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Author's profile photo Roman Gorbenko
Roman Gorbenko
May 14, 2021 7 minute read

SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP Developer Edition in Mail.ru Cloud Solution (MCS). Docker Installation. Step-by-step guide.

Intro

This blog post continues a series of publications about the Installation of different SAP Systems in Hyperscalers
In previous parts:

About Cloud Trends

Cloud computing is a new technology trend. A lot of guidelines about SAP in SAP Cloud Platform, Amazon AWS, Google GCP, and Microsoft Azure. For example a new openSAP course:
In this step-by-step guideline, you know about another newbie among Cloud Providers – about Mail.ru Cloud Solution (MCS for short).  Competition among cloud services is a good thing for customers! Prices are down – Quality is up.

About Mail.ru and Mail.ru Cloud Solution (MCS)

Mail.ru (“Russian Yahoo”)  is a multinational corporation specializing in Internet-related products and services, including social networks, e-mail services, eCommerce, navigation, mobile applications, MMO games, and online advertising. Mail.ru Cloud Solution (cloud service was started in 2018) is a suite of cloud solutions that makes it fast and safe to get as much computing power as you need on a pay-as-you-go model. You access this computing power over the internet. MCS offers different categories of cloud resources, such as virtual machines, block storage, Kubernetes, databases, etc. You can manage resources in each category using the web-based console.

About Docker containers

Docker is a product that uses OS-level virtualization to deliver software in packages called containers.Containers are isolated from one another and bundle their own software, libraries, and configuration files; they can communicate with each other through well-defined channels. Today a lot of software (from SAP SE too) distributed in pre-configuring docker containers via special repositories such as DockerHub.

Tooling (mandatory, and optional)

We can use some free programs for our installation and usage scenario.
PuTTYgen – Public/Private keys generator (optional)
Putty – SSH client (optional)
Link: https://www.putty.org/
and
mobaXterm – Next-generation SSH client and SFTP manager (optional) –
Link: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/
SAP GUI – GUI software for accessing to SAP system (mandatory, See Step 9)

Resolution.

