Mixed mode deployment consists of a few services of the BIP platform running in the UNIX machines and a few services running in a windows machine.
One of the use case for running a mixed mode deployment is as follows:
For example in an installation of the SAP BI platform that is running live on Unix/Linux. If you want to perform a workflow for AO Report scheduling. As of BI 4.1 SP05/SP06, currently, there is no support for a Unix/Linux directly. This limitation can currently be worked around by including a node with BI platform CMS and a few services required of BI platform on Windows based platform. To do the AO report scheduling on windows platform, we have a BIP Platform plug-in currently supported only on windows can be used to do this.
How mixed mode would be used for AO Report scheduling:
In this document we will cover the mixed mode deployment which comprise of CMS (Along with all the standard services that are part of a standard single box installation) running on a Linux machine and Windows machine will be running the APS (no CMS) along with all the standard services that come with APS except for CMS. This deployment can be used to run scheduling for AO workbooks when all the CMS clusters are running on Linux. However an additional Windows box will have to be setup to run the services that are essential for AO scheduling. The BIP add on software to enable this scheduling is supported only on the Windows platform. The Windows machine will be running the APS along with the AJS (Adaptive Job Server) which is required for AO workbook scheduling.
Pre-requisites:
1. SAP SSO has been setup already in a Linux Installation ( If not please refer to our documentation on setting up SAP SSO in a Linux environment)
2. Setting up of STS (Security Token Service) ( If not set already during SAP SSO, then follow the below steps )
2.1 The Security Token Service is running as part of Adaptive Processing Server (APS)
2.2 Go to CMC -> Servers and check if APS has Security Token Service
2.3 Stop APS and add Security Token Service, then start APS
BOE and Analysis office Report scheduling set up/configuration:
1. Start a fresh installation of BOE in a separate WINDOWS machine
2. Select the appropriate language
3. Depending upon the setup, users can select the required components. If it is going to be a single box installation, select the web tier feature, if it is going to be a split deployment, then de-select web tier feature. For our sample scenario we will go for a single box installation
The important aspect here is “De-select” Central Management Server from the platform services. As we are going to reference to the Linux BOE, we do not want to install the CMS separately. After de-selecting CMS, click on “Next”
Note:
Mixed Mode CMS clustering does NOT work if CMS is installed on Linux and also on Windows. There has to be only one CMS.
4. The following screen tells you that you going to cluster to an existing BOE deployment. Click on “Next”
5. Enter the following details in the next screen as CMS input:
CMS Name: <Give the CMS Name (generally hostname or IP address) of the BOE Linux Installation which had already be done>
Port: <CMS Port Number>
Username: Administrator (Username created while installing BOE in Linux Machine)
Password: ********** (Respective Password)
6. Give the Tomcat details (For our scenario, we had left it default)
7. Continue with the rest of the installation as it is. No Specific details or information has to be provided in the forthcoming steps. You can continue as is.
8. Go to the Central Management Console and click on “Servers”
9. You should now be able to see clustered servers (Except for CMS, since we did not include)
10. Now, Except Central Management Server, all the servers are clustered.
11. Now, we have to download the Analysis office report plugin and configure it. In order for Analysis Office report scheduling to work this separate plug in has to be installed. Users can download the plugins from the following link
https://smpdl.sap-ag.de/~swdc/012002523100020426492013D/BIPADDON04_0-10013163.ZIP?_ACTION=DL_DIRECT
If the above link is not working then follow the steps given below,
- Logon to Service Marketplace - http://service.sap.com/swdc
- Select the option Support Packages and Patches
- Select the option Browse our Download Catalog
- Select the entry Analytics Solutions
- Select the entry SBOP Analysis MS Office
- Select the entry SBOP Analysis MS Office 1.4
- Select the entry Comprised Software Component Versions
- Select the entry Analysis Office BIP Add-On 1.4
- Select Windows on x64 64 Bit.
- Select the software component and add it to the Download basket and download the component.
Note: Download the plugin on to the windows machine where BOE is installed. Because this plugin will work only with windows and not in Linux environment
12. We have to configure the plug in now.
13. After the installation is finished you will have to configure the path to the BI Pre-calculation executable. The default path for the EXE file is “Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\Analysis Precalculation\BiPrecalculation.exe”.
14. You need to enter the complete path and the name of the EXE file into the properties of the Analysis Office Scheduling Service Properties.
- Logon to the Central Management Console
- Navigate to the Servers
- Select the entry Core Services
- Select the entry for the Adaptive Job Server (Windows Machine that had been set up now). DO NOT SELECT THE LINUX BOE ADAPTIVE JOB SERVER)
- Open up the properties with a double-click.
- Navigate to the Analysis Office Schedule Service area.
- Enter the complete path and the name of the EXE file for the pre-calculation file into the property Pre-calculation Server Path.
- The default entry would be :C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\Analysis Pre-calculation\BiPrecalculation.exe
- Save the changes
- Restart the service.
15. Now we need to create a server group so that we can ensure that Analysis office report scheduling jobs will be sent to the Adaptive Job Server of the Windows Machine and not Linux Machine. Since we know that AO report scheduling plugin will work only for Windows machine and not for Linux, we are trying to pass the scheduling jobs of AO to the clustered adaptive job server of windows machine where the AO plugin configuration has been done.
16. From the server page on Server Groups Right Click -> Create New Server Group. Give the name as “AO Scheduling Server Group (Windows) and click on “OK”. New Server Group should be created.
17. Right Click on the created Server group and click on “Add Members”.
18 Select the Adaptive Job Server of the Windows Machine that had been clustered to the Linux Machine and click on ok.Do NOT select the Linux Machine’s Adaptive Job Server. Do select the windows Machine AJS only.
19. Launch the BI Launch pad URL.
20. Click on “Documents” Tab.
21. Right click on “<Your Saved Analysis Office document> that had been saved to the platform. Click on “Schedule”. You can give “Recurrence”, “Formats”, “Caching” , “Events” and “Destinations” according to your criteria.
22. Click on “Scheduling Server Group” and select “AO Scheduling Server Group (Windows)" only. With this step, you are ensuring that the AO report scheduling jobs should be sent only to the Windows Adaptive Job Server. With the, the Adaptive Job Server will look for AO plugin which had been installed on the Windows machine and schedules the document.Scheduling Instance manager will open up (if you are using BI 4.1 SP5) and you will be able to see the status.If you see any error pertaining to “Pre-calculation Instance error”, check your SAP SSO connection, and AO plugin configuration and re-try.
