I just finished using the RapidInstaller for two 2004s Web Application Server (WAS) (Java-based) installations and I wanted to share my experiences with the SDN Community. This blog will not regurgitate the material already available on SDN and on the SAP Marketplace but will describe my personal motivations and experience using the tool.
Although the RapidInstaller can be used for rapid installations as well as rapid back-end configurations, I will focus on my experience with the installation aspects.
My installations were both Windows 2003 and Oraclebased in an environment without an existing System Landscape Directory / Solution Manager. The following components were installed:
We have installed a variety of SAP Enterprise Portals for customers and have on occasion experienced difficulties in the installation process. These problems are often based in the complexity of the installation itself. If you are planning a WAS installation, it is recommended that you read the documentation that is available on the SAP Marketplace. This documentation is excellent in that it describes every possible scenario that could take place during an installation. However, this complexity is overwhelming and often not necessary.
If the complexity of the desired installation should be reduced (for example, if the individuals who are performing the installation have limited experience in such operations-related activities) or the operational environment is not complex (the WAS is stand-alone), then the RapidInstaller is an excellent choice for such activities.
Of course, if you have a more complicated environment (for example, a distributed environment where the database is on another server), then the RapidInstaller might not be the appropriate choice. The RapidInstaller assumes, for example, that it should configure a local System Landscape Directory instead of using an existing one. I think it is possible to use the RapidInstaller in a more complex environment by changing the values presented in the Check Parameters steps but this was not necessary in my installations.
I was impressed by the simplicity and the ease of use of the tool. I performed both installations within 1.5 days (including the download of the software from SAP Marketplace). Once the software was downloaded, the installation itself was performed in a matter of hours. It is important to note that the speed of installation is dependent on the hardware and software characteristics of the server where the installation takes place.
For example, the Oracle installation requires just two pieces of information the SID and installation drive everything else takes place in the background. The RapidInstaller-based installation is just as simple.
Some of these gotchas are relevant for all types of SAP installations and installations in general but I thought it would be useful to include them for the sake of completeness.
If the installation requirements allow the use of the RapidInstaller, I recommend trying it out. It might not be appropriate on a production system where performance must be tweaked with various configurations in different internal files but it is an excellent choice for development environments and other non-critical systems. It hides the complexity of the installation in such way that required deviations are permitted but not necessary to quickly achieve the goal of a functional system.
SAP Rapid Installer: https://websmp210.sap-ag.de/nw-ri (Requires SAP Marketplace user)