Deploying infrastructure for SAP workloads on Power Virtual Server
Learn how to plan and deploy the infrastructure components that are required to host SAP workloads on IBM® Power® Virtual Server.
Architecture overview
The recommended architecture for SAP on Power Virtual Server consists of two main infrastructure components:
- IBM Cloud® Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) landing zone
- Provides management services including a bastion host, proxy, Network Time Protocol (NTP), Domain Name System (DNS), and Network File System (NFS) services. This component is deployed in IBM Cloud VPC and serves as the entry point and management layer for your SAP landscape.
- Power Virtual Server workspace
- Hosts the SAP workloads, including SAP HANA databases and SAP NetWeaver application servers. This component provides the compute, storage, and network resources for your SAP systems.
The two components are connected through IBM Cloud® Transit Gateway, which enables secure communication between the VPC management services and the Power Virtual Server workloads.
Deployment workflow
The deployment process consists of the following phases:
- Planning and prerequisites: Review requirements, design the network layout, and prepare the necessary resources
- VPC infrastructure deployment: Set up the VPC landing zone with management services
- Power Virtual Server infrastructure deployment: Create the workspace, networks, and prepare for SAP instances
- SAP instance deployment: Deploy and configure SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver instances
Prerequisites
Before you begin the deployment, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites.
Required permissions
You need sufficient IBM Cloud® Identity and Access Management (IAM) permissions to create and manage the following resources:
- Services from the IBM Cloud catalog
- IBM Cloud VPC services, virtual server instances, networks, network prefixes, storage volumes, SSH keys, and IBM Cloud® Security Groups
- Power® Virtual Server services, virtual server instances, networks, storage volumes, and SSH keys
- IBM Cloud® Direct Link and IBM Cloud Transit Gateway connections
- IBM Cloud Object Storage services and buckets
For more information about Cloud Identity and Access Management permissions, see Managing IAM access for VPC Infrastructure Services and Managing Power Virtual Server IAM access.
SSH key preparation
Create an SSH key pair that you can use to authenticate to all virtual server instances. This key is required to log in to both IBM Cloud VPC and Power Virtual Server instances.
For more information about creating SSH keys, see SSH keys.
SAP software in IBM Cloud Object Storage
Upload your SAP software installation packages and SAP Maintenance Planner XML files to an Object Storage bucket. You need the following information to configure access from your virtual server instances:
- Object Storage endpoint URL
- Object Storage bucket name
- Object Storage HMAC access key
- Object Storage HMAC secret access key
For more information, see Getting started with IBM Cloud Object Storage and Service credentials.
Operating system selection
Choose a Linux operating system for your deployments. For consistency and simplified operations management, use the same OS release for all hosts in your environment.
Supported operating systems for SAP workloads on Power® Virtual Server include:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8.4 or later
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 15 SP3 or later
- AIX (for SAP application server only)
For detailed information about supported operating systems, see OS for Power Virtual Server.
Network planning
Proper network planning is critical for a successful deployment. Design the network layout carefully to prevent IP address conflicts between all subnets in the landscape.
Network design principles
All IP address ranges in your subnets must be unique and must not overlap.
Consider the following items when you design the network:
- IP address ranges for VPC subnets
- IP address ranges for Power Virtual Server private networks
- IP address ranges in your on-premises environment, if you connect using Direct Link
Example network layout
The following table shows an example network layout for a typical SAP deployment:
| Service | Network purpose | Example IP address range |
|---|---|---|
| Edge VPC | Private network for VPN server | 10.30.10.0/24 |
| Edge VPC | Management network for Bastion virtual server instance | 10.30.20.0/24 |
| Edge VPC | Private network for Cloud Object Storage VPEs | 10.30.30.0/24 |
| Edge VPC | Private network for Network services VSI. This subnet has public gateway enabled. | 10.30.40.0/24 |
| Power Virtual Server | SAP network | 10.51.0.0/24 |
Adjust these ranges based on your specific requirements and existing network infrastructure.
Automation options
IBM provides automated deployment solutions for SAP on Power Virtual Server:
- Deployable Architecture
- A complete infrastructure solution that is available in theIBM Cloud catalog. It automates deployment of the VPC landing zone and Power Virtual Server workspace by using Terraform and Ansible.
For more information, see Power Virtual Server for SAP HANA.
Next steps
After you complete the planning and ensure that all prerequisites are met, proceed with the infrastructure deployment:
- Prepare IBM Cloud VPC infrastructure for SAP workloads: Deploy the VPC landing zone with management services
- Prepare Power Virtual Server workspaces for SAP workloads: Create and configure the Power Virtual Server workspace