More flexible and cheaper - Almost everything becomes software

In many organizations, SAP environments that have grown over the years are part of the core of corporate IT. Even today, the motto that proven systems should be changed as little as possible still applies in many cases.

A look at the equipment and operation of the SAP systems makes it clear that they generally run on classic, dedicated servers and use storage systems connected via Fibre Channel.

Together with the server vendor, users determine how many SAPS (SAP Application Performance Standard) are needed and how much RAM, CPU, disk and network card resources a server should be equipped with to handle the intended workloads quickly, based on SAP user metrics, quantity scales and benchmarks.

Companies have virtualized application servers, and discussions about appropriate sizing have centered on the question of 2-tier or 3-tier architectures.

Typical SAP tasks such as the creation of SAP clones for testing, development and production were partially automated with scripts, but end-to-end automation, ideally initiated by the business department, is still rather the exception today.

Hyperconvergent systems

At the same time, new architectures and technologies are entering the data centers and promise simpler and more efficient IT operations. Hyperconvergent systems, which combine servers, storage systems, network components and virtualization software in a single housing, play an important role in the environment of SAP solutions.

As a rule, network solutions support at least 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and rarely Fibre Channel as well. The first challenge here is to change configurations that have been common up to now. In concrete terms, this involves a move away from classic storage subsystems and a switch to local storage.

It is important for companies to be able to apply the familiar procedures of SAP operation, in particular cloning, backup and snapshot integration, as enabled by classic storage systems, with hyperconvergent solutions as well.

The advantages are lower total cost of ownership, simplified operation and greater flexibility. The typical representative of a hyperconverged system is the Dell PowerEdge FX.

Software-defined data center

The architecture of a software-defined data center goes one step further. Hyperconvergent systems often form the basis for this. In addition to the widespread server virtualization, storage is also defined by software alone.

Examples of such a solution are vSAN from VMWare with the Dell vSAN Ready Nodes, the Nutanix architecture as used on the Dell XC systems, or solutions based on Microsoft Storage Spaces.

However, the network components are still missing for a data center completely defined by software. Three approaches have established themselves on the market here:

• Controller-based management, where all switches in the network are orchestrated by a central component, for example using the Open Flow communication protocol.
• The freedom to choose the operating system on the network components. Switches are thereby reduced to pure hardware, on which a user then installs his preferred network operating system.
• Overlay networks that place a virtual network on top of classic networks. One example of this is VMware NSX, which is integrated into the hypervisor and in which all network structures and mechanisms are implemented in software.

For SAP operation, the provision of sufficient bandwidth is essentially relevant in the network. This requirement can be met with all three variants.

Software-defined anything - and thus the consistent separation of hardware and software based on open standards - offers extensive options for the design and operation of new solutions.

Companies benefit from greater flexibility and lower implementation costs. Optimally coordinated, servers, software-defined storage and software-defined networking form the central components for building a powerful, efficient and future-proof software-defined data center.

The individual solution components are already mature and proven, but the interaction is still in the development and evaluation phase, and users are in the process of finding out which variants are suitable for specific application scenarios.

Here, companies rely on the advice and support of partners like Dell, who can cover the entire solution portfolio in all its details.

Deploy new SAP environments

Typical tasks in an SAP system landscape also include the rapid provision of new environments or even the cloning of an existing environment.

Even when provisioning the basic infrastructure, users can gain a great deal of flexibility and time by using a solution like Dell Active System Manager.

This means that even extensive environments can be rolled out on the basis of templates - for example, an SAP system consisting of a non-virtualized database server under Windows with Microsoft SQL Server, virtualized web servers and several application servers under Linux.

These systems are then automatically distributed to suitable free resources on the basis of pools and the storage requirements are adjusted accordingly. The familiar implementation tools can then be used for further automation in the SAP system, so that no complete upheaval of operations is necessary.

A hyperconverged infrastructure solution

Dell PowerEdge FX2 combines the elements of blades and rack servers, including storage and networking components, on a modular platform to create an easy-to-manage and scalable infrastructure solution.

This is housed in a two height unit chassis that provides space for up to six PowerEdge server bays via common storage and network components, while also offering integrated management functionalities.

Due to the shared components and features such as cooling, power supply, switches and PCIe expansion slots, companies can use the FX2 enclosure for a variety of server or mass storage combinations and thus benefit from more efficiency in the use of IT resources.

The modular architecture enables good scaling, so that once configured solutions in the SAP environment can be quickly and easily adapted to new requirements.