The following steps need to be performed as preparation for the installation of an SAP system.
General Installation Preparation Steps
• Download the installation DVDs.
• Read the required installation guides
• Read all required SAP Notes as listed in the installation guides.
• Install/update SAP front-end components like SAP GUI for Windows.
• Install Java Runtime Environment for SAPinst - depending on the need.
• Set environment variable for SAPinst.
• Install Java Development Kit for SAP NetWeaver AS Java (depending on usage types and operation system) - depending on the need.
• Set environment variable for SAP NetWeaver AS Java.
• Download Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files for AS Java based SAP systems).
• Check if the necessary hardware and software requirements are fulfilled (Prerequisites Check).
Caution: Please be aware of the following facts:
• Newer versions of SAPinst (as used in this course) do not require a separately installed Java Runtime Environment, they bring their own.
• Newer installations of SAP systems (e.g. SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SR1) automatically use SAP JVM.
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
Figure 12: Download Installation DVDs
Read Installation Guides and SAP Notes
Figure 13: Read the Installation Guides
For each installation, you should read the corresponding installation guide for your specific combination of operating system and database system. It can be found at SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link instguides.
You should read it carefully before starting the installation process. Have the installation guide ready during the installation to follow each successive step of the installation procedure.
Read relevant SAP Notes
Read the current version of all the relevant SAP Notes. These SAP Notes contain additional information that is required when performing an installation. The SAP Notes can be found on the SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link notes.
Read only the SAP Notes relevant for your specific installation.
To avoid known problems read them carefully before beginning an installation.
Have all the relevant SAP Notes at hand during the installation so that you can quickly solve potential problems that might occur.
Install SAP Front-End Software
Figure 14: Install SAP Front-End Software
Ensure that the front-end software is installed on at least one host in your system environment. To simplify the administration of your SAP system, it is recommended that you do this on the central instance host.
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
For more information on installing the front-end software, refer to the corresponding unit of this class and the separate documentation:
• SAP Front-End Installation Guide (English version)
• SAP Frontend-Installationsleitfaden (German version) Make DVDs available
The master guide lists the DVDs you need for the installation in the Media Information section. The installation guide lists the DVDs you need for the installation in the Preparation chapter.
Download all required DVDs and make them assessable to the host, the SAP system should be installed on.
JRE/JDK Installation
SAPinst is a Java based tool and thus needs a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed. If you will later on install Java based SAP software on the same host, make sure to install the right version, if possible. For example SAP NetWeaver AS Java 7.02 needs the full J2SE SDK (Java 2 Standard Edition Software Development Kit), also called JDK (Java Development Kit). In this JDK also the JRE is contained, which also works for SAPinst. Always check the Product Availability Matrix on SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link pam for the supported version of the JDK. In addition following SAP Note 723909 - Java VM settings for J2EE 6.40/7.0 provides helpful information.
Caution: Please be aware of the following facts:
• Newer versions of SAPinst (as used in this course) do not require a separately installed Java Runtime Environment, they bring their own. For AS ABAP-based SAP-system this is the case starting from EHP6 for SAP ECC 6.0. For AS Java-based SAP systems, this is the case starting from SAP NetWeaver 7.1.
• Newer installations of SAP systems (e.g. SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SR1) automatically use SAP JVM. In this course, we will still see the “old world” as we are installing SAP Solution Manager 7.1 (initial shipment).
The steps are described in detail in the following figures on the example of Windows 2008 R2 Server x64 Edition.
Note: For UNIX operating systems it is also mandatory to install the JRE and or JDK (depending on the release of the installed product). The details on those installations are not included here.
Note: If you are installing your SAP system on an Oracle database, be aware that the Oracle installer also installs an JRE on the database host. The location of this JRE is added automatically to the environment variable PATH.
Figure 15: Windows: JDK Installation
Hint: When you specify the Java installation directory, make sure that:
• There are no spaces in the directory path
• The directory only contains the version number and NOT the build number or patch level.
This is recommended because many SAP and non-SAP tools use the path to the Java installation directory in start scripts. If you upgrade from e.g. j2sdk1.4.2_34 to j2sdk1.4.2_36 and leave the default settings, the directory name changes, but the scripts don't get changed.
