4.2, “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.

4.2 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]

    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.

    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.

  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 2.5, “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.

  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.

5 Upgrading an 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:

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 an 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 want 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.