Deploying SAP HANA stand-alone virtual server instance on IBM Cloud® VPC

Prerequisites

A deployment server (bastion server) deployed by using the automation solution Automate SAP bastion server – SAP media storage repository, should exist in the same VPC, same region, and have the same subnet and security group that is configured for the SAP system VSIs.

Required IAM permissions for deploying SAP HANA on Bare Metal: Bare Metal Console Administrator role to access the ESXi Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) and Bare Metal Advanced Network Operator role to modify IP spoofing and infrastructure NAT configuration on network interfaces. For more information, see Planning for Bare Metal Servers on VPC.

SAP HANA server configuration

The following operating systems and OS images are supported:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 for SAP HANA (amd64) - images: ibm-redhat-8-6-amd64-sap-hana-<x>
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 for SAP HANA (amd64) - images: ibm-redhat-8-4-amd64-sap-hana-<x>
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP 4 for SAP Applications (amd64) - images: ibm-sles-15-4-amd64-sap-hana-<x>
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP 3 for SAP Applications (amd64) - images: ibm-sles-15-3-amd64-sap-hana-<x>

The provided SSH keys are used to access the SAP HANA server via SSH, as a root user. The storage volumes for SAP HANA on VSI are configured based on the Intel Virtual Server certified profiles on VPC infrastructure for SAP HANA. The storage volumes for SAP HANA on Bare Metal Server are configured based on the Bare metal servers certified profiles on VPC infrastructure for SAP HANA.

Schematics deployment

When you use the Schematics interface to deploy SAP HANA, you need to provide the following information:

• the workspace information
• the GitHub repository path
• the value for the parameters in the Schematics interface

Procedure

1. Log in to the Deployment Server (Bastion server) by using ssh command.

2. Clone the GitHub repository from https://github.com/IBM-Cloud/sap-hana-db and go to the sap-hana-db folder.

   $ git clone https://github.com/IBM-Cloud/sap-hana-db.git
   	
   $ cd sap-hana-db
   

3. Customize the VPC variables according to your existing VPC data. Modify the input.auto.tfvars file to specify your options. You need a 40-digit SSH key ID for the deployment. Additional SSH key IDs are optional. For more information related to SAP HANA certified profiles, see Intel Virtual Server certified profiles on VPC infrastructure for SAP HANA and Bare metal servers certified profiles on VPC infrastructure for SAP HANA. For more options about images, see Images.

   The following input variable values must be provided:

   • REGION - Region for SAP HANA server. See the Readme file.
   • ZONE - Zone for SAP HANA server. See the Readme file.
   • VPC - The name of an existing VPC in the specified region.
   • SECURITY_GROUP - The name of an existing Security group in the same VPC.
   • RESOURCE_GROUP - The name of an existing Resource group, previously created by the user.
   • SUBNET - The name of an existing Subnet in the same region and zone as the SAP HANA server.
   • SSH_KEYS - A list of SSH keys UUIDs allowed to connect through SSH to the SAP HANA server.
   • ID_RSA_FILE_PATH - existing id_rsa private key file path in OpenSSH format with 0600 permissions.
   • HANA_SERVER_TYPE – The type of SAP HANA server: "virtual" server instance or "bare metal" server.
   • DB_HOSTNAME - The hostname of the SAP HANA server, up to 13 characters. For more information, see the Readme file.
   • DB_PROFILE – The server certified profile to be used for SAP HANA. See the Readme file.
   • ATR_NAME – The name of an existing Activity Tracker in the same region as the SAP HANA server.

   ######################################################
   # General VPC variables:
   ######################################################
   
   REGION = ""
   # Region for SAP HANA server. Supported regions: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?topic=containers-regions-and-zones#zones-vpc
   # Example: REGION = "eu-de"
   
   ZONE = ""
   # Availability zone for SAP HANA server. Supported zones: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?topic=containers-regions-and-zones#zones-vpc
   # Example: ZONE = "eu-de-1"
   
   VPC = ""
   # EXISTING VPC, previously created by the user in the same region as the SAP HANA server. The list of available VPCs: https://cloud.ibm.com/infrastructure/network/vpcs
   # Example: VPC = "ic4sap"
   
   SECURITY_GROUP = ""
   # EXISTING Security group, previously created by the user in the same VPC. The list of available Security Groups: https://cloud.ibm.com/infrastructure/network/securityGroups
   # Example: SECURITY_GROUP = "ic4sap-securitygroup"
   