Step 1. DockerHub registration
DockerHub registration mandatory
Register in DockerHub – https://hub.docker.com/
Step 2. MCS registration
Register / Log-in in MCS  – https://mcs.mail.ru/en/
Credit card mandatory. After the first payment (approx. $14) you received an additional $40 on your balance as a welcome gift. This is enough to try the service and run SAP in Docker container without any additional charges from your credit card.
Step 3. Create an instance
Step 3.1. MCS web console
Get started with the MCS web console.
Select a Cloud computing – Virtual machines – Create an instance and creating a Linux VM.
Step 3.2. Instance configuration
Provide a Name, Type of virtual machine, Disk size, and Operating system
For our purposes:
Name – SAP ABAP
Type – 4CPU, 16GB RAM
Disk size – 160 GB
Operating system – Linux Centos
Step 3.3. Network settings for an instance
Chose a default network settings
Step 3.4. Setting up a backup for an instance
Chose a default setting for an instance backup
Step 4.  SSH connection to an instance (optional)
Create SSH connection for an instance
Step 4.1. Pem file
After instance was successfully created you can find  *.pem file in the Downloads folder of your browser
Step 4.2. Convert .pem file into .ppk file 
We must convert .pem file into .ppk file.
Open PuTTYgen
Under Type of key to generate, choose RSA and then
Choose Load. By default, PuTTYgen displays only file with the extension .ppk. To locate your .pem file, choose the option to display files of all types and provide your .pem file from Step 4.1
Add key passphrase (optional)
Save private key
Step 4.3. Firewall settings
Create rule group in “Virtual networks. Firewall settings”  section of MCS console
Rule group name (For example – AllowSSH)
Allow Inbound/Outbound  TCP-traffic on port 22
and allow Inbound/Outbound  TCP-traffic on port 3200 (for SAP GUI)
Goto Virtual machines section. Networks. Editing a connection. Replace firewall settings. “default” group on your custom “AllowSSH” group
Step 4.3. External IP
Find external IP in “Virtual machines” section of MCS console
Step 4.4. SSH connection in Putty
Create SSH connection in the Putty client with ip from Step 4.3 and add a private key (ppk-file from Step 4.2) in the Auth section
Step 4.5. Import Putty configuration 
Import Putty configuration to the mobaXterm
Step 5.  Console connection to an instance (Alternative)
Virtual machines section. Console tab
The “Set password” button (with an arrow on the screenshot)
Provide a password for default embedded user “centos”
The “Open in a new window” button
Working with an instance in a separate browser window
Step 6. Docker installation
In your Console / SSH session
Check Available Package Updates
sudo yum check-update
Download and install the last stable Docker version
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com/ | sh
Add  centos user to the docker user group
sudo usermod -aG docker centos
Start Docker daemon
sudo systemctl start docker
Check daemon status
sudo systemctl status docker
Step 7. ABAP Platform. Developer Edition. Installation
To be able to pull the image you must run the command docker login at first.
docker login
Pull an image from a DockerHub registry
docker pull store/saplabs/abaptrial:1909
Step 8. ABAP Platform. Developer Edition. Start container.
Start the docker container
docker run –stop-timeout 3600 -i –name a4h -h vhcala4hci -p 3200:3200 -p 3300:3300 -p 8443:8443 -p 30213:30213 -p 50000:50000 -p 50001:50001 store/saplabs/abaptrial:1909 -agree-to-sap-license
Check result. It must be: All services have been started
Troubleshooting:
Resolution:
Set parameters
sudo sysctl vm.max_map_count=2147483647
sudo sysctl fs.file-max=20000000
sudo sysctl fs.aio-max-nr=18446744073709551615
Keep this setting after reboot
sudo echo “vm.max_map_count=2147483647” >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo echo “fs.file-max=20000000” >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo echo “fs.aio-max-nr=18446744073709551615″  >> /etc/sysctl.conf
Find and copy container id
docker inspect a4h
Remove  container
docker container rm XXX
where XXX – container id
and try to start again.
If the error persists, you can try using the argument -skip-limits-check
docker run –stop-timeout 3600 -i –name a4h -h vhcala4hci -p 3200:3200 -p 3300:3300 -p 8443:8443 -p 30213:30213 -p 50000:50000 -p 50001:50001 store/saplabs/abaptrial:1909  -agree-to-sap-license -skip-limits-check
Links:
SETTING SHMMNI PARAMETER
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/5/html/tuning_and_optimizing_red_hat_enterprise_linux_for_oracle_9i_and_10g_databases/sect-oracle_9i_and_10g_tuning_guide-setting_shared_memory-setting_shmmni_parameter
SETTING SEMAPHORE PARAMETERS
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/5/html/tuning_and_optimizing_red_hat_enterprise_linux_for_oracle_9i_and_10g_databases/sect-oracle_9i_and_10g_tuning_guide-setting_semaphores-setting_semaphore_parameters
Step 9. SAP GUI Installation
Download SAP GUI for Windows from SAP Developers Portal
https://developers.sap.com/trials-downloads.html?search=ABAP+Platform+1909+Developer+Edition+on+SAP+HANA+2.0
Simple registration required
Unrar it
Run installation process
Step 10. License installation
Step 10.1. Generate license
Run command
docker exec -it a4h /usr/local/bin/asabap_license_update
and retrieve Hardware Key
Goto License Portal – https://go.support.sap.com/minisap/#/minisap
Generate license for  A4H – SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP 7.4 and above (Linux / SAP HANA)
Download license file – A4H_Multiple.txt
Step 10.2. Upload license to Linux machine
Sftp client embedded into mobaXterm
Drug and drop license file (A4H_Multiple.txt) into /tmp directory on Linux machine
Step 10.4. Upload license to container
Reside license into the docker container:
docker cp /tmp/A4H_Multiple.txt a4h:/opt/sap/ASABAP_license
Step 10.2. Run update script
docker exec -it a4h /usr/local/bin/asabap_license_update
Step 11. ABAP Platform. Developer Edition. Exploring.
Create new connection
N.B. We allow port 3200 on Step 4.3
Log in with embedded DEVELOPER user credentials:
Client: 001
User: DEVELOPER
Password: Ldtf5432
Links
SAP ABAP Platform 1909, Developer Edition: AVAILABLE NOW
https://blogs.sap.com/2021/02/15/sap-abap-platform-1909-developer-edition-available-soon/

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