SAP on Microsoft Azure will support Production SAP system with STMS?

[farkathulla_cikkanther]

Hello Friends,

      We are planing to move our SAP environment to Microsoft Azure Cloud environment.

I found the document - SAP NetWeaver on Windows Azure Virtual Machine Implementation Guide V2_0 on below link

https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCIQFjAB&url=h...

As of this document i come to know that we have two scenarios to use SAP on Azure.

1. Azure-Only deployment,

2. Hybrid-IT,

In first case Azure-Only deployment :- Azure-Only deployments in this document is defined as complete SAP landscapes are running exclusively in Azure and not on-premise. Azure-Only configurations are not supported for production SAP systems or configurations where SAP STMS or other on-premise resources need to be used between SAP systems hosted on Azure and resources residing on-premise.

In second case Hybrid-IT :- Hybrid-IT deployments of SAP systems where Azure Virtual Machines running SAP systems are members of an on-premise domain are supported for production SAP systems. Hybrid-IT configurations are supported for deploying parts or complete SAP landscapes into Azure. Even running the complete SAP landscape in Azure requires having those VMs being part of on-premise domain and ADS. The term ‘Hybrid’ is rooted in the fact that there is a cross-premise connectivity between on-premise and Azure. Plus the fact that the VMs in Azure are part of the on-premise Active Directory.

Can we move all the SAP systems DEV, QAS and PRD to cloud with the STMS ?

or we have to keep our production environment in On-Premise(normal - non cloud) environment ?

Please let me know if there is any other way available to move whole environment with production to cloud,

Your answer will be highly appreciated

Thanks& regards,

Farkath C

[former_member221693 · Accepted solution]

Hello Farkathulla

You can move all your SAP systems e.g. DEV, QAS and PRD to Azure cloud including the STMS.

On premise is your Active Directory and DNS (which you can also extend to Azure VMs if you like), your printers, and SAP GUI.  For this reason you need to set VPN connection between your on premise network and Azure, e.g. you need to set a site-to-site or private (ExpressRoute) connectivity.

Kind regards

Goran

Premier Field Engineer for SAP on Azure | Microsoft Corporation

[farkathulla_cikkanther · Accepted solution]

Hello Goran,

   Thanks for your input. So we can move our whole SAP environment to Microsoft Azure with the STMS which will comes under Hybrid-IT scenario. Please correct me if i am wrong.

If we move our all SAP environment to Azure means, will it be fast to access the SAP through VPN ?

I have an experience with Microsoft Hyper-V technologies - virtual machines and virtual networks, Will the Azure VMs, Azure virtual networks are like same ?

Whole SAP landscape in Azure will support STMS, RFC's between SAP systems, RFC's between SAP to Non-SAP external systems and other connections between SAP on Azure  to other environment ?

Please suggest me a document to fallow to move Whole SAP environment to Microsoft Azure.

Thanks & regards,

Farkath C

[former_member221693 · Accepted solution]

Hello Farkath,

You can find my answer below:

   Thanks for your input. So we can move our whole SAP environment to Microsoft Azure with the STMS which will comes under Hybrid-IT scenario. Please correct me if i am wrong.

You are right – it is everything as you said.

If we move our all SAP environment to Azure means, will it be fast to access the SAP through VPN ?

When you set VPN via for example site-to-site, from network perspective, your Azure site is just a network extension of your own on-site network, e.g. it will be just a subnet of your own onsite network.  From logical perspective, there is no difference between your Azure subnetwork to your other on premise subnets.

Network speed from your on premise site to Azure depends on your internet provider, e.g. here VPN itself doesn’t guarantee speed, but just logical extension of your Azure site to your onsite network.

Generally speaking, SAP GUI connections do not need much bandwidth, but if you need to upload some bigger files (and you would need this during the migration to Azure), that may take some time, depending of internet speed from your on premise site to your Azure site. Therefore, it is highly recommended to choose the Azure site that it is nearest to your on premise.

it is essential that you response time to Azure is below 220 msec – this you can measure with these tools:
http://azurespeedtest.azurewebsites.net/ and http://www.azurespeed.com/
Some more information on this topic, you can find it here: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-56406#jive_content_id_How_can_I_test_the_latency_between_my_home_locatio...

If you would need a guarantee of a high speed dedicated network bandwidth from your on premise site to Azure, then you should go for Azure ExpressRoute:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/dn606292.aspx
https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/azure/dn606309.aspx

I have an experience with Microsoft Hyper-V technologies - virtual machines and virtual networks, Will the Azure VMs, Azure virtual networks are like same ?

If you have an experience with Hyper-V, this will be very helpful, because Hyper-V is underlining technology for Azure.
For example, virtual disks format of Azure and hyper-v is the same (currently only supported is VHD format). If you have already virtualized you SAP on Hyper-V, migration would be quite easy, as you move your Hyper-V VHD files to Azure, and you can keep all your hostnames and other parameters.

Still, Hyper-V is just a virtualization (means you have to manually create and install VMs, configure network and associate with VMs) and Azure is true IaaS cloud service, where all this is offered as an easy to use service, which you can consume via the Azure portal or scripting tools. For example, on Azure network, you just define your network range and your subnets, you define your DNS severs. When you deploy an Azure VM you just choose Azure network where you want to place your VM, VM will get all network settings automatically via Azure DHCP. This can be achieved by an end use with a few mouse clicks, that is all!

