Explaining Provisioning Roadmaps in Detail

One important pre–requisite in provisioning is the selection of the cloning mechanism.

Storage-based clone

This mechanism replicates data directly via storage based cloning or snapshot technologies.

VM-based clone

This mechanism replicates data via the virtualization technology. It has a prerequisite that all data must be on virtual disks, for example vmdk.

Custom clone

You can integrate your own scripts to perform the data replication step within the SAP Landscape Management E2E system provisioning process, for example, use of backup and restore.

In a storage-based clone, select the AC-enabled checkbox. Provide previously created networks as well as OS via Configuration → Systems. Choose the corresponding instance and then choose Edit → Instance properties. Provide mount points of your system on the Mount Point screen.

In a VM-based clone, deselect the AC-enabled checkbox. If applicable, select the Installed with Virtual Host Name checkbox. You do not need to provide mount points because whole VM will be cloned.

In a custom clone, to activate custom cloning, it is crucial to select the Use Custom Provisioning Process checkbox. To access this, choose Configuration → Systems, choose the corresponding system, and choose Edit → Provisioning & RFC.

You want to clone a system, which means that you want to create a duplicate of an existing system with an identical system ID. As a prerequisite, you must have enabled your system for cloning. To enable the system, choose Configuration → Systems, choose the system that you want to clone, and choose Edit.

To start the system clone process call Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to clone on the left side of the screen and then choose Clone System. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the clone process.

In the Basic step, choose the Pool that you want to add the target system to. Enter a short name for the target system to distinguish between source system and target system. Choose Next.

If you use storage based cloning approach, specify the target hosts of your new system. If you have configured a virtualization manager within SAP Landscape Management and want to provision a new host, choose Provision New Host. Navigate through the wizard to define details for new hosts.

SAP Landscape Management can configure and create virtual hostnames and physical host names for newly provisioned virtual machines. If you do not want SAP Landscape Management to create hostnames, you have to create these host names up-front on your name server. In the Hostnames step, you can define the combination of virtual hostname and instance. Select Auto IP Address to assign an IP address automatically by using the range of IPs you specified when configuring the landscape. Choose a previously created network.

Decide if you want to create a new volume or if the data of source system should be copied to a already existing volume. If a full backup copy should be used, select Full Copy; otherwise a snapshot of the volume will be created. If you want to use an already existing snapshot, select Clone from System Snapshot. This step is only applicable if you use storage-based provisioning.

The following table outlines the options that are available for the database consistency:

To schedule the execution of the cloning volumes step, select the Schedule Execution of Cloning Step checkbox and enter an execution date and time. You can schedule execution for synchronized cloning. The system provisioning activity is executed immediately until it reaches the cloning volumes step. When the scheduled time is reached, the system provisioning activity continues and the cloning step is executed. That means that only the cloning volumes step waits until the scheduled time is reached. All preceding steps are executed immediately. For example, the stop operation is executed immediately if the consistency option Offline: Stop and Restart System has been selected.

On hosts where cloned, copied, refreshed, or renamed instances are running, all outgoing transmission control protocol (TCP) connections are blocked. This blocking isolates the target system from its source system. The OS firewall is used for the isolation, for example, iptables for Linux or ipsec for AIX. You can define which TCP connections are allowed on the hosts. By default, all connections needed within the target system are allowed. To allow a connection on the target system, choose Add and define Rule Type, Target Hostname, and Target Port. You can extend this list also within Configuration → Systems and change the default configuration for the source system within the roadmap step Network Isolation.

Review your configured cloning procedure on the summary screen. You have the following options:

• To save your configured cloning procedure for execution at a later point in time, choose Save as Template.

• To save your configured cloning procedure and directly execute it, choose Save & Execute Template.

• To start the cloning procedure without saving the configuration, choose Start System Cloning.

You will be redirected to the monitoring screen as soon as you start the system clone.

If you use a VM-based cloning approach, you must define the details of your target hosts, for example, the target name. Note also that SAP Landscape Management will clone all of the virtual machines that your source system is running on.

You want to copy a system to create a new test system, for example. A prerequisite for this is that you must enable your system for copying. Choose Configuration → Systems, choose the system that should be copied, and choose Edit.

To start the system copy process, choose Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to copy on the left side of the screen and then choose Copy System. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the copy process.

The following figures only describe the roadmap steps that differ from the clone system process.

In the Basic step, define a new System ID and a new HANA SID or, if you use any database, a new Database name. Choose the Pool that you want to add the target system to. Define a new Master Password. This new password is used for database users and as a default password for the OS users.

If needed, in the Instance Number step, you can change the proposed instance numbers. Select the instance and choose an instance number between 00 and 98.

The Users screen shows all the OS users and groups that are copied to the target system by SAP Landscape Management. If you want, you can change the master password for existing users.

