SAP on IBM Z Community Blog

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Release of Db2 13 for z/OS FL505

By Bernd Kohler posted 3 days ago
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Db2 13 for z/OS Function Level 505 . For more details refer to SAP Notes 81737 and 3152911 .

New IBM Performance Report: SAP Banking on IBM Z with Shared Memory Communications (SMC-Dv2)

By Wera Stoeckel posted 26 days ago
This paper was a performance evaluation of SMC-Dv2 on IBM® Z®. It demonstrates that SMC can shorten batch elapsed time, OLTP response time and increase throughput for SAP Core Banking workloads. It may also result in software license cost savings. For details please click here: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7159153

Now available: Recording and slide deck of SAP on IBM Z March webcast (“zSAP-Update”)

By Wera Stoeckel posted Tue March 26, 2024
In the SAP on IBM Z webcast on March 21 st (“zSAP-Update”) we learned more about the new and upcoming features in DBA Cockpit, Downtime-Minim izat i on in SUM and upcoming audit privilege enhancements in Db2. As usual, the recording and slide deck of the webcast have been made available for download at the link http://ibm.biz/zSAP-RadioSAP . You can find it there in the folder 2024 Replays , subfolder Q1 2024 web cast . If you missed the webcast, you can look at the provided material and watch the recording with the live demo and the discussion of questions that were raised by the audience. The link is accessible ...

Coming soon! Participate in our "zSAP-Update" webcast on March 21st, 2024

By Wera Stoeckel posted Tue March 12, 2024
Are you interested in the latest news? Then register for our first webcast this year. Learn more about the new and upcoming features in DBA Cockpit, Downtime-Minim izat i on in SUM and upcoming audit privilege enhancements in Db2 to be able to inform your SAP on IBM Z clients about the improvements and explain what possibilities this opens up. Main target group: SAP Basis Admins, Db2 Admins, responsible people for security For enrolment and more details click here: https://briefingsource.edst.ibm.com/register/FQZHH

Release of RHEL 9 for SAP Application Servers

By Bernd Kohler posted Fri February 23, 2024
SAP has successfully certified Red Hat Enterprise Linus 9 (RHEL 9) in combination with Db2 for z/OS . This certification covers SAP Application Servers running on Linux on Power Little Endian , Linux on IBM Z and Linux on X86 . Note that RHEL 9 requires the use of Db2 Connect 11.5 M9 FP0 or later. For more details refer to SAP Notes 2919991 and 3108316 .

Release of Db2 13 for z/OS FL504

By Bernd Kohler posted Fri February 23, 2024
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Db2 13 for z/OS Function Level 504 . For more details refer to SAP Notes 81737 and 3152911 .

Now available: Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z, Edition 2024

By Thomas Ritter posted Thu January 25, 2024
This edition is based on IBM Z System Automation 4.2 and on IBM Z System Automation 4.3 with APAR level OA65572. This edition supports z/OS 3.1. Monitoring of status changes for SAP Enqueue Server replication has been enhanced. If Enqueue data replication into the Coupling Facility (CF) is used and if this replication is suspended for whatever reason, then the health state of the Enqueue Server Monitoring resource is switched to WARNING. The document is intended for system and database administrators who need to plan, set up, operate, and maintain SAP on IBM Z systems that must offer the highest level of availability. This covers Db2 Database Administrators, ...

IBM Z Performance Report: Optimizing zIIPs with Banking Services from SAP on z16

By Wera Stoeckel posted Thu January 18, 2024
Our Performance Team published a new whitepaper based on a performance study on zIIP performance. To find out the details and download it click here .

Now available: ABAP SDK for IBM Watson Release 2.0.0

By Wera Stoeckel posted Tue January 16, 2024
Discover the complete step-by-step tutorial by clicking here .

IBM Z Performance: Business Continuity Performance with Banking Services from SAP® - White Paper

By Wera Stoeckel posted Thu November 23, 2023
The SAP on IBM Z team in Poughkeepsie NY has just completed a publication regarding Business Continuity Performance with Banking Services from SAP®. This study documents system recovery performance with different failure scenarios with SAP software on IBM Z. Business continuity of an SAP production system is a critical business factor. IBM Z is well-known as a business operation platform with high reliability and high availability. A right-configured IBM Z environment eliminates single points of failure which can avoid unplanned outages. It also allows for planned administrative or maintenance work without causing disruptions in service. ...

Now available - watch the recording & slide deck of our Q4 SAP on IBM Z webcast!

By Wera Stoeckel posted Tue October 24, 2023
As usual, recording and slide deck of the SAP on IBM Z webcast on Oct. 19th are now available for download at the link: http://ibm.biz/zSAP-RadioSAP . You can find it there in the folder 2023 Replays, subfolder Q4 webcast. If you missed the webcast or want to walk through the presentation at your own speed, you can look at the provided material. The link is accessible by invitation only. If you were registered for the webcast on Oct. 19, you already received an invitation for the link. If you are not yet a user of Box , it will be necessary to register (free of charge) at Box with the e-mail address that was used for the webcast registration. ...

