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Overview ................................................................................................................162 Check that All Application Servers Are Up (Transaction SM51)......................162 Background (Batch) Jobs ....................................................................................163 Background Jobs (SM37)...................................................................................1615 Operation Modes.................................................................................................1621 Backups ...............................................................................................................1636 Checking Consumable Supplies .......................................................................1642

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Operations is a generic category that refers to the tasks that would be done by a computer operations group. These are the tasks that the people in the glass room in a data center would be doing. If you do not have a data center, these tasks do not disappear; they must be assigned to the appropriate employees. This chapter is important because operations is a crucial part of system administration. While learning to manage operations, readers will learn how to perform: < < < < Batch jobs Background jobs Operation modes Backups

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Transaction SM51 allows you to look at all the servers in your system (for example, the PRD database server and all of its application servers). You do not have to log into each server individually.
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The ability to look at the servers is important because if: < One of your dialog application servers is not up, the users who usually log on to that application server will not have a server to log on to. < The batch application server is down, batch jobs that are specified to run on that server will not run.

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction SM51 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools Administration Monitor System monitoring SM51 - Servers). 2. Review the list of instances under Server name. Verify that all your instances are listed. If it is listed, it is up and running.

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In the R/3 System, a batch job is referred to as a background job. This job runs independently of a user being logged on. There are two kinds of background jobs: < < Regular These are jobs that are run on a regular schedule. Ad hoc These are jobs that are run as needed or required.
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Background jobs are used for the following reasons: < < < Users have the flexibility of scheduling jobs when they are out of the office. The program can be run without locking a user session. Jobs that run for a long time would time out if executed online.

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Regularly scheduled jobs are background jobs that will run on a schedule (for example, daily at 11:00 a.m., Sundays at 5:00 a.m., etc.)
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Regularly schedule jobs are run to: < < < < < < Collect performance statistics Populate an information system, such as the Special Ledger. Generate a report Generate output for an outbound interface Process an inbound interface Perform housekeeping tasks, such as deleting old spool requests

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The job is scheduled like any other background job, but with a few additional considerations:
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Create a special user ID to be used only for scheduling batch jobs, such as BATCH1. The reason for special user IDs is to keep scheduled jobs independent of any user. This way, when a user leaves the company, the jobs will not fail when the user ID is locked, shut down, or deleted.

<

Consider multiple-batch user IDs when batch jobs are scheduled by or for different organizations or groups. This method has the disadvantage of having to manage multiple accounts. For example: BATCH1 System Jobs BATCH2 Finance BATCH3 Accounts Payable BATCH4 Warehouse BATCH5 Material Planning/Inventory

3HUIRUPDQFH For more information on performance, see 165. +RXVHNHHSLQJ -REV These background jobs must be run regularly to perform administrative tasks, such as: < < < Deleting old spools Deleting old batch jobs Collecting statistics

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See SAP note 16083 for the required SAP housekeeping jobs, and to schedule the spool consistency check, see SAP note 98065.

Program RSPO0041 is sometimes troublesome; see SAP note 48400.

2WKHUV Various modules and functions may require their own regularly scheduled jobs. For example, the Special Ledger requires a regular job to copy data from the FI/CO modules and to regenerate sets in Special Ledger. There may be various database and operating system-level housekeeping jobs that also need to run.

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Background jobs consume a significant amount of system resources. As a result, they could adversely affect online system performance. There are several ways to improve system performance while running background jobs. These methods benefit both online users and other background jobs. To reduce the system impact from background jobs: < Run batch jobs on a dedicated batch application instance/server. This step separates the processing requirements of the background job from the processing requirements of online users and of the database. Even with as little as 10 users on a small central instance (no application servers), two batch jobs can significantly slow down the online system response. Therefore, even for a small installation, there may be a need for application servers to offload the batch processing from the central instance. The instance profile for this application server would be tuned for background jobs rather than dialog (online) performance (for example, five background work processes and only two dialog work processes). Specifying a target host is a double-edged sword. If you specify the target host, load balancing is not performed. There may be the situation where all the batch work processes on the batch application server are in use, and other application servers are idle. However, by specifying that the job is to run on the batch application server, it will not run on any of the other available application servers. This job will wait until a batch work process is available on the specified batch application server. < Schedule background jobs to run during nonpeak periods, such as at night or during lunch. If no one is on the system, slow system performance does not matter. < Minimize job contention. Two background jobs are running at the same time and contending for the same files, possibly even the same records. Minimizing this conflict is one reason to coordinate background job scheduling (for example, by not simultaneously running two AR aging

