SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1

Release Notes

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications combines SLES and SLE HA with
additional software specifically meant to simplify running and managing SAP
applications. This document provides an overview of high-level general
features, capabilities, and limitations of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
Applications 15 SP1 and important product updates.

The support period for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1
has ended. To keep systems secure and supported, upgrade to a current SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications version. Before starting the
upgrade, make sure to apply all maintenance updates.

Publication Date: 2022-07-12, Version: 15.1.20220712

1 About the Release Notes
2 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications
3 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications for POWER
4 New Features, Changes & Fixes
5 Added Packages
6 Obtaining Source Code
7 Legal Notices

1 About the Release Notes

The most recent version of the Release Notes is available online at https://
www.suse.com/releasenotes.

These Release Notes are identical across all supported architectures.

Entries can be listed multiple times if they are important and belong to
multiple sections.

Release notes usually only list changes that happened between two subsequent
releases. Certain important entries from the release notes documents of
previous product versions may be repeated. To make such entries easier to
identify, they contain a note to that effect.

Repeated entries are provided as a courtesy only. Therefore, if you are
skipping one or more service packs, check the release notes of the skipped
service packs as well. If you are only reading the release notes of the current
release, you could miss important changes.

2 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is the leading Linux platform
for SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver, and SAP S/4HANA applications that provides
optimized performance, reduced downtime, and faster SAP landscape deployments.
It includes features to secure SAP HANA systems and ease the transition to SAP
S/4HANA for systems administrators. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
Applications combines SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and its SLE HA with
additional software specifically meant to simplify running and managing SAP
applications.

2.1 What Is New?

SLES for SAP 15 SP1 introduces many innovative changes compared to SLES for SAP
15 GA. The most important changes are listed below:

  o SAP HANA-SR Wizard Can Be Used in Unattended Mode.  For more information,
    see https://documentation.suse.com/sles-sap/15-SP1/single-html/
    SLES4SAP-guide/#sec-s4s-hana-cluster-wizard-semiautomatic.

2.2 Important Sections of This Document

If you are upgrading from a previous SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
Applications release, you should review at least the following sections:

  o Section 2.5, "Support Statement for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
    Applications"

2.3 Additional Release Notes Documents

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications also includes the software
selection of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise High
Availability Extension.

Make sure to review the release notes for both products in addition to this
document:

  o SUSE Linux Enterprise Server: https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/
    SUSE-SLES/15-SP1/

  o SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension: https://www.suse.com/
    releasenotes/x86_64/SLE-HA/15-SP1/

2.4 Support and Life Cycle

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is backed by award-winning
support from SUSE, an established technology leader with a proven history of
delivering enterprise-quality support services.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 has a 13-year life cycle,
with 10 years of General Support and 3 years of Extended Support. SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server for SAP Applications comes Extended Service Pack Overlay
Support by default, this means the current version (SP1) will be fully
maintained and supported until 3.5 years after the release of SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2.

If you need additional time to design, validate and test your upgrade plans,
Long Term Service Pack Support (LTSS) can extend the support you get by an
additional 12 to 36 months in 12-month increments, providing a total of 3 to
5 years of support on any given Service Pack.

For more information, see:

  o The support policy at https://www.suse.com/support/policy.html

  o Long Term Service Pack Support page at https://www.suse.com/support/
    programs/long-term-service-pack-support.html

2.5 Support Statement for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications

To receive support, you need an appropriate subscription with SUSE. For more
information, see https://www.suse.com/support/programs/subscriptions/?id=
SUSE_Linux_Enterprise_Server_for_SAP_Applications.

The following definitions apply:

L1

    Problem determination, which means technical support designed to provide
    compatibility information, usage support, ongoing maintenance, information
    gathering and basic troubleshooting using available documentation.

L2

    Problem isolation, which means technical support designed to analyze data,
    reproduce customer problems, isolate problem area and provide a resolution
    for problems not resolved by Level 1 or prepare for Level 3.

L3

    Problem resolution, which means technical support designed to resolve
    problems by engaging engineering to resolve product defects which have been
    identified by Level 2 Support.

For contracted customers and partners, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
Applications 15 SP1 is delivered with L3 support for all packages, except for
the following:

  o Technology Previews

  o Sound, graphics, fonts and artwork

  o Packages that require an additional customer contract

SUSE will only support the usage of original packages. That is, packages that
are unchanged and not recompiled.

