Overview of “Backint for SAP HANA” and FAQ for 3rd Party Backup Tool Support
In my role as product manager for SAP HANA backup and recovery, I am frequently asked questions pertaining to 3rd party backup and storage tools and their integration with SAP HANA. When the Backint for SAP HANA certification program (BRINT) was first introduced, my colleague, Andrea Kristen, wrote a blog introducing it. In the past five and half years, the certification program has gone through some changes to reflect new platform architectures for SAP HANA. We also have been able to certify many more partners and tools versions. This blog serves to update the SAP HANA backup and recovery community on some of those changes, and answer some of the frequently asked questions I receive.
What is “Backint for SAP HANA”?
Backint for SAP HANA is an API that enables 3rd party tool vendors to directly connect their backup agents to the SAP HANA database. Backups are transferred via pipe from the SAP HANA database to the 3rd party backup agent, which runs on the SAP HANA database server and then sends the backups to the 3rd party backup server.
3rd party backup tools can be fully integrated with SAP HANA:
• Execution of backup and recovery from the SAP HANA cockpit and via SAP HANA SQL commands
• Configuration of tool-specific parameters using the SAP HANA Cockpit
For more information on the integration of 3rd party backup tools with SAP HANA, please refer to the Administration Guide. Installation documentation for 3rd party backup tools is going to be provided by the 3rd party tool vendors.
Which tools are certified?
SAP HANA product management maintains an openly accessible table of certified 3rd party backup tools here. For the most up-to-date information about the certified tool version and support process, use your SAP user to access the “Overview of SAP-certified 3rd party backup tools and associated support process” SAP Note 2031547 (login required).
Additionally, you can find an overview of the certified tool versions in the SAP Certified Solutions Directory.
Note: The SAP certification appears in the support tables for three years. After that time, SAP continues to provide support for once-certified 3rd party backup tools. The extended support for formerly certified tools is visible in the SAP Notes (login required) for the vendor-specific support process:
• Arcserve – SAP Note 2489639
• Allen Systems – SAP Note 2212571
• Bacula Systems – SAP Note 2588357
• Commvault – SAP Note 1957450 & SAP Note 2345177
• EMC – SAP Note 1999166 & SAP Note 1970559
• EISOO – SAP Note 2554284
• HP – SAP Note 1970558
• IBM – SAP Note 1913500
• Libelle – SAP Note 2212575
• Mindtree – SAP Note 2330945
• SEP – SAP Note 2024234
• Veritas – SAP Note 1913568
Which tools are NOT certified?
The certification is only valid for 3rd party backup tools which use the SAP HANA Backint API. Storage partners with tools providing backup functionality using storage snapshot technology integrate with SAP HANA over public interfaces such as SQL. Therefore, there is no certification program for storage tools.
When will SAP certify the backup tool I am using?
As much as SAP would like to integrate all 3rd party backup tools with SAP HANA, the certification process must be intiated by the 3rd party tool vendor. If you would like to backup SAP HANA using a tool that is not yet supported, we encourage you to contact the backup tool vendor and request that they start the certification process with us.
The version of the backup tool I use is not supported, but a different version is. What happens if I use the unsupported tool version?
SAP only provides support for versions of the 3rd party backup tool that are currently listed in the support tables or were once listed in the support tables. If you are backing up to an unsupported tool version or are using a supported tool version, but on a different platform architecture than was certified, SAP is under no obligation to provide support. We strongly encourage you to either upgrade to a supported tool version or contact the 3rd party tool vendor requesting that they certify your tool version before backing up production systems using a non-certified tool.
As a customer, what do I need to know when installing 3rd party backup tools on SAP HANA?
Backup tools that use Backint for SAP HANA should only be installed on the SAP HANA box if they have been certified by SAP. You can find further details on this and on the installation of 3rd party tools on SAP HANA in general in the following SAP Notes:
• Using backup tools with Backint (login required)
• Using external software in a HANA appliance (login required)
As a tool vendor, what do I have to do to get my backup tool certified for SAP HANA?
A detailed description of the certification process is available here.
Do I have to use a 3rd party backup tool to backup SAP HANA?
No, SAP HANA comes with native functionality for backup and recovery. Using 3rd party backup tools is an alternative to using the native SAP HANA functionality.
