SAP NetWeaver deployment to IBM Power Virtual Server using AIX

Getting started with the jump server

If you are using IBM Cloud® Direct Link, you access your Power Virtual Server instances from Linux® or Windows servers that are located in IBM Cloud® or on-premises networks. These systems are known as access system jump servers.

You can also use these jump servers as a software installation repository. The jump server has private and public IP addresses for accessing SAP Software Center or third-party vendor websites to download fixes or updates that can be stored on the jump server.

If you are using the Windows platform, you can install useful tools like WinSCP to transfer the software from the jump server to your AIX or Linux Power Virtual Server. The following table lists tools for jump servers on Windows:

If you are using Windows as a jump server, you can use Windows PowerShell which includes a built-in SSH server.

For jump servers on Linux, the list of tools is nearly identical. For file uploads and downloads, you can use FileZilla, native SFTP, or SCP functionality.

Download SAP's SAPCAR utility, so when you download SAP Installation Media that is often bundled into .SAR files, you can extract the files immediately on the target AIX or Linux Power Virtual Server:

1. Go to the SAP Software Center.
2. In Downloads, search for SAPCAR.
3. Select SAPCAR 7.21.
4. For the operating system, select AIX 64BIT or LINUX ON POWER LE 64BIT.
5. Click the latest entry in the list and download to your jump server.
6. Transfer SAPCAR to your AIX or Linux Power Virtual Server.

[Destination Address]  [Default Gateway]  [Subnet Mask]  [Network Adapter]

cat  /etc/sysconfig/network/ifroute-eth0

10.123.456.0  10.123.456.1 255.255.255.192 eth0

ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=60 -o ServerAliveCountMax=600 <user>@<Public IP Address>

ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=60 -o ServerAliveCountMax=600 -4 -L 3200:localhost:3200 -N -f -l root <Public IP Address> -p 22

ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=60 -o ServerAliveCountMax=600 -4 -L 4237:localhost:4237 -N -f -l root 149.81.129.28 -p 22

ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=60 -o ServerAliveCountMax=600 -4 -L $localport:localhost:$remoteport -N -f -l root $host -p 22

Configuring the NTP client

A newly provisioned Power Virtual Server might not show the correct time when you run the date command. The initial time setting on the server often differs by 10 - 15 minutes from the correct time. This time difference can cause problems when you install and run your SAP system on the server, or when you connect the SAP system to your on-premises landscape.

You can keep the time current by configuring an NTP daemon that receives the correct time from an NTP time server. To set up NTP on AIX, see How to configure NTP in your Environment and common issues.

To enable the AIX virtual server to synchronize with the NTP server, add the network IP address of your company’s NTP server or a public NTP server to the NTP configuration file /etc/ntpd.conf.

Be sure to configure NTP to use the SLEWING option -x as recommended in the following SAP Notes:

• 1972803 - SAP on AIX: Recommendations
• 2456565 - Set NTP with SLEWING option in AIX

After you complete the configuration, check that the NTP daemon runs with the -x argument as follows:

root@ibmdemnw01:/home/root> ps -ef | grep -i xntpd
    root 32309530        1   0 00:13:24      -  0:00 /usr/sbin/xntpd -x

Using the NIM service handler

If you plan to run a NIM Service Handler (NIMSH) on your AIX virtual server to connect to a NIM server, make sure that you avoid the following port conflict.

The NIM client daemon (NIMSH) uses reserved ports 3901 and 3902 (see Using the NIM service handler for client communication). If you install an SAP Central Services Instance with instance number 01 or 02 on the same virtual server, a conflict is generated. By default, the SAP Central Services Instance installation configures port number 39XX for SAP Message Server internal communication, where XX is the two-digit SAP instance number.

