S/4 High Availability in Hybrid Cloud Environments

The Suse technology blueprint consists of seven steps: Provision, Deploy, Operate, Optimize, Transform, Monitor, and Report. The third step, Operate, includes the important topic high availability of S/4 Hana and other SAP applications and their seamless operation in hybrid cloud environments.

High availability

One observable trend: on-premises customers are more and more opting for public cloud services, especially Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Hybrid cloud environments with different SAP iterations and IT solutions are destined for zero-downtime operations. However, hybrid cloud does not mean that customers can forget about the topic of high availability (HA). SAP customers highly prioritize continuous availability of their IT landscapes around the clock, as planned or unplanned downtimes can lead to business disruptions and decreased revenues. 

Already in the early stages of Hana development, SAP and Suse have made HA including disaster recovery (DR) a priority against the backdrop of Hana Data Center Readiness. Just as long, Suse has been supporting customers with HA solutions and features designed to minimize downtimes in SAP operations on premises, in the public cloud, in ERP/ECC 6.0, and in S/4 Hana.

With a focus on SAP operations, Suse offers customers comprehensive solutions, like Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) for SAP Applications including a High Availability Extension (HAE), a live-patching solution for the Linux kernel, as well as Linux management solution Suse Manager.

SLES for SAP Applications has long since advanced to the preferred (and recommended!) Linux operating system for Hana and SAP application servers. SLES offers HA and security features (including encryption management) in the standard. The aforementioned High Availability Extension (HAE), a complete cluster software with automated Hana failover provision, is also included. This means that if a primary Hana system fails, an installed failover system automatically takes over without any noticeable downtime or system disruptions.  

Reduce downtimes   

Suse’s live-patching solution is an optional patching technology which automatically installs stability and security patches in the Linux kernel without system restarts or downtimes.       

Suse Manager combines comprehensive management tools for seamless Hana use and therefore SAP applications (and non-SAP applications). For example, it can be used for automated patch and update management or automated administration, orchestration, and control of different IT components.

All mentioned Suse solutions are available for both on-premises and public-cloud customers, as well as for hybrid deployment. Technology consistency, equal functionalities, and reliability are guaranteed throughout all deployment models.