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
If you are not certain that the JDK/JRE is installed already, you can check under Start → Settings → Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs. The software is present if there is an entry for “Java ...”.
Hint: Deactivate the automatic update feature of the Java installation.
Otherwise you may upgrade your JDK unwillingly to a non-supported version.
After installation of the JRE/JDK you have to set an environment variable so that SAPinst and SAP NetWeaver AS Java can locate the installed JRE/JDK.
In case you need to install more than one JDK version, you can set different environment variables for SAPinst and SAP NetWeaver AS Java. SAPinst checks environment variable SAPINST_JRE_HOME for a valid Java runtime environment. If SAPINST_JRE_HOME is not found, SAPinst also checks JAVA_HOME. As SAP NetWeaver AS Java also needs the JAVA_HOME environment variable to be set, you can simply add the JAVA_HOME variable if SAPinst and SAP NetWeaver AS Java need the same JDK version.
Setting the environment variable in Windows
To set the JAVA_HOME environment variable in Windows, choose Start → Settings → Control Panel → System and switch to the Advanced tab. Select Environment Variables.
Make sure the JAVA_HOME system variable is set to the Java home directory, which is the directory in which the JDK is installed. If it is not set, create a new variable.
The procedure to create a new variable is:
• Below section System variables choose New.
• Set Variable name to JAVA_HOME.
• Set Variable value to the Java home directory, for example D:\j2sdk
• Choose OK.
• The JAVA_HOME variable is now present in the system variables list.
Figure 16: Windows: Environment Variable JAVA_HOME
If necessary repeat the steps above for the SAPINST_JRE_HOME variable to point to an alternative JRE.
Note: The same environment variables need to be set for UNIX operating systems.
Hint: If you need additional JRE or JDK installations, because additional software running on the same host require this, you can also set the environment variables to be user specific.
Download JCE Policy Files
As of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 strong encryption is mandatory for SAP NetWeaver AS Java and for all usage types that are deployed on it. You need to obtain the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files 1.4.2.
beforehand so that they can be installed by SAPinst. Download the JCE policy files for the SUN JDK at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html. SAPinst installs the JCE policy files during the installation process.
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
Figure 17: JCE Policy Files (SUN)
This file from Oracle can also be used for HP-UX Java SDK/JDK.
For the IBM JDK you get the JCE policy files from IBM.
Prerequisites Check
You should check the hardware and software requirements for your operating system (OS) and the SAP instances using the Prerequisite Checker tool.
The Prerequisite Checker provides information about the requirements that you need to meet before you start the installation. For example, it checks the requirements for the different installation services.
Before using this tool consult SAP Note 855498 - Installation Prerequisite Checker to get the latest update for the prerequisite checker. Download the attachment fitting to your installation, here PREREQUISITE_CHECK_DATA_700.SAR, and save it on the host. Extract the SAR file using sapcar. When executing the check, reference the extracted XML file.
Figure 18: Prerequisites Check 1/5
On the welcome screen, choose: SAP Solution Manager 7.1 → Software Life-Cycle Options → Additional Preparation Options → Prerequisites Check.
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
Figure 19: Prerequisites Check 2/5
Figure 20: Prerequisites Check 3/5
Figure 21: Prerequisites Check 4/5
Figure 22: Prerequisites Check 5/5
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation
In addition to using the Prerequisite Checker you also have to check the requirements checklists for the installed services mentioned in the installation guide.
Generate SAP Solution Manager Key
Figure 23: Generate SAP Solution Manager Key
When installing an SAP system - other than SAP Solution Manager itself - you will need a key generated by the SAP Solution Manager. Without this key a successful installation is not possible (depending on the release of the software to be installed).
SAP Note 811923 - Generating the SAP Solution Manager key describes how to generate the key.
The funny thing is: instead of entering the System Number you have to enter the central instance number you plan to install. And instead of entering the Message Server you have to enter the name of the host, the message server should run on. ;-)
TADM12_1 Lesson: General Preparation for Installation