An SAP installation places the port number into the SAP profile file DEFAULT.PFL. For example, the following entry in DEFAULT.PFL is for an SAP Central Services instance number 01:

rdisp/msserv_internal = 3901

To avoid port conflicts, do one of the following actions:

• Use instance number 00 for your SAP Central Services instance or another instance number that is not 01 or 02.
• Change the value of the rdisp/msserv_internal profile parameter to a port value that does not conflict with the reserved ports of NIMSH or any other program on your server.

You can check the status of the NIM components on the AIX server as follows:

# lssrc -a |grep -i nim

 nimsh            nimclient                     inoperative

 nimhttp                                        inoperative

Adding storage for the rootvg during AIX server provisioning

Configure additional space in the rootvg for third-party vendor prerequisite checks. After provisioning the AIX server, the rootvg has approximately 8 GB of free space. To prevent issues with prerequisite checks when you install database software, add another disk with a partition size of 30 GB.

1. During virtual server instance provisioning, create a new storage volume that is 30 GB.

2. After the AIX server is provisioned, run the lspv command for an overview of hdisks. The output shows one disk that belongs to the rootvg and another disk that does not have a physical volume identifier and a volume group assigned:

   # lspv
   hdisk0          none                                None
   hdisk1          00f6db0af58e9775                    rootvg          active
   

3. To extend the rootvg volume group, run the following command:

   extendvg rootvg <new hdisk>
   

Extending /tmp

SAP installations as well as Db2 and Oracle Database software installations use PREINSTALLER checks to make sure that your system is database-ready. One of the checks is the amount of free space in /tmp. For example, at least 5 GB of available space is expected for Oracle installations. For Db2, the free space check expects 512 MB.

To extend /tmp:

1. Check the space available in the rootvg. Run the following command:

   lsvg rootvg | grep "FREE PPs"
   

   If more storage is required, you should have sufficient space to extend /tmp because you already added an extra disk.

2. Run the following command:

   chfs -a size=5G /tmp
   

   The size of the logical volume on which /tmp resides (typically hd3) and the file system capacity is increased to 5 GB.

You can run the same command with +5G /tmp to append the size of the file system and add 5 GB to the existing size.

You can enter a higher value to extend the file system further, for example, if you need more capacity, or if there are issues with free space in either “/” or /tmp during the PREINSTALLER check.

Extending or adding paging space

Prechecks can include a paging space check, which analyzes your system and determines whether your server has sufficient paging space for the database or application installation.

Some databases require at least 32 GB. Instead of increasing the size of the current paging space hd6, create a second paging volume when you define additional storage for the database or application volume groups.

After you create volume groups for applications and databases, you can create the new paging space to reside on the volumes within the volume groups.

The lsps -s command shows the total amount of paging space on your system, for example:

root@ibmdemnw01:/swrepo/AIX> lsps -s
Total Paging Space   Percent Used
      25760MB	             0%

The lsps -a command shows the distribution of the paging space that is defined on your system, for example:

root@ibmdemnw01:/swrepo/AIX> lsps -a
Page Space  Physical Volume   Volume Group   Size %Used 	Active	Auto	Type Ch
hd6         hdisk4            rootvg	       160MB   20   yes     yes     lv
paginglv	  hdisk2            fr02swreposvg 25600MB	  0   yes     yes     lv
root@ibmdemnw01:/swrepo/AIX> I

This example shows that a paging space was defined in the volume group fr02swreposvg on hdisk2 called paginglv in addition to the standard paging space hd6 in the rootvg.

If your new AIX server instance doesn't have sufficient paging space when you begin the implementation phase of your database or application, it can lead to multiple errors, for example, PGSPACE_KILL where the VMM starts to prune system processes. Be sure to follow third-party software recommendations for their products.

AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications

When you download SAP packages from the SAP Marketplace, sometimes the files are packed into multispanning archives. Tools are required to decompress the files and rebuild the packages.

For more information, see SAP Note 886535 - Downloading multispanning archives (RAR archive) and SAP Note 960755 - Unpacking ZIP archives in Unix.

