SAP hardware configuration

[Clara Rowe]

HI Experts! Any help on this will be greatly appreciated. We are under the gun and terribly confused. We are trying to come up with the most cost effective, yet ultimate performance hardware configuration for SAP. We need to present a total cost analysis ASAP. We would like to know what parts can reside on the same server, and which are better off separated.

Thank you in advance for your time and expert opinions.

Clara

[Karthik S S]

See if this whitepaper helps you,

http://www.hp.com/products1/servers/rackoptimized/rp8400/rp8400infolib/SAP_perf_brief.pdf

-Karthik S S

[Clara Rowe]

Thank you for responding so quickly. It is a helpful paper, but it doesn't tell me what I need. We want to know how many servers are required to make this thing work properly. We thought that we could have the R/3, BW, and TPM databases on the same server. We are being told that we should not go that route.

Clara

[Shaikh Imran · Accepted solution]

Hi,
My typical setup for SAP is having all R/3,BW and TPM on different servers:
We started like this.
SAP R/3 server ( Production Server) : N4000 6 cpu 6GB RAM which we later upgraded.
SAP B/W (Business Warehouse):N4000 4 cpu 6GB RAM.
Application Servers : This is combination of L2000 and L1000 with 2-4GB RAMs.

And for Performance sake we have Installed SAP R/3 CI on different L class server.i.e Our R/3 DB was on Nclass and R/3 CI was on L class.

We had earlier used HP-FC60 then shifted to Netaps F840 filer as a storage for R/3 DB But Later on shifted to CLariion EMC FC4700.

The latest developement is we have successfully configured Suse Linux on intel platform for our SAP R/3 application servers.

Hope this will give you a little idea.

Regards,

[Karthik S S]

There is a book on SAP Hardware solutions,

http://www.hp.com/hpbooks/prentice/ptr_0130280844.html

-Karthik S S

[Sanjay Kumar Suri]

Each SAP running installation has a landscape that consists of DEV (Development) --> QAS (Quality) --> PRD (Production).

DEV system can be smaller say L-Class.
QAS system can be L-Class but have storage need as big as PRD.
PRD system have to be Superdome class (N-Class may do depending upon load).

One needs a great storage of the class XP128/XP1024 range and a good/faster backup solution.

PRD need to directly connected to storage for better throuhput whereas DEV/QAS can be connected using SAN.

Also need a backup server which can have SAN connect.

SAP has a tool called "Quick Sizer" for Initial Hardware Sizing of your Business Processes.

http://service.sap.com

All the best.

sks

[Clara Rowe]

Thank you so much for all of the information. I know you have all been in our shoes at one time or another, being asked to provide sizing for a system you have no clue about. This forum has been so helpfull in getting information. I can't thank you enough.

Clara

[Geoff Wild]

A lot depends on size of your DB, users, etc.

We have over 2000 users, about 600 printers.

We have a landscape of: DEV, QA, PROD.
Basis Team also has a small Test server.

DEV: N-Class 4 way, 8GB ram, 300 GB disk
QA: RP7410 5 way, 10GB ram 1.5 TB disk
PROD: RP7410 5 Way, 10GB of ram 1.5 TB disk
PROD has 3 N-Class App servers (8 way, 10 GB of ram each)

PROD is 2 node cluster with MC/ServiceGuard.

PROD is also DR'ed to city where QA is (using EMC's SRDF).

An approx cost - 5 way RP7410 will cost a little over $200K Canadian.

Best would be to speak to your local HP Rep - they would gladly do a full sizing/cost for you.

Rgds...Geoff

[Richard Saldivar]

Our environment is DEV/QAS are on one box with 2 oracle instances DEV/QAS.
PRD is on one box.
The other applications may involve another box.

SAP has a sizing spread sheet, Talk to your sales person who will present it. This will involve the Systems admin and what is called the functional person(The person who knows how the business works).

It will ask how big is the present
database (future growth, ours doubles almost every year)
How many users (for performance issues and cost of licenses, ours exploded with users who were not on present home built system to include many clerks)

and as previously posted, A DEV box (development box where configurations, security and reports are generated by programmers) This is needed because alot of reports/configuration is being tweaked and are cross client, meaning it could affect the other instances)
QAS where an almost duplicate of PRD(Production is kept for testing of configuration/security of users)

PRD (production)as fast of harddrives as you can get. We went from SCSI/controllers to Fiber channels and noticed a big improvement.

If you are going to do in house there are alot of start up things you need to know, immediatly send someone for BASIS security trainging. Most ASPs/contractors will charge a premium for this person's job. And Security if very detailed in SAP. I am the Security Basis for our company and I tell users that in SAP after getting a login you have to be given the right to even print. Every aspect of SAP is a BASIS security issue that has to be given to each user.

[Clara Rowe]

I really do appreciate all the helpful information. We have had sales people giving us conflicting stories. The latest one is telling us each component/database (i.e. R/3;BW;TPM,QA,dev, etc) should be on it's own machine. We were told by SAP that the database part does not have to be all that beefy since the application servers are the ones doing all of the work. We are looking for best practices, and lessons learned so that we don't make the same mistakes. Things like having to separate the CI part as Shaikh Imran mentioned are particularly helpful. Thanx Shaikh!

Thanx to all of you. I have been telling anyone that will listen that the HP forum is the best thing out there, and you guys keep proving me right!

Clara

[Richard Saldivar]

Just a last word. We use an ASP (Application Service Provider). We were on a HP 9000L class 4 CPU, 5 GB RAM, about to go to 100 GB of hardrive space. All this for a medium size company with 200 user logins. When contract came up we changed ASPs and went to a SUN v480 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM, 1 Tera Byte of Hardrive SAN unit (this is one box with all hardrives and the database and OS come off of it. I would have liked to stay with HP because of Administration and ease of use but we had to go with what the ASP would support. So sizing is relative.

Lots of Hardrive space for growth you didn't even know would happen. And fast as possible processor.

[Sanjay Kumar Suri]

Some more inputs

It is possible to put everything in one box as you said: have the R/3, BW, and TPM databases on the same server.

But I will not also recommend.

What you can have is a machine of the class Supersome/N-Class and use Hard partitions/VPars to load the productions database server on each partitions.

Production systems are generally for mission crictal requirement and need to run in a 24*7 operations.

Again with SAP R/3, BIW, TPM availability criterias are different. Some companies can withstand downtime in BIW/TPM but can't afford a downtime in their main business transaction server i.e. SAP R/3.

Production database server have to bigger in terms of CPU/Memory as the all database operations happen here.

Application servers in SAP are loaded with SAP instances. One server can have more than 1 instance.

These instances/application servers can be added depending upon the user load, modules being used.

Do also keep in mind the front-end PC hardware configuration before going for any kind of SAP implementation.

Printing in SAP especially Front-end printing also need to be evaluated, if there are front-end printing needs.

sks