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reports). In such cases, the reports may finish sooner if they are run sequentially, rather than in parallel. < For global operation, consider the local time of your users. For example, scheduling a resource intensive background job to start at 1:00 a.m. PST in California (0900 GMT) corresponds to 10:00 a.m. CET in Germany. This time may be good for Americans who are not working, but it is the middle of the workday morning in Germany. When these jobs run can be critical, for tasks such as backing up operating system-level files, because of the following: A backup of these files may require that the file not be changed or used during the backup, or the backup will fail. Programs attempting to change the file will fail because the backup has the file locked. Make a chart that converts your local time to the local time for all affected global sites. With this chart you can quickly see what the local time is for locations that would be affected by a job (see following example): A corporate master clock (or time) should be defined for a company with operations in multiple time zones. Two common methods are: < The time zone where the corporate office is located. For SAP in Walldorf, Germany this is Central European Time (CET). For United Airlines in Chicago, IL, this is Central Standard Time (CST). < Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This common time is used by global operations, such as the airlines.

The change to and from daylight savings time does not occur on the same day in all countries. During that interim time, the offset time could be different. The time conversion table (based on a 24-hour clock) below shows selected times around the world.

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The Microsoft Excel file for this table is included on this guides companion CD, which is located inside the back cover of this book. < < Highlight the column for your local time zone, so you do not accidentally read the wrong column. Using a 24-hour clock eliminates the common A.M./P.M. confusion.

If you use daylight savings time, you need to be aware of the days when the time changes: < Daylight savings time starts A one-hour time period will disappear. Jobs scheduled to run in this missing hour may either not run or run as a late job. Any tasks following this change, which rely on a job scheduled to run during the missing hour, need to be reviewed.

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<

Daylight savings time ends This period creates a problem where a one-hour period of time repeats itself. For example, at 3:00 a.m., the clock resets back to 2:00 a.m. This time period will occur twice.

One way to avoid problems when daylight savings time is switched on and off is to use UTC (formerly known as GMT) as your master clock. If you are in a U.S. state that does not use daylight savings time, such as Hawaii, it is not a concern. See the following SAP notes: < < 7417 - Changing to daylight savings time and back 102088 - End of daylight savings time: the double hour

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Background jobs are used for the following reasons: < < < Users have the flexibility of scheduling jobs when they are not in the office. The program can be run without locking a user session. Jobs that run for a long time would time out if run online.

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The job class determines the start priority of the job. For example, a class A job would start before a class B job, and a class B job would start before a class C job.

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Once started, all job classes have equal priority. A class A job will not take processing resources away from a class B job to finish faster.

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Jobs in the start queue do not affect running jobs. A class A job in the start queue will not replace a currently running class C job.

Avoid playing priority games with the job class. If you make every job a class A job, there is no priority, because every job will be at the same priority level. The recommended method is to assign all jobs to job class C. The exceptions to this recommendation are those jobs that need the priority. This priority increase should be properly justified.
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A batch job may require that a variant be created to execute the job.

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction SM36 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Jobs SM36-Definition). 2. In Job name, enter a job name.

Using the standard naming convention makes it easier to manage jobs. 3. In the Job class, enter C. Class C is the standard job class. 4. Choose Start condition.

