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SAP GUI update Server

mohitsahu
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Hello All,

We have an existing sap environment where user connects to SAP with SAP GUI 7.2.

We have planned to update the GUI 7.2 to 7.3 with GUI update server.

Can someone suggest and guide me for the possibility to perform the task?

Many Thanks!

Regards,

Mohit

Accepted Solutions (1)

Accepted Solutions (1)

Matt_Fraser
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Hi Mohit,

Have a look at .

Regards,

Matt

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Thank you for your reply.

I found your blog and really appreciate you to make a really good doc.

But in that i am not clear how i can update my existing environment.  I just now created one package on my gui update server and then when i tried to use this package path with silent installation nothing appeared.

Regards

M

Matt_Fraser
Active Contributor
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Were the 7.20 GUIs installed via an Installation Server, or manually on each workstation? Did you have an Installation Server already in place, or is the Installation Server new? Although you should be able to make in-place upgrades of the clients work with a new Installation Server, if the original clients were manually installed then it may be cleaner to uninstall them and install fresh, new clients using your new package.

While testing this, it probably makes sense to avoid the silent option, as you need to be able to see what's going on. Once you have it working, then you can try adding the silent option back in.

Also, you can generally troubleshoot client installations by looking at the sapsetup logs on the client, which you can find at C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP\SapSetup\LOGs.

Bear in mind that you will also generally find quicker help with SAPGUI issues by posting questions to the space, rather than the much more generalized Application Server space that you're in now.

Regards,

Matt

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Thank you for the information.

I have SAP GUI installed manually on the client machine and now we have to update these GUI. We have around 1000 workstation GUI and we can not update each GUI manually, so we have planned to update them through GUI update server.

It is not possible to update the GUI in my scenario then or yes is it?

I will take care from next time for the discussion area before posting

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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It is definitely possible, and preferable. Following the instructions in my blog series should work for you. So, if you are having problems on your test machine, you'll need to investigate the logs to figure out why.

I am not a fan of the /silent switch, as I believe it's better for users to know when you're pushing something onto their machine. I prefer the /nodlg switch, as it achieves the same thing of not requiring any user input (the upgrade just runs), but it shows them the progress while it's happening.

The command-line option to use on the workstation is:

\\<InstallationServerHost>\<Share>\Setup\NwSapSetup.exe /package="PackageName" /nodlg

You don't need to specify anything about /update, etc. The setup program is smart enough to detect if a pre-existing SAPGUI is installed. The problem, however, could be with any components you have previously installed that are not included in your new package. If they are not used by anything in the package, they may not be upgraded, which could leave the SAPGUI in an inconsistent state. For this reason, if you can't be certain of the start-state of the client workstations, you might want to run a script (i.e., VBscript) to uninstall the SAPGUI first, then run the new install from the Installation Server. That could be as simple as running

\\<InstallationServerHost>\<Share>\Setup\NwSapSetup.exe /uninstall /all /nodlg

before you run the package installation command above.

Are you using Local Security Handling (LSH)? Do your users have local administrator rights to their workstations?

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Thank you again for the detailed information.

As i stated all end users are still using 7.1 or 7.2 GUI and we have update it to 7.3 or 7.4.

And i contacted my infrastructure admin and he confirmed that few users have admin rights on there workstation and few does not have so i have to make LSH for these for sure.

After following your blog. I proceeded in this manner:

1. Installed GUI server

2. Installed GUI update server

3. Patch Installtion serverr

4. Patch GUI update server

5. created packages containing the component that we need to update on the workstation.

Now I have a doubt that this package contains binaries of 7.3 and will it patch the 7.2 GUI running on client machine and the files like saplogon.ini will not be overwritten?

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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I'm getting a bit confused. What is the difference between "GUI server" and "GUI update server"? Are they not one and the same?

Did you create package event scripts as part of your package? You will need both "On Install" and "On Update" scripts to cover both scenarios. I gave examples of scripts in the blog. In the script is where you will handle what happens with saplogon.ini. In general, though, unless you script it otherwise, no, the update will not overwrite the pre-existing saplogon.ini. If you are still using it in the c:\windows folder (possible with your 7.10 clients, but probably not with your 7.20 ones), then the update may move it. However, in general, if it finds it, it will leave it alone and use it. This may or may not be what you want, which is why you have scripting options to do something different.

You also have the simple option of not using a package at all. Just call nwsapsetup with the /update /nodlg switches, and I believe it will update all existing components on the client workstation with the newer ones on the installation server. I don't necessarily recommend this as a long-term approach, but you could do this to simply get the older GUIs updated to 7.30 in a hurry, if that's what's important. You would still need LSH for the workstations without admin privileges.