2.6 Technology Previews

Technology previews are packages, stacks, or features delivered by SUSE which
are not supported. They may be functionally incomplete, unstable or in other
ways not suitable for production use. They are included for your convenience
and give you a chance to test new technologies within an enterprise
environment.

Whether a technology preview becomes a fully supported technology later depends
on customer and market feedback. Technology previews can be dropped at any time
and SUSE does not commit to providing a supported version of such technologies
in the future.

Give your SUSE representative feedback about technology previews, including
your experience and use case.

2.7 Documentation and Other Information

2.7.1 On the Product Medium

  o For general product information, see the file README in the top level of
    the product medium.

  o For a chronological log of all changes made to updated packages, see the
    file ChangeLog in the top level of the product medium.

  o Detailed change log information about a particular package is available
    using RPM:

    rpm --changelog -qp FILE_NAME.rpm

    (Replace FILE_NAME.rpm with the name of the RPM.)

  o For more information, see the directory docu of the product medium of SUSE
    Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1.

2.7.2 Externally Provided Documentation

  o https://documentation.suse.com/sles-sap/15-SP1 contains additional or
    updated documentation for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP
    Applications 15 SP1.

  o Find a collection of White Papers in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for
    SAP Applications Resource Library at https://www.suse.com/products/
    sles-for-sap/#resources.

3 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications for POWER

3.1 On POWER, the Minimum Certified Revision of SAP HANA 2.0 SPS04 Is Revision
41

On SLES for SAP 15 SP1 for POWER, the minimum certified revision of SAP HANA
2.0 SPS04 is revision 41. For earlier revisions of SAP HANA 2.0 SPS04, there is
a compatibility issue.

However, this issue does not affect other versions of SAP HANA, such as version
SAP HANA 2.0 SPS03, which is supported.

4 New Features, Changes & Fixes

4.1 SAP native systemd support

In the past for Linux the systemV init service sapinit was starting the SAP
Host Agent and all the sapstartsrv processes listed in /usr/sap/sapservices. A
real systemd integration was not available.

Now the native integration of SAP Host Agent is started via the
saphostagent.service unit. Adaptations to the saphostagent.service unit must be
done by adding a so-called drop-in file.

For any native integrated SAP instance a systemd unit with name schema <SID>_
<INO> (for example, SAPEN1_10) is added. Adaptations should be done using a
drop-in file. It is highly recommended to still use the sapcontrol functions
which guarantees also the functionality of cluster integration like the
sap-suse-cluster-connector.

Before you start your new installation or update to the native systemd
integration, make sure you update the resource agent packages to the newest
available versions. The native SAP systemd integration is supported starting
with the following package versions for SLES for SAP Applications 15:

  o resource-agents 4.3.0184.6ee15eb2-4.60.1

  o sapstartsrv-resource-agents 0.9.0+git.1645795466.55a8cca-1.12.1

  o SAPHanaSR 0.155.0

  o SAPHanaSR-ScaleOut 0.181.0

For details please refer to the manual pages ocf_suse_SAPStartSrv(7), SAPHanaSR
(7), and SAPHanaSR-ScaleOut(7).

5 Added Packages

5.1 Package insserv-compat Has Been Added to SAP Application Server Base
Pattern

SAP applications depend on the sapinit System V script. Other third-party
software not yet updated to include systemd unit scripts may also depend on
System V init scripts. On its own, systemd does not support System V init
scripts anymore.

The package insserv-compat adds compatibility with System V init scripts to
systemd and can be used both SAP and non-SAP applications. This package is now
also included in the SAP Applications Server Base pattern.

That way, insserv-compat will provide System V compatibility until SAP and
other third parties fully adopt systemd unit scripts.

6 Obtaining Source Code

This SUSE product includes materials licensed to SUSE under the GNU General
Public License (GPL). The GPL requires SUSE to provide the source code that
corresponds to the GPL-licensed material. The source code is available for
download at https://www.suse.com/download/sle-sap/ on Medium 2. For up to three
years after distribution of the SUSE product, upon request, SUSE will mail a
copy of the source code. Send requests by e-mail to
mailto:sle_source_request@suse.com. SUSE may charge a reasonable fee to recover
distribution costs.

7 Legal Notices

SUSE makes no representations or warranties with regard to the contents or use
of this documentation, and specifically disclaims any express or implied
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SUSE reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes to its
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Further, SUSE makes no representations or warranties with regard to any
software, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, SUSE reserves
the right to make changes to any and all parts of SUSE software, at any time,
without any obligation to notify any person or entity of such changes.

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