The required tools, unrar and unzip, can be downloaded from the AIX Toolbox For Linux Applications. Download the tools and use RPM to install them on your AIX system. You might need to install additional filesets as a prerequisite. These files might already be in the limited AIX repository that is supplied when the AIX server is provisioned.

Additional installation files can be found on the /usr/sys/inst.images mountpoint.

The vnc package is another useful tool in the AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications. After you install the vnc package into your AIX server, you will be able to start a VNC server on your AIX server. Then you can use a VNC viewer such as TightVNC on the jump server or another desktop to connect to your AIX server to start an SAP installation by using Software Provisioning Manager (formerly known as SAPINST) with the web front end. For more information, see Software Provisioning Manager and Installing by using a jump server.

Required filesets for Oracle, IBM Db2, and SAP MaxDB

lslpp -l |egrep -w 'bos.adt.base|bos.perf.libperfstat|bos.adt.lib| bos.adt.libm|bos.perf.perfstat|bos.perf.proctools|xlC.aix61.rte|xlC.rte'

lslpp -l |egrep -w 'bos.adt.base|bos.perf.libperfstat|bos.adt.lib| bos.adt.libm|bos.perf.perfstat|bos.perf.proctools'

lslpp -l | egrep -w 'bos.mp64|bos.rte.libc*|xlC.aix61.rte|xlC.sup.aix50.rte'

Storage and the AIX Logical Volume Manager

Follow these recommendations on creating storage and the AIX Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for the database and application layer.

Installing the system

Before you install the system by using Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM), follow these preliminary steps:

1. Create a user in the smitty user menu called swpmuser so you can avoid running the installation as the root user. If you didn't create a separate rootgrp, keep the primary group as system. Also include this user in the system and root groups so it is basically an administrative user. You will use this user when you start the Software Provisioning Manager tool as a Remote Access Tool user.

2. Create the following directory structure under your software repository mount point /swrepo/SAP for Software Provisioning Manager and other required software as recommended here: Creating separate storage for an installation repository.

Installing by using a client machine

Follow these steps to install the system by using a client machine.

1. Set up SSH tunneling on the client machine. For more information, see SSH tunneling.

2. Set a variable on the server for TMPDIR on the AIX server:

   export TMPDIR=/swrepo/SAP/SWPM/tmp
   

   Otherwise, Software Provisioning Manager uses the system-wide /tmp directory for sapinstdir logging and quickly runs out of space.

3. Unpack the Software Provisioning Manager SAR file on the server.

4. Unpack the installation into the respective folders.

5. Run the Prerequisites Check to make sure that all requirements are met for the installation.

   1. Go to the /swrepo/SAP/prereqcheck directory.
   2. Run the Software Provisioning Manager sapinst executable as follows:

      /swrepo/SAP/SWPM/sapinst SAPINST_REMOTE_ACCESS_USER=swpmuser SAPINST_HTTPS_PORT=443
      

6. Open a browser on your client machine and go to this URL:

   https://<Public IP address of your AIX server>:443/sapinst/docs/index.html
   

7. In login box, enter the swpmuser and the password that you defined.

8. Open the Prerequisites Checker. For example, for Db2: On the Welcome page, select SAP NetWeaver 7.5 > IBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows > Preparations > Prerequisites Check.

9. On the Prerequisite Checker Options page, select the first three options.

10. Click Next to proceed through the wizard until the Prerequisites Checker Results are displayed.

If you see a swap size MEDIUM result, check that you have sufficient swap space on your system.

After you complete the prerequisites check, you can proceed with the SAP NetWeaver installation for the application server, central services, and database installation.

Installing by using a jump server

Follow these steps to install the system by using the jump server and tools that are installed on your AIX virtual server.

Information resources for SAP NetWeaver

The following links will assist you in the installation and configuration of your Power Virtual Server instances and databases with SAP products. Links with numbers in the title point to the SAP Support Portal.