Virtualizing SAP Environments
SAP applications are generally broken down into two groups: the traditional ERP applications based on the ABAP platform, and the java-based applications based on the Netweaver platform. They can both be virtualized as traditional n-tier applications are, whether they are larger production environments or smaller test/dev environments.
Often the physical version of such deployments will contain multiple servers per tier for the Web tier and applications tier, and the analogous virtual deployment will also benefit from such horizontal scalability, where failover and scalability capabilities are increased by running more than one of the application and Web tier. One unique consideration for SAP is the Central Instance (CI), which assists with a degree of load balancing across the ABAP application tiers. The CI is often a single point of failure, so using VMware High Availability (HA) is a cost-effective way to improve availability by creating a simple failover process for this key architecture component. IT managers who desire full control can virtualize SAP configurations by explicitly assigning virtual machines to VMware ESX hosts, but a more common deployment scenario is to assign the virtual machines to clustered resource pools, and thereby allow VMware VirtualCenter to assign the virtual machines to physical hosts where the appropriate level of resources are available. |
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Such dynamic resource allocation schemes simplify capacity planning, as the natural variations in workload demands tend to be aggregated across a wider set of components, ensuring that any one component that requires additional capacity will easily find it. SAP reports and batch jobs are common examples of such dynamic workload components that benefit greatly from VMware infrastructure.
Install and Upgrade a Virtualized SAP Deployment
SAP products are inherently complex due to their rich and varied functionality, and install, patch and upgrade processes can result in significant costs and potential delays to mission critical projects. VMware infrastructure allows you to automate the patch and update process for virtual machines and their guest operating system and applications. Any problems that result from the upgrade or install can quickly be rolled back to a previous state when needed. As a result, critical but man-power intensive operations can be substantially streamlined, further simplifying the challenges involved in using this diverse product set.
Customer Success Stories
AstraZeneca
See how this leading pharmaceutical company achieved a server consolidation ratio of 10:1 and reduced server deployment time from 8 hours to 30 minutes.
Read the AstraZeneca Success Story
EFI
EFI's move to VMware Infrastructure and VMware Server slashed their energy consumption and lowered their hardware costs by 30%. In addition, the team delivers improved service agility to their internal customers even while cutting in half the off-hours that used to be required for routine maintenance tasks.
T-Systems
Utilizing VMware's Virtual Infrastructure, T-Systems created a hardware- and software-independent computing platform, allowing them to lower the costs of enterprise application hosting while delivering improved server utilization and high uptime.
Read the T-Systems Success Story
Additional Resources
VMware Infrastructure for SAP Enterprise Applications: Use Cases
This paper covers use cases that range from server containment to disaster recovery, demonstrating tangible cost reduction, operational efficiency and time-saving benefits.
Download the White Paper in PDF Format
VMware – SAP Technology Alliance Page
Find out how VMware and SAP are working together to ensure seamless interoperation between their software solutions so that customers can use VMware virtualization technology to support SAP applications in production IT environments.
Learn More About the VMware Technology Alliance with SAP
SAP Deployment Guide
This guide demonstrates the deployment of SAP ERP software on the VMware Infrastructure platform and showcases the benefits that VMware solutions provide for the SAP datacenter.
Download the Guide in PDF Format (requires registration)
Deploying SAP Software on DB2 Using VMware Templates
using template and cloning functionality available in VMware Infrastructure 3.
Download the Guide in PDF Format (requires registration)
Take the Next Step
Find additional resources about virtualizing your SAP environment, learn how other applications can benefit from virtualization or read success stories from VMware customers who use our technology to run their SAP environments.