2 3

5. Choose Date/Time.
5

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6. For Schedule start, in Date and Time, enter the start date and time.
8

6 7

The Schedule start is the date and time on the database server, not the local time. 7. On No start after, enter the date and time by which time the program must start. If the program does not start by the specified date and time, then it will not start at all. 8. If you have a job that will run periodically, perform steps 913. If not, choose Immediate and skip to step 14. 9. Select Periodic job. 10. Choose Period values. 11. Choose the appropriate period button (for example, Daily). 12. Choose Check.
11 9 10

13. Choose Save.

13 12

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14. Choose

Check.

15. Choose Save.

15 14

16. Choose

Step.

16

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17. To schedule an ABAP program, choose ABAP program. 18. In the ABAP program section, in Name, enter the name of the program (for example, rspo0041). 19. Choose Check.
18

17

19

If the program has variants, a window with the list of available variants appears. 20. Select the appropriate variant. 21. Choose .

20

21

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22. Choose

Print specifications.

22

23. Enter the printer name or choose to select the printer. 24. Select the appropriate Spool control options. 25. Under Print settings: < < Lines and Columns values are generated by the report. For Format, choose to select the value that most closely matches the Lines and Columns 24 value. .
23

26. Choose

25

26

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27. Choose Save.

27

28. Choose Save. 29. A message will appear in the status bar indicating that the batch job has been created. 30. Choose Back.
28 30

29

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Background jobs are batch jobs scheduled to run at specific times during the day.
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If you are running critical jobs, you need to know if the job failed because there may be other processes, activities, or tasks that depend on these jobs.
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You should have a list of all the critical jobs that are scheduled to run. For each of these jobs, you should have a list that shows: < < < < When the jobs are scheduled to run The expected run time An emergency contact (names and phone numbers) for job failure or problems Restart or problem procedures

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction SM37 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Jobs SM37 - Maintenance). 2. In Job name, enter * to get all jobs. 3. Enter one of the following options: < * (for all users) < User ID that the batch jobs run under (to limit the display to those scheduled under a specific user ID in User name). 4. Under Job status, select: < Active < Finished < Canceled 5. In Fr., enter a start date. 6. In To, enter an end date. 7. In after event, choose *. 8. Choose Execute. and select
7 8 2 3 4

9. Check for failed or cancelled jobs. Analyze why jobs failed or were cancelled and make the necessary corrections. 10. Check critical jobs such as MRP, check payment jobs, etc. To do this check, you need to know the job name. 11. From this point, you may do one of the following tasks: < Check the job log < Get basic job information
9

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&KHFNLQJ WKH -RE /RJ To check a job log: 1. Select the job. 2. Choose Job log.
2

3. Check job performance and record run times. A deviation from the usual run time on a job may indicate a problem and should be investigated. 4. Choose Back.

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8VLQJ WKH -RE 7UHH To get basic job information at a glance using the job tree: 1. Select the job. 2. Choose .
2

3. A job tree is displayed showing information such as: < < < < Job class and status Target server Job steps Job start conditions .

4. Choose

5. Choose Back.

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The graphical job monitor is useful when coordinating many background jobs because it allows you to see individual job statistics.
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The graphical job monitor is a visual format where status is indicated by the following colors: < < Aborted job (red) Active job (blue)

If a job ran past its expected end time, and other jobs are scheduled to start, the graphical job monitor lets you see the conflict.
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1. In the Command field, enter transaction RZ01 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Control/Monitoring RZ01-Job Scheduling Monitor). 2. Choose Time unit Hour to get a more usable time scale. 3. Choose Legend to get a popup legend of the colors or patterns used. 4. Choosing Timer ON will update the display every three minutes.
3 4 2

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This transaction shows jobs that need to be processed or started, and jobs with errors that need to be resolved.
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This transaction is important because it alerts you to batch input jobs that are: < New These are jobs that are waiting to be processed (for example, a posting from an interface file). If not processed, the data will not post to the system. < Incorrect These are jobs that have failed due to an error. The danger is that only a portion of the job may have posted to the system. This partial posting increases the potential for data corruption of a different sort, since only part of the data is in the system.
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1. In the Command field, enter transaction SM35 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools Administration Monitor SM35-Batch Input). 2. Enter a start date of at least a week ago (or even further back if people 3 are not good about resolving these jobs) in the From field.
2