Register today for this special webcast "SAP and IBM Power strategy - an outlook for IBM Z clients"

By Wera Stoeckel posted Thu September 14, 2023
At customer request from a prior webcast, we will discuss the future outlook for System Z customers running SAP workload. As we always try to do in this webcast series, we will strive to provide a realistic technical approach. After changing the deadlines twice already, SAP currently says they will provide Business Suite support through the end of 2027, with extended maintenance through the end of 2030, yet many customers have still not started the S/4HANA journey. Whether you have started or not, there are several options around deploying S/4HANA when coming from SAP on System Z that customers and partners should be aware of. Whether you want to continue ...

Look at updated documents under Library „SAP on IBM Z knowledge base“

By Volker Schölles posted Wed September 13, 2023
Some PDFs under the Library „SAP on IBM Z knowledge base“ have been updated with new information and outdated information has been removed . Documentation-Aug2023 - replaces „Documentation and 2022-06-10_Documentation“ Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z-Aug2023 - replaces "Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z" Business Continuity FAQ-Aug2023 - replaces "Business Continuity FAQ" SAPSRV-SA43.pdf - replaces old figures of our *SAPSRV best practice policy with the actual ones of IBM Z System Automation 4.3. CLI_Failover_v13 is outdated and deleted. The current version is CLI_Failover_v14_23_Feb_21.

RACF password phrase for connecting to Db2

By Bernd Kohler posted Mon May 22, 2023
For SAP on IBM Z you can now use RACF password phrases (with up to 62 characters) for establishing connections to the database host (e.g. for the SAP application servers). The enablement was possible by switching from the traditional dbdb2pwd mechanism to store passwords to SAP's Secure Storage File System (SSFS). SAP Note 3258662 describes how to switch to the new functionality. More details are also covered in the DBA guide for SAP on Db2 for z/OS .

Release of Db2 13 for z/OS FL503

By Bernd Kohler posted Tue May 09, 2023
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Db2 13 for z/OS Function Level 503 . For more details refer to SAP Notes 81737 and 3152911 .

Version 3.0 of our best-practices document for TLS in an SAP on IBM Z context is now released!

By Wera Stoeckel posted Fri April 28, 2023
We are pleased to announce the release of version 3.0 of our best-practices document for TLS in an SAP on IBM Z context. This major update includes a variety of new topics that go beyond just SAP clients with certificate authentication. Some of the key features of version 3.0 include: · Successful implementation of TLS 1.3 · Streamlined certificate setup and AT-TLS policy · Configuration of additional applications, such as SAP Host Agent and RMF DDS · Incorporation of valuable customer feedback We believe that these updates will enhance the overall security of SAP on IBM Z, and we are confident that ...

Now available! Replay of our first webcast in 2023: “SAP on IBM Z – Technical Updates and Enhancements"

By Wera Stoeckel posted Mon March 20, 2023
As usual, the recording and slide deck of the SAP on IBM Z webcast on March 9 “ SAP on IBM Z – Technical Updates and Enhancements " are now available for download at the link: http://ibm.biz/zSAP-RadioSAP . You can find it there in the folder 202 3 Replays , subfolder Q 1 webcast . If you missed the webcast or want to walk through the presentation at your own speed, you can look at the provided material. The link is accessible by invitation only. If you were registered for the webcast on March 9 , you already received an invitation for the link. If you are not yet ...

On March 9 our first webcast for this year will take place. Attend and learn about the security enhancements in SAP NetWeaver and Db2 / other components on IBM Z.

By Wera Stoeckel posted Mon February 20, 2023
If you are a Admin of Db2, z/OS, SAP Basis or if you are responsible for security in your company and using SAP on IBM Z, attend our webcast and get valuable information about SAP on Db2 z/OS: Security enhancement for Db2 user. For enrolment and further details please click here: https://ibm.biz/ZSAP-Q1-2023

Now available: Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z, Edition 2023

By Volker Schölles posted Fri January 27, 2023
This edition is based on IBM Z System Automation 4.2 and on IBM Z System Automation 4.3 with APAR level OA63994. Db2 13 for z/OS is supported. The *SAPSRV policy support for "dual-stack" Remote Application Server has been replaced with support for "dual usage type" Remote Application Server. The document is intended for system and database administrators who need to plan, set up, operate, and maintain SAP on IBM Z systems that must offer the highest level of availability. This covers Db2 Database Administrators, SAP Basis and System Administrators, people responsible for SAP System Configuration, SAP Consultants, SAP Project Infrastructure Team Members, ...

Release of Db2 13 for z/OS FL502

By Bernd Kohler posted Tue January 03, 2023
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Db2 13 for z/OS Function Level 502 . For more details refer to SAP Notes 81737 and 3152911 .