   RESOURCE_GROUP = ""
   # EXISTING Resource group, previously created by the user. The list of available Resource Groups: https://cloud.ibm.com/account/resource-groups
   # Example: RESOURCE_GROUP = "wes-automation"
   
   SUBNET = ""
   # EXISTING Subnet in the same region and zone as the SAP HANA server, previously created by the user. The list of available Subnets: https://cloud.ibm.com/infrastructure/network/subnets
   # Example: SUBNET = "ic4sap-subnet"
   
   SSH_KEYS = [""]
   # List of SSH Keys UUIDs that are allowed to SSH as root to the SAP HANA server. The SSH Keys should be created for the same region as the SAP HANA server. The list of available SSH Keys UUIDs: https://cloud.ibm.com/infrastructure/compute/sshKeys
   # Example: SSH_KEYS = ["r010-8f72b994-c17f-4500-af8f-d05680374t3c", "r011-8f72v884-c17f-4500-af8f-d05900374t3c"]
   
   ID_RSA_FILE_PATH = "ansible/id_rsa"
   # Your existing id_rsa private key file path in OpenSSH format with 0600 permissions.
   # This private key it is used only during the terraform provisioning and it is recommended to be changed after the SAP deployment.
   # It must contain the relative or absoute path from your Bastion.
   # Examples: "ansible/id_rsa_s4hana" , "~/.ssh/id_rsa_s4hana" , "/root/.ssh/id_rsa".
   

   ##########################################################
   # SAP HANA Server variables:
   ##########################################################
   
   HANA_SERVER_TYPE = ""
   # The type of SAP HANA Server. Allowed vales: "virtual" or "bare metal"
   # Example: HANA_SERVER_TYPE = "bare metal"
   
   DB_HOSTNAME = ""
   # The Hostname for the DB VSI. The hostname must be up to 13 characters, as required by SAP
   # Example: DB_HOSTNAME = "icp4sapdb"
   
   DB_PROFILE = ""
   # The profile used for SAP HANA Server. 
   # The list of certified profiles for SAP HANA Virtual Servers is available here: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/sap?topic=sap-hana-iaas-offerings-profiles-intel-vs-vpc
   # The list of certified profiles for SAP HANA Bare Metal Servers is available here: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/sap?topic=sap-hana-iaas-offerings-profiles-intel-bm-vpc. 
   # Details about all x86 instance profiles are available here: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vpc?topic=vpc-profiles.
   # Example of Virtual Server Instance profile for SAP HANA: DB_PROFILE ="mx2-16x128". 
   # Example of Bare Metal profile for SAP HANA: DB_PROFILE = "bx2d-metal-96x384". 
   # For more information about supported DB/OS and IBM VPC, check SAP Note 2927211: "SAP Applications on IBM Virtual Private Cloud".
   
   DB_IMAGE = "ibm-redhat-8-6-amd64-sap-hana-5"
   # OS image for DB Server. Validated OS images for SAP HANA Server: ibm-redhat-8-6-amd64-sap-hana-5, ibm-redhat-8-4-amd64-sap-hana-9, ibm-sles-15-4-amd64-sap-hana-6, ibm-sles-15-3-amd64-sap-hana-9.
   # The list of available VPC Operating Systems supported by SAP: SAP note '2927211 - SAP Applications on IBM Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Infrastructure environment' https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2927211; The list of all available OS images: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vpc?topic=vpc-about-images
   # Example: DB_IMAGE = "ibm-sles-15-4-amd64-sap-hana-6"
   ##########################################################
   # Activity Tracker variables:
   ##########################################################
   
   ATR_NAME = ""
   # The name of an existent Activity Tracker instance, in the same region chosen for SAP system deployment.
   # Example: ATR_NAME="Activity-Tracker-SAP-eu-de"
   

   The hostname must be up to 13 characters as required by SAP. For more information about the rules that apply to hostnames for SAP systems, see SAP Note 611361 - Hostnames of SAP ABAP Platform servers.

4. Customize your SAP system configuration. Modify the input.auto.tfvars file to specify SAP HANA system configuration and enter the location of the downloaded SAP HANA Kit file.