However, as long as your current GUIs are working, even though they are unsupported, I think you're better off taking the time to get this right and only disturb your users once. Having them on a consistent package will make future maintenance much easier.

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

I will look again for the scripting and see try to configure the existing environment. Once done i will share the result with you.

Yes you are right about the 7.3 version, i also checked 7.3 version support will be ending soon.

So i will try to make a package for 7.4 later on.

Will surely share the output soon.

Regards,

Mohit

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt and other experts,

Hope you all doing good!

Is it possible to make an update using GUI update server from 7.2 to directly 7.4 .

As support for 7.3 is going to end soon. And i am not sure if GUI update server will help in this.

Could you please confirm and guide.

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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Yes, you can upgrade directly from 7.20 to 7.40, and yes, you can (and should) use your SAPGUI Installation Server to manage this upgrade.

You will want to create a test Installation Server and hook up a few pilot users (or test workstations) to it to check out your process. You should be able to apply the upgrade to the Installation Server, then run the upgrade on the clients from the upgraded Installation Server.

Cheers,

Matt

mohitsahu
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Hey Matt,

Thanks for the information. I am done with the package creation. and have asked for testing to run it locally.

I also want to know if it is possible bring this operation for Fat client desktop as well? Many thanks

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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By "fat client," you mean the Windows desktop install of the SAPGUI, I assume? Isn't that what we've been talking about? I'm a little confused.

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Fat client basically points to the workstation that connects to network for example laptop and personal notebook which are not connected to the network all the time but only when required.

So it will good idea to update them as well with GUI server ryt??

And now we have ordered windows 2008 for GUI 740 installation. My point would be to know if server 2012 would also be okay for it? I read the documentation and it stated only 2003 and equivalent. and 2003 support will be ending soon so we have asked for 2008.

Have you experience on 2012 as well? Because we have to configure LSH and Automatic update server settings. So your advice would be valuable for it.

Thanks

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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Ok, I would call that a "remote" client, not a "fat" client -- not to say they might not be fat, though! So, for your laptop and VPN users who are not always on the network, and may not have fast connections all the time, I would do something a little different. I wouldn't install them directly from the installation server, and I definitely wouldn't set them up to use centrally managed config files. Instead, I would create a separate package on the installation server just for them (call it "RemoteVPN" or something like that), using the same components, but with modified scripts to copy the config files (saplogon.ini) locally to the client workstation. Then, I would use the feature in NwSapSetupAdmin to "Compress to Single-File Installer", which creates a self-contained self-extracting executable that you can distribute. Have your laptop users copy the single-file installer to their laptop and run it from there. Unfortunately, I never did get to the specifics of setting this up in my blog series, but it's not hard to do, and it is documented in the setup guide.

When you talk about Windows 2012, do you mean for the installation server? Yes, this works just fine. We run our SAPGUI Installation Servers all on Windows 2012 R2, including using LSH and automatic update. Or do you mean for your clients? Are your clients running server OS versions? Not Win7 or Win8.x? Anyway, the 7.30 GUI runs fine on Win8.1, which is equivalent to Server 2012 R2. Note 66971 (Supported SAP GUI Platforms) states that GUI 7.30 is supported on Server 2012 R2 as of GUI patch 9, and GUI 7.40 is fully supported on Server 2012 R2.

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

For the fat client or remote users. The GUI 7.2 is already installed. Our task is to update this GUI from 7.2 to 7.4 without changing any configuration file like saplogon.ini and all.

And i have checked the domain user is configured with such user laptop so configuring LSH should not be problem as we have domain user which we can have on both Installation server and end user laptop. So would you not suggest to just update it with GUI update server. As creating package should not be problem but the user would not be having permission to install/update software on there machine.

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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You could use the 7.40 installation server to simply upgrade the 7.20 clients in place. I think if you call NwSapSetup.exe with the /update switch and nothing else, I believe it will simply upgrade whatever components are already installed.

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

I have now buit SAP GUI server 740 and created one package. I had one SAP GUI 730 which was installed on our solution manager server.

I used the option Execute Process on a remote Computer and used domain user which was common to the both the server and was successfully able to update the SAP GUI on solution manger server.

So i have tested it and its working.

Now i have to update the end user workstation but the file system is not enabled so i am not able to access the shared path from the end user station.

I read your blog but there you mainly talked about the GUI update server configuration which helped to make the installation done.

I think i am left with few steps and would like to have your experience and advice for it:

1. How i can get the path shared to all the workstation: In your opinion what would be the best possibility and do i need to enble some specific ports as well.