3. Choose

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4. Choose the New tab. A list of batch input sessions that need to be processed are displayed. 5. Choose the Incorrect tab. A list of incorrect batch input sessions are displayed. 6. Contact the responsible user to notify them or determine why these jobs are in: < < New Sessions Incorrect sessions
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Operation modes allow the R/3 System configurations to be adapted to different requirements. The configuration is the mix of the number of dialog (online) and batch processes at different times of the day. When switching operation modes, the R/3 work processes are automatically redistributed, without stopping and restarting the instance. Only the work process type changes. For example, a work process used as a dialog process can be switched for use as a background process. The total number of work process remains the same. The new process type is not activated until the process is free, which means that a process may not be immediately switched. Instead, it is set for switching at the earliest possible time. For example, if all background processes to be switched to dialog processes still have jobs running, the processes are individually switched when the jobs are completed. Processing is not interrupted and normal system operation continues uninterrupted during the operation mode switch. Operation mode switches are recorded in the system log. The old process type and the new process type are recorded for each switched work process.
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A batch job runs on a batch work process until it is completed and does not time share the work process. Therefore, to increase the number of batch jobs that are processed during a given period, you need to increase the number of batch work processes. To achieve this

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increase, you must also decrease the number of dialog (online) work processes by the same amount. This process is usually done to increase the number of batch sessions available to process batch sessions at night, when most of the online users have gone home and you have many batch jobs to run. During the day the opposite situation occurs. The number of batch work processes is reduced, and the number of dialog work processes is increased to accommodate the number of online users. For example: Mode Day Night Dialog WP 5 2 Batch WP 2 5

There should always be a minimum of two dialog processes. Do not reduce the value below two. There must be at least two batch work processes on the system. An individual instance, such as a dialog application server, could be configured without a batch work process. But there must be batch work processes to use somewhere on the system, or a task (such as a transport) will fail if it needs a batch work process to execute. For small clients with little batch processing at night, the additional process of configuring and maintaining operation modes may not be necessary. Not using operation modes reduces the level of administration required to maintain the system. Although once configured and running, there is little maintenance required.
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To set up and use the operations modes: 1. Define the operation mode (RZ04). 2. Assign the instance definition to an operation mode (RZ04). 3. Define the distribution of work processes for the operation modes (RZ04). This distribution is the mix of dialog and batch work processes. 4. Assign the operation modes (SM63). Define or set the schedule of when the modes will switch and to what mode it will switch to.

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction RZ04 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Configuration RZ04 - OP Modes/instances). 2. Choose .

3. In the Operation Mode field, enter a name or title description. 4. In Description, enter a short description for the mode. 5. Choose Save.
5

3 4

Make the name and descriptions meaningful, such as day mode and night mode, which makes it easier to select them later.

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Productive Operation Modes are for normal R/3 operation. Test Operation Modes are used for systems where development work or testing is being done. Test Operation Mode can be switched manually or by using the timetable. 6. The Operation mode (for example, day) is created.

7. Repeat the above steps for any additional operation modes (for example, afternoon and nite) you need.

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7KH )LUVW 7LPH <RX *HQHUDWH DQ ,QVWDQFH 2SHUDWLRQ 0RGH The first time the CCMS: Maintain Operation Modes and Instances screen is opened, there are no operation modes. This process populates the screen. 1. In the Command field, enter transaction RZ04 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Configuration RZ04 - OP Modes/instances). 2. Choose Instances/operation modes.

3. To generate an instance definition for our host, from the menu bar, choose Settings Based on current status New instances Generate.

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4. The instances are populated. 5. Choose Save. 6. Choose Back.

5 6

$GGLQJ D 1HZ 2SHUDWLRQ 0RGH 1. In the Command field, enter transaction RZ04 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Configuration RZ04 - OP Modes/instances). 2. Choose Instances/operation modes.

