Guidance to Best Practices in SLD and LMDB

Introduction

As stated quite often, IT management and application lifecycle management won’t work without data in System Landscape Directory and SAP Solution Manager Landscape Management Database (LMDB). Use, topology, and many specific scenarios have been described on three pages containing multiple documents and blogs – but you may be interested in “rules of thumb” plus related blogs and notes regarding specific aspects of handling these applications…

Rules of Thumb, Notes, and Blogs (a Summary)

Figure 1: A simplified landscape with some examples of tasks and actions required to run and use SLD and LMDB.

SLD/LMDB Setup

Use a central SLD for system registration

Distribute system registrations to any secondary SLD via bridge forwarding

• See System Landscape Directory – Planning Guide
• SCN blog SLD Topology: How-To Gather and Distribute SLD-Data in Your IT-Landscape?

Use (virtual) host names being stable over time as much as possible

• SAP note 1052122 – Host names in SLD and LMDB
• SCN blog SLD Recommendation – Reasons to Use a Virtual IP Address for SLD Access

Enhance SLD data supplier processing for system landscape changes – see

• SAP note 1727294 – AS Java/ABAP System move functionality
• SAP note 1694072 – Technical instances consistency management feature
• SCN blog How-to Manage House-Cleaning in the System Landscape Directory – Duplicate System Entries

Set up a procedure to update CR Content in all SLD system regularly

• For multiple SLDs, see SCN blog How to Reduce Manual Effort in CIM model and CR Content Update of SLD Systems

Avoid using multiple source SLD systems for LMDB

• SAP note 1669649 – SLD/LMDB synchronization: Principle of the clear path

If using PI monitoring for multiple PI domains, do not use a PI SLD as source SLD for LMDB

• SAP note 1631346 – Solution Manager 7.1: SLD configuration for PI monitoring

Consider a separate SLD as source SLD for LMDB

• The SLD in the SAP Solution Manager dual stack may be used as separate source SLD
• SCN blog SLD-LMDB Topology – Connections, Valid, and Invalid Data Exchange Between SLD and LMDB of SAP Solution Manager

Setup agents on technical systems and connect the to the LMDB

• SCN blog Agent Data in the SAP Solution Manager LMDB

Configure the system upload to SMP in one SAP Solution Manager only

• For details, see http://help.sap.com/solutionmanager71 –> Application Help –> English –> SAP Solution Manager Operations –> Managing System Landscape Information –> Setting Up the Landscape Management Infrastructure –> Synchronizing with SAP Support Portal

SLD/LMDB Change Management

Change the source SLD with care

• SAP note 1770691 – Deleting SLD/LMDB synchronization connections
• SCN blog SLD and LMDB Topology: Replacing the Source SLD for the LMDB

Set up a copied LMDB with care

• SAP note 1797014 – System copy of a Solution Manager with a filled LMDB

Avoid synchronization conflicts

• SAP note 1984076 – Synchronization conflicts between the LMDB and SLD
• SCN blog SAP NetWeaver System Landscape Directory: Conflicts and Ranks in Full Automatic Content Synchronization

Use the automation potential in SLD and LMDB

• SAP note 1916052 – Automation in landscape management

Avoid host name changes in any system profiles

• SAP note 1052122 – Host names in SLD and LMDB

Integrate SLD and LMDB in your system lifecycle management processes

Avoid manual changes in LMDB and SLD

• Adding information which is not available in the systems is O.K.
• Repairing information which is wrong in the systems is NOT O.K.
• Consider the proper directory for the change (SLD or LMDB) – change data, where they are “original”
• For automation options, see SAP note 1916052 – Automation in landscape management

SLD/LMDB Operations

Clean up SLD and LMDB once a year

• SCN blog How to Ensure Your Landscape Data is Up-to-Date – House-Keeping in the LMDB

Update CR Content in all SLD systems every quarter

• SAP note 669669 – Update of SAP System Component Repository in SLD
• SCN blog How to Reduce Manual Effort in CIM model and CR Content Update of SLD Systems

Check status in transaction LMDB_ADM every week

• At least error messages shall be solved

Further Information

In the following sources you’ll find background information on SLD, LMDB and related applications.

SAP Service Marketplace

• Landscape Management Process (SLD, LMDB, and related tools in the big picture of managing IT landscapes)
• System Landscape Directory (SLD Overview and detailed blog posts)
• Landscape Management Database (LMDB) (in detail)
• Landscape Verification (landscape verification function in detail)
• Maintenance Planner (Overview and links to blog posts)

Wiki

• Home – SAP Solution Manager Setup – SCN Wiki