For more information on SAP HANA backup and recovery, please refer to the documentation at the Administration Guide.
In my role as product manager for SAP HANA backup and recovery, I am frequently asked questions pertaining to 3rd party backup and storage tools and their integration with SAP HANA. When the Backint for SAP HANA certification program (BRINT) was first introduced, my colleague, Andrea Kristen, wrote a blog introducing it. In the past five and half years, the certification program has gone through some changes to reflect new platform architectures for SAP HANA. We also have been able to certify many more partners and tools versions. This blog serves to update the SAP HANA backup and recovery community on some of those changes, and answer some of the frequently asked questions I receive.
What is “Backint for SAP HANA”?
Backint for SAP HANA is an API that enables 3rd party tool vendors to directly connect their backup agents to the SAP HANA database. Backups are transferred via pipe from the SAP HANA database to the 3rd party backup agent, which runs on the SAP HANA database server and then sends the backups to the 3rd party backup server.
3rd party backup tools can be fully integrated with SAP HANA:
• Execution of backup and recovery from the SAP HANA cockpit and via SAP HANA SQL commands
• Configuration of tool-specific parameters using the SAP HANA Cockpit
For more information on the integration of 3rd party backup tools with SAP HANA, please refer to the Administration Guide. Installation documentation for 3rd party backup tools is going to be provided by the 3rd party tool vendors.
Which tools are certified?
SAP HANA product management maintains an openly accessible table of certified 3rd party backup tools here. For the most up-to-date information about the certified tool version and support process, use your SAP user to access the “Overview of SAP-certified 3rd party backup tools and associated support process” SAP Note 2031547 (login required).
Additionally, you can find an overview of the certified tool versions in the SAP Certified Solutions Directory.
Note: The SAP certification appears in the support tables for three years. After that time, SAP continues to provide support for once-certified 3rd party backup tools. The extended support for formerly certified tools is visible in the SAP Notes (login required) for the vendor-specific support process:
• Arcserve – SAP Note 2489639
• Allen Systems – SAP Note 2212571
• Bacula Systems – SAP Note 2588357
• Commvault – SAP Note 1957450 & SAP Note 2345177
• EMC – SAP Note 1999166 & SAP Note 1970559
• EISOO – SAP Note 2554284
• HP – SAP Note 1970558
• IBM – SAP Note 1913500
• Libelle – SAP Note 2212575
• Mindtree – SAP Note 2330945
• SEP – SAP Note 2024234
• Veritas – SAP Note 1913568
Which tools are NOT certified?
The certification is only valid for 3rd party backup tools which use the SAP HANA Backint API. Storage partners with tools providing backup functionality using storage snapshot technology integrate with SAP HANA over public interfaces such as SQL. Therefore, there is no certification program for storage tools.
When will SAP certify the backup tool I am using?
As much as SAP would like to integrate all 3rd party backup tools with SAP HANA, the certification process must be intiated by the 3rd party tool vendor. If you would like to backup SAP HANA using a tool that is not yet supported, we encourage you to contact the backup tool vendor and request that they start the certification process with us.
The version of the backup tool I use is not supported, but a different version is. What happens if I use the unsupported tool version?
SAP only provides support for versions of the 3rd party backup tool that are currently listed in the support tables or were once listed in the support tables. If you are backing up to an unsupported tool version or are using a supported tool version, but on a different platform architecture than was certified, SAP is under no obligation to provide support. We strongly encourage you to either upgrade to a supported tool version or contact the 3rd party tool vendor requesting that they certify your tool version before backing up production systems using a non-certified tool.
As a customer, what do I need to know when installing 3rd party backup tools on SAP HANA?
Backup tools that use Backint for SAP HANA should only be installed on the SAP HANA box if they have been certified by SAP. You can find further details on this and on the installation of 3rd party tools on SAP HANA in general in the following SAP Notes:
• Using backup tools with Backint (login required)
• Using external software in a HANA appliance (login required)
As a tool vendor, what do I have to do to get my backup tool certified for SAP HANA?
A detailed description of the certification process is available here.
Do I have to use a 3rd party backup tool to backup SAP HANA?
No, SAP HANA comes with native functionality for backup and recovery. Using 3rd party backup tools is an alternative to using the native SAP HANA functionality.
For more information on SAP HANA backup and recovery, please refer to the documentation at the Administration Guide.
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