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3. Choose any operation mode. 4. Choose .

5. Choose Other operation mode. 6. Choose mode. to select an operation

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7. Choose the new Operation Mode (for example, morning). 8. Choose .

8

9. At this point, you can also define the work process distribution (see Defining Distribution of Work Processes later in this chapter). 10. Choose Save.

10

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11. Under Op Mode, the new operation mode, morning, appears. 12. Choose Save.

12

11

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction RZ04 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Configuration RZ04 - OP Modes/instances). 2. Select the operation mode you wish to define (for example, nite). 3. Choose Instances/operation modes.
3

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4. Select an OP Mode, for example nite. 5. Choose .

5

6. Click in the Background field.

Do not change any other field. Use the minus (-) or plus (+) buttons to reduce or increase the number of Background work processes. This step automatically changes the number of Dialog work processes by the opposite amount, to keep total number of work processes the same. In this example, we increased the number of background work processes from 1 to 3. 7. Choose Save.
7

Remember that there should always be a minimum of: < Two dialog processes on an instance < Two batch work processes on a system

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8. The changes now appear on this screen. 9. Choose Save.

10. Repeat for all the other operation modes. 11. Choose Save.

11

10

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction SM63 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS Configuration SM63 Operation mode calendar). 2. Select Normal operation (24hr). 3. Choose Chan.(Change).

2 3

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4. This screen shows the timetable. The dashed arrow (= =>) indicates the current time. 5. Double-click on the beginning and ending times when the operation mode should be in effect. 6. Choose Assign.
6

7. In Op. mode, choose

.
7

8. Choose the mode to assign (for example, day). 9. Choose .

9

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10. Choose

10

11. The operation mode name is next to the time periods you assigned.

11

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12. Repeat steps 511 for the other operation mode(s). 13. Choose Save.

13

14. When the Operation Mode switches, entries appear in the system log (transaction SM21).

14

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At the end of the quarter: < < < < < < Made certain you get a usable backup at the end of the quarter. Send quarter-end backup tapes offsite for an extended period. Make certain to get a usable backup at year-end. Send the backup tapes offsite for an extended period. End of the calendar or fiscal year After the financial books are closed for the year This period may be several months after the end of the fiscal year. The length of the extended period should be determined by your legal and finance departments, external auditors, and others as appropriate in the company (for more information, see discussion in chapter 3).

At the end of the year:

Be aware that you may have two year-end backup dates:

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See the procedures in chapter 3, 15, and 17.

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An offline backup of the entire server is done at the operating system level. This process requires that the R/3 System and the database be down so that no files are open.
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Performing an offline backup is necessary for files that cannot be backed up if the R/3 System or the database is active. With this full-server backup, you know you have everything on the server. If you experience major system problems, you will have a defined point from where everything is backed up and from where you can begin a restore.

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A full-server backup should be performed before and after major changes on the server, such as: < < < Installing new software Upgrading installed software Changing hardware

If a change has a catastrophic effect (a disaster), you will need to recover the server to its before-the-change state.
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To perform a full server backup: 1. Stop the R/3 System. 2. Stop the database. 3. Stop all services (NT). 4. Execute the backup using your backup program (database and file system). 5. Check backup times and logs. 6. Cycle the server.

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction DB12 and choose Enter (or from the SAP standard menu, choose Tools CCMS DB Administration DB12-Backup logs). 2. Record the date and time that appears next to Full R/3 backup. 3. If the backup failed, there is no indication on this screen, except that the last successful backup date was not the expected date. You must review DB13 to see the indication that the job failed. 4. Choose Backup history to get more detail on the backups.
4

5. This screen shows the backup. For the backup that ran, you can see the following info: a. Start date and time. b. DB name c. Media name or tape label d. Position on the backup tape
5a 5b 5c 5d

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1. In the Command field, enter transaction DB13 and choose Enter (or from the SAP Standard Menu, choose Tools CCMS DB Administration DB13-DBA Planning Calendar). 2. Look for the backup job that is listed under each data square. 3. If the backup failed, the job will be indicated in red.