Release of Windows 2022 for SAP Application Servers

By Bernd Kohler posted Tue December 20, 2022
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Application Servers running on Windows 2022 in combination with Db2 for z/OS . For more details refer to SAP Notes 2919991 and 3143497 .

Support of Huffman Compression

By Bernd Kohler posted Mon October 17, 2022
SAP now supports the UTS storage options COMPRESS YES HUFFMAN and COMPRESS YES FIXEDLENGTH introduced with Db2 12 FL509. For details refer to SAP Note 3157372 .

Webcast "How to enable TLS and X.509 Certificate Authentication for SAP NetWeaver" - replay now available!

By Wera Stoeckel posted Fri September 23, 2022
As usual, the recording and slide deck of the SAP on IBM Z webcast on Sept. 22nd, "How to enable TLS and X.509 Certificate Authentication for SAP NetWeaver" ) have been made available for download at the link: http://ibm.biz/zSAP-RadioSAP . You can find it there in the folder 2022 Replays , subfolder Q3 webcast . If you missed the webcast or want to walk through the presentation at your own speed, you can look at the provided material. The link is accessible by invitation only. If you were registered for the webcast on September 22nd, you already received an invitation for the link. If you are not yet a user of Box , it will be necessary ...

IBM’s document “Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z” as of 31 July, 2022, is now available on IBM Documentation.

By Volker Schölles posted Fri August 05, 2022
IBM Documentation provides a modernized user experience and makes it easier than ever to find IBM product information. This document describes a solution for Business Continuity for SAP on IBM Z , which provides the means for fully automating the management of all SAP components and related products running on z/OS®, AIX®, Linux®, or Windows. The automation software monitors all resources and controls the restart, or takeover of failing components, or both, thereby ensuring a high and almost continuous availability of the SAP system. Therefore, emphasis in this document is put on solutions for high availability as this is the most important aspect of ...

Update of the SAP Community Network document "SAP Solution Manager Diagnostics Agent on z/OS" has been published

By Volker Schölles posted Wed August 03, 2022
The SAP Community Network (SCN) document "SAP Solution Manager Diagnostics Agent on z/OS" has been updated. The document describes how to install, set up an SAP Solution Manager Diagnostics Agent (SMDA) instance on z/OS and connect it to your SAP Solution Manager 7.2 based on current software levels. Please find the document here .

Db2 13 for z/OS certified for SAP Solutions

By Bernd Kohler posted Fri June 24, 2022
Today, SAP released Db2 13 for z/OS for all solutions based on SAP NetWeaver. The annoucement came just 3½ weeks after IBM’s general availability of the new database version. Db2 13 provides new SQL functionality and better hardware integration. In addition, SAP high-end workload will benefit from significant enhancements related to availability, scalability and performance. As a starting point, refer to IBM’s What’s new in Db2 13 and SAP Note 3152911 .

SAP on IBM Z webcast "SAP on Db2 13 for z/OS": listen to the replay!

By Wera Stoeckel posted Fri June 10, 2022
As usual, the recording and slide deck of the SAP on IBM Z webcast on June 9 th , (" SAP on Db2 13 for z/OS ") have been made available for download at the link: http://ibm.biz/zSAP-RadioSAP . You can find it there in the folder 2022 Replays , subfolder Q2 webcast . If you missed the webcast or want to walk through the presentation at your own speed, you can look at the provided material. The link is accessible by invitation only. If you were registered for the webcast on June 9 th , you already received an invitation for the link. If you are not yet a user of Box , it will be necessary to register (free of ...

TLS Certificate Authentication for SAP on IBM Z - update available!

By Wera Stoeckel posted Wed May 11, 2022
An update of the best-practices guide covering TLS with Client-Certificate Authentication is available with multiple simplifications and improvements in our reference: Updated TLS 1.2 cipher suites recommendations, and prepared z/OS for TLS 1.3, so that it is ready when official TLS 1.3 support in other components becomes available. Reduced the number of required certificates in the Db2 key ring Easier Db2 relocation with multiple LPAR hostnames in the Db2 certificate, even if it was generated in RACF Simpler z/OS AT-TLS rules make adding definitions for new Db2 subsystems or data sharing groups easier. New sections about Software Update Manager ...

IBM Z Performance: SAP Application Server on KVM - White Paper

By Paul DeLessio posted Thu April 14, 2022
The SAP on IBM Z team in Poughkeepsie NY, under guidance of Dr. Paul Lekkas, has just completed a publication regarding a LoZ performance evaluation of SAP Application Servers on KVM. Here is the link to the publication below. >>> https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6565773

Release of AIX 7.3 for SAP Application Servers

By Bernd Kohler posted Thu April 14, 2022
SAP has successfully finished the certification of Application Servers running on AIX 7.3 in combination with Db2 for z/OS . For more details refer to SAP Notes 2919991 and 3104875 .