2. For LSH, i have asked admin guy to have a user which is common in local administrator group of GUI server and workstation. DO i need to ask him for anything else?? Like deployment polices or something like this?

Please share your valuable experience for these points and help in getting it work.

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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Hi Mohit,

Sharing the path to the workstations is quite easy, and no, no special ports are required other than what you would have for any typical network file server. Simply create the share and ensure that share and folder permissions are such that Domain Users have Read access. Actually, I think I talked about this in the blog. It's a standard Server Administrator task.

For LSH, the best strategy depends on the policies you use at your site. In my organization, we use Group Policy to add a Network Analyst global group to the local Administrators group on all domain workstations. This is primarily so we can have PC Techs and Site Administrators service the workstations without having to be Domain Admins. That was already in place, so it was simply a matter of adding the LSH service account to this existing group. It sounds like you have already asked your network administrator for something similar.

When it comes time to actual deployment, what you are going for is to get the NwSapSetup program, with command-line switches to reference your Package, to be called from each workstation. This can be done via logon scripts, or group policy, or pushed with mechanisms like Microsoft SCCM, or simply by sending the users a link in an email, or putting it on a web page and asking users to click it. It looks like you've experimented with remotely pushing the upgrade as well, and that's a possibility.

Regards,

Matt

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Thank you for the information.

Yes i used the feature for the remote update by simply providing the ip address of the server and user account that needs to used.

After that it made a session and starting the GUI update remotely. Same time i found the process was running for this on the remote server and that updated the GUI silently. I like the feature and it works pretty good.

Now for other workstation i have asked the infrastructure guy to provide me the following environment.

1.The installation server  must be accessible via file sharing from the workstation. Server and workstations must be part of a Windows Domain or Active Directory. I have created one folder and shared it with name “\\server\SAP GUI Server 740”. This must  be accessed from the workstation.
2.One domain user account. This user must have administrative privileges on each workstation and installation server(member of local administrator).
3.It must be possible to control services via the Remote Service Management on the workstations. Could you check the firewall settings for enabling this?
Matt_Fraser
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The Remote Service Management hasn't worked for me, as my network group has not allowed remote WMI control of workstations, so this wasn't an option for me. However, NwSapSetupAdmin uses WMI for this, and it is described in the online help (SAP Setup Guide) in chapter 3.10 "Controlling Remote Workstations." Also, what's required to get remote WMI working on Win7 machines is described by Microsoft at Connecting to WMI Remotely Starting with Windows Vista (Windows).

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

I just made couple of testing before updating the SAP GUI.

For one user i made remote update of the SAP GUI. After the update all transaction codes are working except transaction code BMBC.

It throughs dump of Message Type X and states that might be an old or wrong installation of SAPGUI frontend.


Could you suggest something for it?

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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Did you apply the latest GUI and SapSetup patches to your installation server before running the update of the client? This is important.

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Yeah i already applied the latest patches and for other system it was working fine.

But for one machine during testing. It was giving error. then i had to look on the GUI files in common folder there were few other files named SAPUIlandscape, SAPUILanscapeGlobal, saprules.xml and sapLogoontree.xml

And every time i update the GUI these files were updating as well. Then i had to take backup of the folder and uninstall the existing GUI and then install a fresh GUI with only saplogon.ini.

After that it worked.

Now the problem is how i can do it for other machines? Do you have idea?

Regards,

Mohit

mohitsahu
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Hello All,

I am still not able to resolve the problem.

Anyone has suggestion?

Regards,

Mohit

Matt_Fraser
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Hi Mohit,

Sorry about long responses. I've just gotten home this weekend from SAPPHIRE, and there's been a lot to catch up on.

I think you are starting to run into issues that may be specific to the 7.40 GUI, and here I'm still working with 7.30, so I'm not sure how much I can help there. However, what I'm seeing is that you found if you are able to completely remove all traces of a previous GUI installation before reinstalling, then things work correctly. Is that right? So your problem is how to quickly replicate that complete uninstall to other workstations that are exhibiting the problem?

I gave a quick overview of the folders and registry settings involved in a response to another question a while back. You can read it here: . Here at my shop I've basically codified that in a VBscript program, so with a single click a user can launch a process that first runs the regular uninstall routine, then goes about removing all the elements that an uninstall leaves behind.

Regards,

Matt

mohitsahu
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Hello Matt,

Thank you for the response.

I was also thinking to have a script which will completely remove the existing GUI and then perform a fresh GUI installation with GUI server.

I will also consider your points while going further and inform you all accordingly.

Thank you!

Regards,

Mohit

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