Installing SAP EHPs on Business-Critical Productive SAP NetWeaver Systems
SAP enhancement packages allow functional updates of systems without a system upgrade. Using the SAP Enhancement Package Installer (SAPehpi) allows installing EHPs with significantly reduced downtime. The installation process can be aligned with downtime planning in SAP Solution Manager. SAPehpi seamlessly integrates with the application life-cycle management processes of SAP Solution Manager.
As we can see - and you probably already found out - in business processes typically more than one tool is involved. In this blog series we want to span whole use cases in life-cycle management including demos of tools and procedures involved.
The Demo Scenario
Initial Situation
Let's consider the following scenario:
- An SAP system is already in productive use
- New functions are requested
- Downtime must be short
Analysis
In the analysis phase a solution is searched for that fulfills the new business needs without compromising other requirements.
- The process used so far does not fit into the maintenance window
- SAP NetWeaver Enhancement Package Installer (SAPehpi) offers a new way of deployment
- SAP EHP1 for SAP NetWeaver is to be installed on the system used for software change management hosting SAP NetWeaver Software Change Management
Solution
In the solution phase the findings from the analysis phase are implemented. In our scenario, the system is updated using SAPehpi:
- Start update process for the change management system well before the maintenance window
- Apply SAP EHP1 on a shadow system created by SAPehpi
- Use scheduled system downtime system to perform the downtime step
System will become available - Risks are minimized by application on a shadow system SP application is done on clone system and does not affect the productive system in case of failure; also preparation steps are separated from system downtime, so the maintenance window can be used most efficiently
- ESS/MSS updates can be achieved in time.
Demo
So our initial system is an SAP NetWeaver 7.0. In SAP Solution Manager the preparation of the system update starts: The next downtime is scheduled and the download stack for the system update is prepared. Roughly a week before the downtime the administrator of the system to be updated starts the run of SAP NetWeaver Enhancement Package Installer (SAPehpi). When the downtime begins he triggers SAPehpi downtime processing, which will finish in about half the time of a "classic" update procedure with transactions SPAM and Saint. After the downtime processing the system starts automatically.
Our demos show all the tools involved in the overall process
- Downtime planning in SAP Solution Manager (demo running automatically)
- Sending downtime notification from SAP Solution Manager (demo running automatically)
- Preparation of the download stack in SAP Solution Manager Maintenance Optimizer (MOPZ) (press "Enter" to go to the next demo step)
- Installation of SAP enhancement package 1 for SAP NetWeaver using SAPehpi (demo running automatically)
To start the 4 demos, just click the steps 1 to 4 from downtime planning to EHP installation below to see the process in action...
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(Note that the parts of the demo have been taken from different update processes so that systems and versions may differ but will work very similar in any such case.)
This use case - adding functionality to a system by installing an SAP enhancement package - will work along the lines for SAP EHPs for ERP systems as well but be sure to read the official guides thoroughly before you before you start the update.
Note that after the installation of an SAP EHP for SAP NetWeaver - other than for SAP ERP - no switches are used, so all functions become active after the installation immediately.
