Abstract
This blog post is meant to inform you about the new options and scenarios available for the upload of system data to the SAP Support Portal as a basis, for example, for the landscape management process used in describing the landscape and plan changes.
The new upload channel provided by the Landscape Information Services (LIS), the "generic upload", offers more flexibility for your topology of system data gathering systems and will replace the specific upload (planned for Q1 2020).
There are three upload scenarios via LIS available in combination with SLD, SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run for SAP Solution Manager (FRUN):
- Default: With SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS05+ and/or FRUN & with SLD
- Alternative: With SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS06+ / FRUN & without SLD
- Exceptional case: Without SAP Solution Manager & without System Landscape Directory
Landscape Information Services (LIS)
Landscape Information Service (LIS) provides highly integrated handling of system landscape data and offers a single upload channel for both System Data and Customer Profile. Benefits are, for example:
- Consistent time stamps for system data in SLD, LMDB, and Customer Profile
- Topologies can be adapted easier to the requirements of different landscapes, while all SLD/LMDB topologies available earlier stay valid.
- For small landscapes, the effort for landscape data handling can be reduced. All landscapes will benefit from the harmonized upload process. The new upload channel (generic upload) offers more flexibility for your topology of system data gathering systems and will replace the specific upload.
To gather your landscape data, currently, both upload mechanisms are used with the data sent from the technical systems via the SLD Data Supplier, but it is planned to replace the former specific upload with the new generic upload in Q1 2020.
Targets and Mechanisms for System Data Upload to SAP Support Portal
In the SAP Support Portal, there are two repositories dealing with data from systems in deployment models run by the customer:
- Customer Profile: System data focusing on the software maintenance with the Maintenance Planner and Cloud Integration Automation Service (CIAS)
- System Data: System data focusing on license and installation data
Landscape Information Services
With the Landscape Information Service LIS, additional options are available to upload system data to SAP Support Portal. The following picture lists mechanisms and tools for the system data upload:
Figure 1a: Mechanisms and tools for system data upload to SAP Support Portal.
Mechanisms and tools for the gathering and uploading system data can be combined in different paths.
Specific Upload (without LIS)
System data is sent via SLD and/or LMDB to Customer Profile and System Data via two coupled uploads specific for the targeted repository:
Figure 1b: Mechanisms tools, and paths of system data upload to SAP Support Portal without LIS.
Generic Upload (with LIS)
System data is sent via SLD and/or LMDB or directly via LIS in a generic process to Customer Profile and System Data:
Figure 1c: Mechanisms, tools, and paths of system data upload to SAP Support Portal with LIS
Technical Prerequisites for the Generic Upload via Landscape Information Service (LIS)
The following prerequisites need to be fulfilled:
- Default: If SAP Solution Manager is used, version 7.2 SPS05+ is required
- Alternative: If no SLD is used, SAP Solution Manager SPS06+ or FRUN is required
- For the use of LIS-data with the Maintenance Planner, additionally, in the technical systems of type AS ABAP, you need to implement the following SAP Notes for all scenarios for managed systems due for HR updates or conversion:
- SAP Note 2382263 - RZ70: Switch Framework Status and Active Business Functions to provide informatio...
- 2589800 - Extension of the ABAP Data Supplier (RZ70) for Maintenance Planner to provide information ...
Switching to the New Generic Upload of System Data via Landscape Information Service (LIS)
Switching to the new upload will happen automatically. SAP will provide further details in time.
For the set-up, see SAP Note 2855951 – How to configure TLS and SLD Data Supplier to send data directly to SAP support b...
Checking, Which Upload Mechanism is Used
For scenarios, where SAP Solution Manager LMDB is used, the status quo can be checked via report RLMDB_UPLOAD_FEATURE_STATUS in SAP Solution Manager.
The Check Report answer, would look like this, for example:
Feature Enabled
Legacy System Upload -> would indicate use of Specific Upload (without LIS)
Generic LMDB Upload X -> indicates the use of the Generic Upload (with LIS)
Gathering and Uploading System Data to SAP Support Portal Scenarios in Detail
We will use three example IT landscapes to describe the scenarios and when to use which option to upload system data to the SAP Support Portal.
Customer A – Big Landscape with SLD Client Applications:
Figure 2a: Big IT landscape with SLD client applications, SAP Solution Manager using several deployment models.
Customer:
- Uses applications requiring SLD data (Process Integration, NWDI, etc.)
- Uses the functions of SAP Solution Manager and FRUN specifically for monitoring
The System Landscape Directory (SLD) is an important source of system data.
The following mechanisms are used:
- Data Suppliers sending data from the technical systems to the SLD
- Full, Automatic Sync from the SLD to SAP Solution Manager
- Upload via
- specific upload to the repositories (to be replaced)
- upload via the Landscape Information Service (LIS)
Tasks to Perform
This does require the implementation of the 2 SAP Notes in managed AS ABAP systems mentioned as technical prerequisites. This is only required for systems to be awaiting a conversion or those used as HR systems. The notes can be implemented as part of the aforementioned maintenance processes.
Provided that this scenario is already in use, no further changes are required.
Customer B – Medium Landscape without SLD Client Applications
This scenario will allow to gather landscape data without an SLD system being involved (the SLD in SAP Solution Manager will be there but won’t be involved in that process). It can help customers simplify their landscape, who are not using SLD client apps such as NWDI, Process Integration, Web Dynpro, etc.
The same 2 notes mentioned under technical prerequisites are required in the managed AS ABAP system:
Figure 2b: Medium sized IT landscape without SLD client applications.
- Doesn’t use applications requiring SLD data
- Uses the functions of SAP Solution Manager
Here, no SLD is needed. The following mechanism are used:
- Data Suppliers sending data to the LMDB in SAP Solution Manager SPS06+ (see SAP Note 2183995)
- Upload via
- specific upload to the repositories (to be replaced)
- upload via the Landscape Information Service (LIS)
Tasks to Perform
This does require the implementation of the 2 SAP Notes in managed AS ABAP systems mentioned as technical prerequisites. This is only required for systems to be awaiting a conversion or those used as HR systems. The notes can be implemented as part of the aforementioned maintenance processes.
Provided that this scenario is already in use, no further changes are required.
Customer C – Small Landscape, often ABAP-only, without SLD and SAP Solution Manager
This scenario only applies to customers with a small, standard SAP landscape, and not using Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) functionality in SAP Solution Manager.
Figure 2c: Small, often "ABAP-only" IT landscape. This scenario will only apply, if no ALM processes are run by the customer.
Customer:
- Doesn’t use applications requiring SLD data
- Doesn’t use the functions of SAP Solution Manager
- Connection to LIS to be set for every single system
Here, neither SLD nor SAP Solution Manager are needed for landscape data upload to the SAP Support Portal. The following mechanism are used:
- Data Suppliers sending data to the Landscape Information Service directly
With the help of the new card “Status of Support Connectivity” in the “My Landscape” workspace of the SAP ONE Support Launchpad, customers are able to check the data collection status for their on-premise landscape (only available for small landscapes).
Tasks to Perform
This does require:
- Implementation of the 2 SAP Notes mentioned as technical prerequisites
- (Re-) configuration of the data suppliers of all managed technical systems to target the LMDB (see SAP Note 2855951)
Further Information
Related SAP Notes:
- SAP Note 2855951 - How to configure TLS and SLD Data Supplier to send data directly to SAP support b...
- SAP Note 2183995 - Data Supplier Processing in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 in LMDB
Background information:
- SAP Managed Tags:
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