Install DI as a Usage Type for EP or SolMan

[Former Member]

Today, we have the following environment:

EP: sandbox (EPX), development (EPD), Q/A (EPQ) and production (EPP)

SolMan: sandbox (SMX), production (SMP)

NWDI: sandbox (DI Usage Type added to EPX), production (JDI)

CTS+: sandbox NWDI and EP use SMX; all other environments use SMP

We hope to keep Java WebDynpro development to a minimum (< 10 developers at current) but realize that we cannot avoid it altogether. To minimize the footprint of our already large environment and to simply (and hopefully standardize) the environment, I am contemplating a change to the NWDI environment.

Option #1) Keep the DI Usage Type on EPX and add DI to EPD.

-. Pros.

1. Eliminates 1 SAP Instance (JDI).

2. Keeps our EP sandbox and development environments configured in a similar manner.

3. Support Pack releases seem to come quick and EP is our only NWDI deployment target.

-. Cons.

1. EP Q/A and production environments do not have DI and are therefore (significantly?) different from sandbox and development.

Option #2) Add DI Usage Type to SMX and SMP.

-. Pros.

1. Undeploy DI from EPX, so that EPX and EPD are now configured in a similar manner.

2. Keeps our SolMan installs configured in a similar manner (i.e., both with DI).

3. CTS+ requires the CMS part of DI installed on SMX and SMP anyway, just move all DI functionality to SolMan.

4. SolMan also hosts our SLD (SMX hosts the sandbox instance and SMP hosts the production instance).

-. Cons.

1. NWDI would follow the maintenance cycle of SolMan, which appears to lag some of the other landscapes by 1 - 2 support pack releases.

One other note: we are investigating CE, but I'm not sure how that project should impact my decision.

Eliminating the extra SAP instance is a given for me, mainly because of our low usage of DI and plans to continue that way for the next couple of years. Does anyone have a recommendation as to whether I should install the DI Usage Type as part of SolMan or on the EPX and EPD systems?

[Former Member]

Thanks for the information regarding installing DI along side of EP. The 'Master Guide - NetWeaver 7.0' leaves one with the feeling that EP and DI can be safely installed onto 1 Java AS system. "You can install it [AS ABAP] either in one system with DI and EP or as separate system." There are several such instances in the document.

I think we're going to look at expanding our Solution Manager landscape to have a single system landscape for sandbox and a 2 system landscape for development and production. We'll put DI on the sandbox and development system so that the production system is doing what Solution Manager is meant to do. This gives us the added benefit of transports when doing resolutions. Since we have no intentions of ever deploying custom built applications onto the Java AS stack of Solution Manager, I think we're in the clear. We might, however, add a second server process as a safeguard.

[Former Member]

SAP's recommendation is to keep DI separated from your other runtime systems. The reason is that NWDI deployments may trigger a server restart. If you're deploying to the DI system itself (i.e. EPX in your case), it might get restarted during the deployment... and then you're in big trouble.