Whole SAP landscape in Azure will support STMS, RFC's between SAP systems, RFC's between SAP to Non-SAP external systems and other connections between SAP on Azure  to other environment ?

As long as you are inside of your VPN network (between your on premise site and Azure) all network connections like RFC will work transparently out of the box, between SAP and non-SAP systems (and all other stuff like STMS).  Now, I do not know what you mean by “external systems”, but generally speaking whatever you could do inside of your on premise network, you can do also with Azure, because when you set VPN, Azure network is just an extension of your local on premise network.

Please suggest me a document to fallow to move Whole SAP environment to Microsoft Azure.

We have excellent SAP on Azure documentation here (currently 4 white papers, more are coming):
https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/dn745892.aspx

Another excellent source of information is SAP Azure SCN site: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-56602 with many links, SAP notes etc.  There you can find also FAQ:

Please make sure that your SAP software and OS/DB combination is supported. Also check certified SAP SAPS sizes.

I can also highly recommend these Azure videos from
Azure IaaS for IT Pros Online Event http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Microsoft-Azure/Level-Up-Azure-IaaS-for-IT-Pros , they are highly informative and practical, it will help you to jump on Azure

Also, you can find some books on Azure for IT Pros:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2015/02/03/free-ebook-microsoft-azure-essentials-fun... (free download)

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2013/10/01/free-ebook-introducing-windows-azure-for-... (free download)

http://www.amazon.com/70-533-Implementing-Microsoft-Infrastructure-Solutions/dp/073569706X/ref=sr_1_...

Hope that this helps!

Warm regards
Goran

[farkathulla_cikkanther · Accepted solution]

Hello Goran,

    Your answers are really helpful for our task.

we started preparing for this task.

Thanks for your support.

Regards,

Farkath C

[farkathulla_cikkanther · Accepted solution]

Hello Goran,

We are running our Production on cluster environment,

Will the cluster technology be available in Azure?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Farkath C

[former_member221693 · Accepted solution]

Hello Farkath

When you refer to „cluster technology“ , I believe you think on Microsoft Cluster e.g. Windows Server Failover Cluster, right?

We are just about to release new White Paper about support of clustering of SAP ASCS/SCS instance on Azure with Windows Cluster.

What DBMS are you running?

warm regards

Goran

[farkathulla_cikkanther · Accepted solution]

Hello Goran,

Yes, This is windows server Failover Cluster.

Our DBMS is Oracle 11.2.0.3( We are planning to move 11.2.0.4 before moving azure).

Is Micro Soft Cluster technology currently available in azure ?

When the white paper will available for Windows cluster on azure?

Regards,

Farkath C

[former_member221693 · Accepted solution]

Hi Farkath

Windows Cluster is supported on Azure with some limitations

http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2721672

As share disks are not currently supported by Microsoft, you need to use 3^rd party Azure certified solution from SIOS:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/partners/sios-datakeeper/sios-datakeeper-8-bring-your-o...

http://us.sios.com/products/datakeeper-cluster/

What we tested and what will be very soon released and supported, is clustered SAP ASCS/SCS instance with Windows Cluster with SIOS share disks on Azure. White paper on this topic, will be published very soon.

Related to Oracle, currently we do not have support statement from Oracle about clustering Oracle with Windows Cluster and SIOS share disks on Azure.

To summarize your SAP HA on Azure:

• - HA of SAP application severs is no problem. They are redundant components which you distribute across different VMs that will run on different hosts and different racks (you need to add all VMs into same Azure availability set). So SAP application servers HA is fully covered.
• - ASCS/SCS is covered with Windows Cluster and SIOS share disks
• - DBMS
  • If you will use Oracle, currently we do not have support statement from oracle to run clustered Oracle with Windows Cluster and SIOS share disks.
    What you have here is ability to run Oracle in one VM, which is protected by VM high availability. Here you have infrastructure HA –if underlining Azure host crash, VM will be restarted soon on another host. But   you do not have Oracle application HA, as there is no support from Oracle on Windows Cluster
  • Another alternative is to migrate to SQL Server, where you can use SQL server AlwaysOn HA solution – here SQL Server is clustered with Windows Cluster and it is using own replication mechanism, so you do not need SIOS share disks replication solution. This is supported on Azure

Warm regards

Goran

[farkathulla_cikkanther · Accepted solution]

Hello Goran,

  Thanks for your input. We are planning to go stand alone for Production.

We are planning to do a SAP system copy method to move Azure cloud.

Uploading data to Azure will be chargeable?

Regards,

Farkath C

[former_member221693 · Accepted solution]

Hi Farkath

Stand alone is not problem. And system copy is definitely one option to move your SAP system to Azure.

Related to upload data pricing (inbound data transfer, i.e. data going into Azure data centers) – it is FREE. 

You can check it here:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/data-transfers/

best regards

Goran

[Sriram2009]

Hi Farkath

Have you check this SCN link

BR

SS