SAP support for Windows Server 2019

SAP has just released some of its products for Windows Server 2019. In my opinion, this new Windows Server version really has some cool new features.

You can clearly see the focus that Microsoft has defined this time. One of the main topics is the support and a simplified administration of hybrid or hyper-convergent system landscapes. This is especially taken into account by the extended Windows Admin Center which allows system administrators a browser-based administration of On-Prem, virtual, and clustered systems. The integration of Azure services, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Backup, or Azure Site Recovery, is another advantage. As for the SAP world, the tool e.g. provides an easy way to check, start, or stop SAP services.

As always, SAP releases Windows Server 2019 support in several steps or “waves”, since not all third-party vendors – especially regarding databases – already support this new Windows Server version from scratch. Therefore, the first step for interested customers is to check the SAP Product Availability Matrix (PAM, https://support.sap.com/pam) to see if their desired SAP product including the database is already supported for Windows Server 2019.

Another important must-read on specific information is the release information for Windows Server 2019, which should definitely be noted by customers (https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2751450). The same goes for our FAQs at https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/ATopics/Frequently+Asked+Questions%3A+SAP+on+Windows+Servers.

Both SAP and Microsoft advise their mutual customers not to stay too long on outdated operating system versions. In addition to extended features and better security, current versions offer the advantage that you are back in the Standard Support of manufacturer maintenance (at Microsoft for Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel: 5 years Standard Support + 5 years Extended Maintenance Support). Customers can expect that this will lead to faster solutions in case of possible problems. Especially due to the upcoming de-support of Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, which will run out of  Extended Maintenance in January 2020, a timely upgrade of such still existing systems to a more current operating system version is necessary and strongly recommended for SAP customers. In this regard, there is another important SAP-statement that can be found in the following note: https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2749767.