If required, in the Rename step, you can change the preselected release configuration for each instance. For some database release configurations, you must specify the database administrator and manager credentials of the source system. To see if your source system is ready for system copy, choose Execute Prerequisite Checker.

In the ABAP PCA step, specify the Post-Copy Automation Task List and Task List Variant that you want to execute. If necessary, you can modify the parameters of the task list. Then finish the roadmap accordingly. After starting the system copy process, you are forwarded to the Monitoring screen.

VM-based system provisioning uses the same roadmap steps except for storage. You can clone the whole VM that the system is running on, not the volumes. Define the host properties of target hosts in the Hosts roadmap step.

To overwrite an existing target system with the latest data from source system, refresh a system, and keep the configuration of your target system. If the target system was not copied by SAP Landscape Management, ensure that the relationship between the source and target system is configured in SAP Landscape Management. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Choose Configuration → Systems, choose the target system, and choose Edit.

• Define the system that was provisioned by Copy.

• Define the source system.

Ensure that the source system is enabled for system copy.

To start the system refresh process, choose Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to refresh on the left side of the screen and then choose Refresh System. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the refresh process.

The following figures only describe the roadmap steps that differ from those for Clone System.

In the Basic step, to use an existing export of the system configuration, select the Export already exists checkbox and specify the directory that contains the export file. If you do not want to use an existing export, in the Export to Directory field, enter the export directory where you want to store the export. To remove an export after import, select the Remove Export After Import checkbox. Then define a new Master Password. This new password is used for database users and as a default password for the OS users.

In the ABAP PCA step, specify the Post-Copy Automation Task List and Task List Variant that you want to execute. SAP Landscape Management preselects the suitable task list. If necessary, modify the parameters of the task list.

Decide how to handle the old storage volumes by choosing one of the following options in the Delete Volumes step:

• Do not delete volumes: The volumes are kept.

• Delete volumes with confirmation: The refresh process stops before deleting the storage volumes and waits for your explicit confirmation.

• Delete volumes without confirmation: A dialog box appears, which needs your confirmation to delete volumes without confirmation.

This step is only applicable if you use storage-based provisioning. After starting the refresh, you're redirected to the Monitoring screen.

To keep the configuration settings of your application instances such as central instance (CI), dialog instance (DI), and so on, refresh a database. If the target system was not copied by SAP Landscape Management, ensure that the relationship between the source and target system is configured in SAP Landscape Management. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Choose Configuration → Systems, choose the target system, and choose Edit.

• Define the system that was provisioned by Copy.

• Define the source system.

Ensure that the source system is enabled for system copy.

To start the refresh database process, choose Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to refresh on the left side of the screen and then choose Refresh Database. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the refresh process.

The roadmap steps for refresh database are the same as the steps for system refresh.

Perform a restore-based refresh for a system with SAP HANA databases using a complete database backup from the source system. Refresh the SAP HANA database of the system, but keep the configuration settings of your application instances. If the target system was not copied by SAP Landscape Management, ensure that the relationship between the source and target system is configured in SAP Landscape Management. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Choose Configuration → Systems, choose the target system, and choose Edit.

• Define the system that was provisioned by Copy.

• Define the source system.

Ensure that the source system is enabled for system copy.

Ensure that you have configured the backup share, for example, the NFS share. This is where the backups of your source system are stored. Another prerequisite is that the backup share must be counted on the target system, which should be refreshed.

To start the restore-based refresh process, choose Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to refresh on the left side of the screen and then choose Restore based Refresh. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the refresh process.

The following figures only describe the roadmap steps that differ from those for clone system.

In the Database Restore step, select the data backup that is required for the database restore. Then finish the roadmap accordingly. After starting the restore-based refresh, you are forwarded to the Monitoring screen.

You can change the system ID, host names, instance numbers, and mount points from the source system to the target system. Ensure that your source system is enables for renaming. Choose Configuration → Systems, choose your source system, and choose Edit.

To start the rename process, choose Provisioning → System and AS. Choose the system that you want to rename on the left side of the screen and then choose Rename System. A roadmap appears, which guides you through the rename process.

The following figures only describe the roadmap steps that differ from those for clone system.

In the Hostnames step, you can adjust the hostnames to your needs as follows:

• By default, SAP Landscape Management adjusts the current hostnames to the new SID.

• If the proposed hostnames are not suitable, you can also adjust them manually.

Define the combination of virtual hostname and instance. Choose Auto IP Address to assign an IP address automatically using the range of IPs that you specified when configuring the landscape. Choose a previously created network.

In the Rename Mounts step, you can adjust the mount points to your needs as follows:

• By default, SAP Landscape Management adjusts the current mount points to the new SID.

• If you want, you can change the mount points for the instances.

This step is only applicable if you use storage-based provisioning.

Finish the roadmap accordingly. After starting the restore-based refresh, you are forwarded to the Monitoring screen.