   ##########################################################
   # SAP HANA configuration
   ##########################################################
   
   HANA_SID = "HDB"
   # SAP HANA system ID. Should follow the SAP rules for SID naming.
   # Example: HANA_SID = "HDB"
   
   HANA_SYSNO = "00"
   # SAP HANA instance number. Should follow the SAP rules for instance number naming.
   # Example: HANA_SYSNO = "01"
   
   HANA_SYSTEM_USAGE = "custom"
   # System usage. Default: custom. Suported values: production, test, development, custom
   # Example: HANA_SYSTEM_USAGE = "custom"
   
   HANA_COMPONENTS = "server"
   # SAP HANA Components. Default: server. Supported values: all, client, es, ets, lcapps, server, smartda, streaming, rdsync, xs, studio, afl, sca, sop, eml, rme, rtl, trp
   # Example: HANA_COMPONENTS = "server"
   
   KIT_SAPHANA_FILE = "/storage/HANADB/SP07/Rev73/51057281.ZIP"
   # SAP HANA Installation kit path
   # Example for Red Hat 8 or Suse 15: KIT_SAPHANA_FILE = "/storage/HANADB/SP07/Rev73/51057281.ZIP"
   
   HDB_CONCURRENT_JOBS = "23"
   # Number of concurrent jobs used to load and/or extract archives to HANA Host
   

5. Initialize the Terraform CLI.

   terraform init

6. Create a Terraform execution plan. The Terraform execution plan summarizes all the actions that are done to create the virtual private cloud instance in your account.

   terraform plan --out plan1

   You are asked to enter the IBM Cloud API key and the SAP HANA main password.

   The SAP HANA main password must contain at least one digit (0-9), one lowercase letter (a-z), and one uppercase letter (A-Z). It can only contain the following characters: a-z, A-Z, 0-9, !, @, #, $, _. It must not start with a digit or an underscore ( _ ).

7. Verify that the plan shows all of the resources that you want to create and that the names and values are correct. If the plan needs to be adjusted, edit the input.auto.tfvars file to correct resources and run terraform plan --out plan1 again.

8. Deploy the SAP solution:

   terraform apply "plan1"

Deploying SAP HANA DB on VSI or Bare Metal Server by using the Schematics user interface

Use these steps to configure the SAP HANA DB single VSI on your existing VPC by using the Schematics user interface. The scripts can take 1 - 2 hours to complete.

1. From the IBM Cloud menu, select Schematics.

2. Click Create workspace.

3. On the Specify template page:

   • Enter the GitHub URL for the code you plan to deploy.
   • Select the Terraform version that is listed in the Readme file.
   • Click Next.

4. On the Workspace details page:

   • Enter a name for the workspace.
   • Select a Resource group.
   • Select a Location for your workspace. The workspace location does not have to match the resource location.
   • Click Next.

5. Select Create to create your workspace.

6. On the workspace Settings page, in the Input variables section, review the default input variables and provide values that match your solution:

   • Your IBM Cloud API key.
   • A private SSH key to be used for the deployment.
   • (Optional) You can change the ID_RSA_FILE_PATH for your SSH key file that will be generated on Schematics and on the bastion server.
   • The ID(s) of the SSH key(s) that you created and uploaded to IBM Cloud. Enter the SSH key ID(s) in [] brackets and surrounded by quotation marks, for example [ "ibmcloud_ssh_key_UUID1", "ibmcloud_ssh_key_UUID2",... ].
   • The floating IP address of the bastion server (deployment server).
   • The resource group where the IBM Cloud resources are created.
   • The region for your resources.
   • The zone for your resources.
   • Existing VPC name
   • Existing Subnet name
   • Existing Security group name
   • SAP HANA server type: virtual server instances or bare metal
   • Hostname
   • Profile
   • Image
   • Existing Activity Tracker name
   • SAP HANA SID
   • SAP HANA main password - must be at least 10 characters, upper, and lowercase letters, a number, and a special character, not an exclamation point.
   • SAP HANA system number
   • SAP HANA system usage
   • SAP HANA components
   • SAP HANA kit file path
   • Number of SAP HANA concurrent jobs.
   • Click Save changes.

   For a more detailed description of the parameters, check the GitHub repo Readme file, chapter General Input Variables. Also, make sure to mark as “sensitive” the parameters that contain sensitive information like passwords, IBM Cloud API, the SSH private key and SAP HANA password (they are marked as “sensitive” in the Readme file in the General Input Variables).

7. On the workspace Settings page, click Generate plan. Wait for the plan to complete.

8. Click View log to review the log files of your Terraform execution plan.

9. Apply your Terraform template by clicking Apply plan.

10. Review the log file to ensure that no errors occurred during the provisioning, modification, or deletion process.