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New in SP05: Product System Editor in the Landscape Management Database of SAP Solution Manager 7.1

wolf_hengevoss
Advisor
Advisor
‎2012 Jun 26 4:33 PM
13,517

Introduction

To be able to maintain your system landscape, you do not just need to know the Technical Systems involved, but you need to know the grouping of Technical Systems you used to install a Product Version. In many cases, it is more than just one such as in an SAP HCM backend with Enterprise Portal as a frontend. More dependencies between Technical Systems are introduced if the Enterprise Portal is used in other Product installations (the Product System) as well, for example in SAP CRM, being therefore in a landscape pattern “Hub” used in two Product Systems. You can say that describing those dependencies aggregates system data into landscape data. To ease the handling of this extremely important data its handling has been further centralized and unified with SP5 of SAP Solution Manager Landscape Management Database (LMDB): It now features a new Product System Editor with integrated verification function, so now all landscape data is now handled by the LMDB.
In this blog, I focus on the Product System Editor. Landscape data of the existing systems landscape needs to be made available for project-related tasks. Project-related data such as Logical Components and Solutions still are edited in SMSY. Since these are based on the landscape data in LMDB, this data is synced into SMSY as Technical Systems’ data have been in the previous SPs.

 

Product Systems

Now let’s have a look at the concrete process: Technical Systems register themselves in the SAP NetWeaver System Landscape Directory (SLD), which provides this system data to applications in the landscape as well as to the Landscape Management Database (LMDB). The LMDB also gets additional system information by agents. Based on that system data, landscape data is created manually in the LMDB for maintenance and monitoring purposes because the setup of the landscape and modeling of the dependencies is based on decisions of architects and administrators responsible for the landscape.

Landscape data comprises Technical Scenarios for the monitoring and Product Systems for maintenance purposes. Technical Scenarios have already been created via the LMDB with SP5 of SAP Solution Manager 7.1, Product Systems are also created in the LMDB unifying the process and model (meaning no longer Product Systems are created in SMSY).

Figure 1 shows LMDB in SP5 as the central source of landscape date in the SAP Solution Manager 7.1:

Figure 1: The connections and data flow from Technical System to SLD, LMDB, SMSY, MOpz and Monitoring

Product System Editor

The Product System Editor has been completely reworked, providing a clearer picture of the Product Systems, involved Technical Systems and assigned Product Instances. New Product Systems created in the LMDB and all changes applied are replicated into SMSY as a basis for project data, such as Logical Components and Solutions. Product Systems existing in SMSY before SP05 already shall be migrated into the LMDB. Integration of verification into the LMDB Product System Editor as well as consumption of Product Systems by the MOpz makes the picture of landscape data significantly clearer. So have a look at the system demo being shown in the updated RKT material (see Additional Information).

Figure 2 shows a new Product System in the LMDB:

Figure 2: Product System (PS) F6W in the new Product System Editor.

When creating Product Systems you follow a guided procedure. You manually create a Product System, then select Technical Systems first, then assign relevant Product Instances to the Product System. In the process you can use the value help to select Technical Systems and proposals to assign Product Instances (the Product System Editor proposes Product Instances most probably fitting to your Product System).
The Product System Editor in Figure 2 is showing:

  • Product System F6W itself and Related Product Systems, spanning Technical Systems F6W and F6X with Standalone Product Version SAPERP 6.0 and Add-On Product Version EHP5 for SAP ERP 6.0.
  • Related Product Systems:
    • Product System F6X an Enterprise Portal, which is related by Technical System F6X being also used in Product System F6W – which makes Technical System F6X a “Hub”).
    • Product System F7A, which is an SAP SRM system, which is related to Product System F6W by also using Technical SystemF6X.
      • All Product Instances are clearly assigned to the Product Systems and Technical Systems.
      • The Verification status is directly shown in the navigation tree as well as in the list of Product Systems.

LMDB is the only editor for Product Systems in SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SP5. Existing Product Systems can and should be migrated into LMDB as soon as possible after an update (see documentation on the LMDB and a demo in the updated RKT material).

Enhancement for the Product System Model and Its Landscape Patterns

Not only has the Product System Editor been renewed but the Product System Model has been enhanced: It is now possible to define a Product System, which contains more than one AS ABAP – this could not be defined in transaction SMSY.

Figure 3 shows examples of valid and invalid Product Systems (blue color indication as AS ABAP, yellow non-ABAP systems):

Figure 3: Valid and invalid Product Systems

  • Product System XYZ: Any Technical Systems of any type of technology can be in principle be set up as a single in one Product System.
  • Product Systems A2A / JEP / B2A: Two ABAP-based systems share an Enterprise Portal (Technical System EPP), which acts as a Hub. Additionally, also a Product System JEP was created to allow a technology driven update of the Portal system alone (if the update is compatible with both using systems).• Product System AJA: Here, AS ABAP based Technical System AJA uses a non-ABAP Technical System JEP alone – JEP therefore acts as a Sidecar and is always updated together with AJA.
  • Product System AB2: Having two AS ABAP systems in one Product System is valid in LMDB of SAP Solution Manager 7.1, SP5. Also, non-ABAP Systems can be added to such a Product System.
  • Product Systems AC1 / AC3: Using AS ABAP-based Technical Systems as a Hub (see AC2) is not supported; the Product System definitions in this example are invalid.

Verification

The verification function is directly integrated into the LMDB Product System Editor. Once you have defined a Product System, the verification step is part of its definition. You can trigger the verification directly in the editor.

Figure 4 shows Product System ER6.It is recommended starting the verification synchronously in the Edit mode. Changes recommended by the verification function can then directly be applied.

Figure 4: Starting a verification of a Product System 

Verification shows proposed changes and offers the actions to change the Product System accordingly – see Figure 5:

Figure 5: Errors, warnings and correction proposals for a Product System.

As in the separate landscape verification tool used in SAP Solution Manager 7.0 (as an optional Add-On to SP18 and higher) and SAP Solution Manager 7.1 (integrated), the new Product System Editor’s verification function checks important properties of Technical Systems and Product Systems. Figure 4 shows some examples:

  • The correct assignment of the Landscape Pattern to the Technical System
  • The correct assignment of the Product Version – it is checked, for example, if a standalone Product Version is assigned (which is required) or if two Product Versions of the same Product are assigned (which is forbidden); Add-on Product Versions can be assigned in addition to standalone Product Versions (for example an SAP EHP for SAP ERP)
  • The correct assignment of the Product Instances - it is checked, if selected Product Instances are consistent with available Software Component Versions of the Technical System
  • The correct assignment of Software Component Versions – it is checked, if all Software Components are covered by the selected Product Instances

The steps to correct a Product System definition can be done in iteration, meaning that you check the Product System again after applying changes. It is also possible to repeat the check for a Product System after some time, when maintenance is due, for example. Checks are always performed in the support backbone of SAP, where the latest version of product data is available.

Additional Information

The following sites and documents contain updated information reflecting the state of LMDB in SP5:

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