Precautions to install a new kernel... is there a side-effect report?

[Sandra_Rossi]

Hi all,

The other day, we had a big bug with SAT transaction (ABAP runtime measurement), and the solution was indicated in a note, which required to install a new kernel (720 patch 108, while the one with the bug was 107).

We installed it on a sandbox system, which corrected the issue, but now I'm a little bit scared to request to install it on the other systems (dev, up to the prod system), as it installs lots of other corrections, that might install trigger new bugs, and as we are all aware, the remedy could be worse than the disease.

When I have a look at the kernel 108, I can see all notes that it contains, but I can't see if these notes have corrective notes. Do you know if it's possible to have the "side-effect report" for a kernel, and how? (I believe it exists for support packages but not for kernels)

Thanks a lot.

Sandra

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

I just tried SP Stack calculation at OSS for release 7.01 and at the last screen we see a column 'side-effects' among others.

Side effect report was available for SPs but not for kernel , for e.g. highest kernel patch level 150 for 701 release.

Similarly if you can try to execute a stack calculation for 720 kernel in solution manager ? Not sure, but I think side effect report doesn't exist for kernels.

Thanks

[Sandra_Rossi · Accepted solution]

Thanks DatabaseSAP.

Well, I don't have access to SolMan (I'm only an ABAP developer), so I'll ask the admin to check that.

Maybe the side-effect report doesn't exist yet because the information is not stored in the SAP notes database: for usual ABAP notes (support packages), the corrective notes are filled inside the "Correction instructions" section, which do not exist for kernel corrections (of course, because it's not ABAP). The only thing that is documented at kernel Notes is the "Related notes" section (for instance, see 1103916), I don't think it means these are corrective notes, so an exhaustive manual control (by reading) seems mandatory.

I close the thread now, but feel free to add any comments (and if I have new I will update it).

Sandra

[Former Member]

Hello Sandra,

I think Yes. We do have an option to request side affect report in the kernel download page with red exclamation mark icon. So you need to click on that link to get the report.

Hope it answered your question.

Thanks,

Siva Kumar

[Sandra_Rossi]

Hi Siva Kumar,

I see a ! at the top of the list of the kernels which says "Click on ! to request a Side effects report" but there is no "!" to click. I am looking at SAP KERNEL 7.20 64-BIT UNICODE -> Linux on x86_64 64bit -> #Database independent. Where can we find this exclamation mark button?

Thanks

Sandra

[Former Member]

Same situation here, can't see any side effect button except this informational ! mark.

Thanks

[sunny_pahuja2]

Hi,

Side effect report is for SP-Stacks not for kernel. If you will go to link http://service.sap.com/side-effects there you can generate it but not for SAP kernel. You need to check note for SAP kernel to know what all issues are resolved in that release.

Thanks

Sunny

[Sandra_Rossi]

Thank you DatabaseSAP and Sunny.

You need to check note for SAP kernel to know what all issues are resolved in that release

I don't want to know which issues are resolved, but which known issues are raised by this kernel (note that this kernel 108 is not the latest one (114 as of today), so I hope SAP had time to be informed and corrected some of the possible bugs), so that to evaluate if it is acceptable to install it or what I need to test more in depth.

Sandra

[sunny_pahuja2]

Hi,

I would suggest you to do the testing in your sandbox system so that you can be sure.

But we are using this kernel version and I have not seen any serious issue with this kernel SP level.

Thanks

Sunny