In Release 4.6, red-text jobs could also mean that the job log is unavailable, and the job could still be running. 4. Select the entry for the backup. 5. Choose Action logs.
4 3

This is the job log from the backup.

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2SHUDWLQJ 6\VWHP /HYHO %DFNXSV The general process is as follows: 1. Record the usual or expected run time for the backup. 2. Compare the actual backup time to the expected (usual) run time for the backup. If the backup takes longer or shorter than this time, there may be a problem that needs to be investigated.

Any failed backup must be immediately investigated and resolved. 81,; For your UNIX-level backup, review the results using the appropriate UNIX backup application. 17 We assume that you are using the NTBackup application. If you are using another program, use that programs documentation to determine its status after backup. NTBackup records some log information in the NT event logs. A more specific log is written to a file as specified when NTBackup is run.
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1. From the Windows NT desktop, 2 choose Start Programs Administrative tools Event viewer.
3

Create a shortcut on your desktop to the Administrative tools group. 2. Choose Log Application. 3. Under Source, look for the NTBackup entries. 4. Check for error messages, which are indicated in red.

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5. To view the details for a line entry, double-click on the line. This view will give you a bit more information.

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If the event log indicates problems: 1. Review the NTBackup log to determine more specifically what the error was. 2. Using that information, take corrective action. The NTBackup log is by default: c:\winnt\backup.log. If the NTBackup writes to a different file or directory, you need to review that file. 1. In Explorer, select the directory c:\Winnt. 2. Double-click on Backup.log. Backup.log is a text file. This step assumes that you have Notepad associated with the extension log.
2 1

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3. Scroll through the file to look for any problems.

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Consumable supplies are those that you use regularly, such as: < < < < < < < Cleaning cartridges Data cartridges (tape and disk) Laser printer toner Ink cartridges Batteries Forms Envelopes, etc.

Within the group of consumable supplies are critical supplies. If these supplies run out, your business operations could be affected or stopped. Examples are preprinted forms with your companys name or other special printing and magnetic toner cartridges. The amount of spare supplies purchased and available on-hand should be enough to accommodate varying usage levels and to allow for time to purchase replacements.
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Running out of supplies will create an inconvenience, or even an operational problem.

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If an item is critical, and you run out of it, business operation may stop.

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([DPSOH If you run out of the magnetic toner cartridge for the check printer, you will not be able to generate checks out of the system. At this point, either you cannot print checks to pay your vendors, or you have to manually type the checks (if you have blank manual check stock on hand). Special or custom supplies such as the following require special consideration: < < Special magnetic ink toner cartridges to print the MICR characters on checks. Not every computer supplier will stock these special cartridges. Preprinted forms (with company header, instructions, or other custom printing). Due to the customized nature of these items, there is usually a significant lead time to restock these items. If it is a critical item, stock extras, the first spare may be bad or defective.

Murphy says: When you need something immediately, it will be Friday evening and vendors and stores will be closed.
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To check consumable supplies: < Check the expiration date on supplies that are subject to aging. This check applies to supplies currently being used and those in inventory (not yet in use). < Check supplies that have a time in service expiration, such as hours, cycles, etc. ([DPSOH Certain DAT tapes are rated for 100 full backups. After that they should be discarded and replaced with new tapes. (This usage limit can be entered into the SAPDBA control file for Oracle.) < Keep in touch with your purchasing agent and the market place. Market conditions may make certain supplies difficult to purchase. In such conditions, the lead time and quantities to be purchased need to be increased. For example, at one time, 120 meter DAT tapes cartridges were difficult to buy, at any price. < Track usage rates and adjust stocking levels and purchasing plans as needed.

System Administration Made Easy

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Certain supplies may have long lead times for purchase, manufacture, or shipping. Do not make your lack of planning the purchasing agents emergency. If you do this too often, you will soon use up your favors. Then when you really need help, the purchasing agent may not be as willing to help you.

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