FlexFrame for SAP

FlexFrame for SAP is a pre-integrated IT-infrastructure that dynamically assigns servers to SAP applications on demand. The SAP software and Linux or Solaris operating system are on a central storage system and can be started on any server in the FlexFrame pool within minutes reducing installation and maintenance dramatically. It is designed as a solution for consolidating SAP applications on industry standard platforms that can grow in small steps. Peak loads are compensated quickly by the addition of extra systems. Should a server fail the SAP software is automatically restarted on another system. Its modularity makes FlexFrame an ideal platform for Enterprise SOA strategy and NetWeaver architecture of SAP.

History

The FlexFrame for SAP development has been started in 2001 as a joint project of NetApp, SAP and Fujitsu Siemens Computers. The first prototype was together developed in the SAP LinuxLab under the project name “Bladerunner”. Like the project name associated the concept referred mainly to Bladeserver from Fujitsu Siemens Computers. However from the outset not only Bladeserver but also Rackmount servers have been supported. Starting in 2002 first results of the community project have been installed at customer side in production environments.

On the part of SAP substantial functions for uncoupling SAP- and database services from the hardware were developed to product maturity under the designation SAP Adaptive Computing Initiative. SAP announced the Adaptive Computing CONTROLLER (ACC) on the SAPPhire 2004 in Orlando. Fujitsu Siemens Computers developed the entire infrastructure part under the designation FlexFrame for SAP to product-ripe. Version 3.0 was released as the first official version end of 2003. Version 3.1 followed in summer 2005 - with the additional support of PRIMEPOWER servers based on SPARC/Solaris. With this version 3.1 in addition Pooling and Grouping concepts were introduced, which permit for outsourcing providers the operation of several accounts on a common used FlexFrame infrastructure.In June 2007 FlexFrame for SAP Version 4.0 was released. With this version now SAN storage is supported additionally besides NAS-storage. Besides the storage systems by NetApp for the first time also the storage systems by EMC are supported.

Components

Basic modules of FlexFrame for SAP are:

* "Control Center" – Two servers (as Cluster) based on Novell SuSE SLES9 32Bit SP3 with adjusted environment. They are to be seen as “Appliance” (e.g. like a toaster) and are pre-configured particularly for their special purpose. The task is to control the Application Nodes, i.e. with information to boot procedure, directory services (LDAP for hosts, services, etc..) to supply and supervise (FA Control Agents).
* "Application Nodes" – The workhorses within the landscape. The SAP services and data bases (Oracle and SAP DB and/or MaxDB) are operated here.They are equipped with FA Application Agents, which recognize automatically, if a service fails. Operating systems of the Application Nodes can be: Novell SuSE SLES9 64Bit, Novell SuSE SLES10 64Bit, Sun Solaris 9 and Sun Solaris 10 11/06.Seen from SAP's Adaptive Computing point of view here runs both the Adaptive Computing CONTROLLER (ACC) and the services on Computing Nodes.
* "Switches" – integrated switches are important components of the landscape – redundant connecting of all components
* " Storage Area Network (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) – storage systems by NetApp or EMC as central storage of the FlexFrame landscape. Operating systems (shared OS) and application software are kept centrally on NAS systems The application data (Databases, Log-Files) can be kept alternatively on SAN- or NAS- storage systems of EMC or Network Appliance. The OS of the 2 ControlCenter are kept locally on disks and not centrally on NAS devices.

ee also

FlexFrame for Oracle

External links

* [http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/solutions/it_infrastructure_solutions/sap_infrastructure/esoa/flexframe.html Flexframe for SAP] – more information about FlexFrame for SAP by Fujitsu Siemens Computers
* [http://www.sap.com/platform/netweaver/components/controller/index.epx SAP ACC] – more information about Adaptive Computing by SAP
* [http://www.netapp.com/partners/sap/ NetApp] – more information about storage systems by NetApp
* [http://www.cisco.com CISCO] – more information about integrated switches by Cisco
* [http://www.emc.com/partnersalliances/partner_pages/sap.jsp EMC] - more information about storage systems by EMC