5 1 0:Configuring SAP HANA Backups with Variable Backint Parameters

Welcome to the latest SEP sesam documentation version 5.1.0 Apollon. For previous documentation version(s), check documentation archive.

Overview

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As an alternative to configuring SAP HANA backup in SEP sesam using a backup event and the SESAM_TASKEVENT Backint parameter, you can also configure the backup manually on the SAP HANA server using available SEP sesam parameters in the .utl file. This approach is useful when you want to use storage systems with source-side deduplication. However, it requires administrative access to the SAP HANA server and manual intervention and configuration on the SAP HANA server. However, this method supports using storage systems with source-side deduplication.

Configuration procedure

The procedure for configuring the SAP HANA database backup follows the same general procedure as described in SAP HANA Configuration:

Add and configure SAP HANA database server as SEP sesam Client.
Set up and configure the method for backing up the SAP HANA database.
Configure the backup manually on the SAP HANA server using available SEP sesam parameters in the .utl file. For instructions see section Configure variable backup parameters on SAP HANA below. Note that the changes to the backup process must be made on the SAP HANA database server.
Install and configure the SAP HANA extension on the SAP HANA database server.
The procedure for setting up and activating the SAP HANA Backint for database backup is described below, however, for more information see also SAP HANA Configuration.
Specify backup parameters in .utl file.
Configure the SEP sesam Backint parameters as required.
Verify and test the integration.

Configure variable backup parameters on SAP HANA

The alternative method for configuring SAP HANA backups involves setting up the backup environment in SEP sesam and then specifying all SEP sesam parameters, both static and variable, directly on the SAP HANA server. In SEP sesam, you prepare the backup task, media pools, migration tasks, follow-up tasks, and optionally configure the SEP sesam RDS. On the SAP HANA server, you configure the backup process with with the necessary SEP sesam backup parameters in the .utl file. This approach requires administrative access to the HANA server and manual configuration of the .utl file. To adjust the backup process, for example, use a different media pool or migration task, you must first make the necessary changes in SEP sesam and then connect to the HANA host with administrative rights to update the .utl files accordingly. For the list of all available SEP sesam Backint parameters, see SEP sesam Backint parameters.

Create a SAP HANA backup task and set the general settings and parameters for the backup. In the Task type drop-down list select SAP HANA and set the Task name. The Source field is not used for backup and you can use it to write any descriptive name for the backup source. For detailed instructions on configuring the backup task, see Creating a Backup Task.

Screenshots

Select or create media pools for database and log backups. For detailed instructions on configuring a media pool, see Configuring a Media Pool.
Optionally, configure a migration task for your SAP Hana database backup. For detailed instructions on configuring the migration task, see Creating a Migration Task.
Optionally, configure a follow-up task for your SAP HANA database backup. For more information on configuring the follow-up task, see Follow-up Events.
Continue the procedure by installing the SAP HANA extension.

Install and configure the SAP HANA extension on the SAP HANA database server

Prerequisites

Before you begin the installation, prepare the following information:

SAP HANA database name: <database_name>
SAP HANA SID: <SID>
SAP HANA instance number: <instance>
SAP user key (<user_key>) or alternatively SAP HANA credentials (<username> and <password>) for backup user
Hostname (required for hdbsql connection)
SAP HANA server hostname: <SAP_hostname> (default is OS hostname; it is required for creating TRACE path: /usr/sap/<SID>/HDB<instance>/<SAP_hostname>/trace)
SEP sesam Server hostname: <sesam_server_hostname>
Backup task name: <backup_task_name>
Target media pool for database backup: <media_pool_for_DB_backup>
Target media pool for log backup (optional): <media_pool_for_log_backup>
SEP sesam drive number (optional): <drive_number>
SEP sesam Remote Device Server hostname (if used): <sesam_RDS_hostname>

The syntax of SEP sesam Server hostname and SEP sesam RDS determines the type of connection between the SAP HANA Client and the SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam RDS including a control connection and/or data transfer. You have to use the same syntax as you find in the SEP sesam GUI -> Client properties (of your SEP sesam Server/RDS) -> Interface field (e.g., bck-srv.sep.de, http://bck-srv.sep.de:11000, https://bck-srv.sep.de:11443).

Procedure

To install the SEP sesam extension, run the following command:

sm_install_saphana2 -s <SID> -i <instance> {-U <user_key> | -u <username> -p <password>} -D <database_name> -j <backup_task_name> -m <media_pool_for_DB_backup> [-l <media_pool_for_log_backup>] -C <sesam_server_hostname> [-S <sesam_RDS_hostname>] [-d <drive_number>]

For example:

sm_install_saphana2 -s SEP -i 90 -U BackupUser -D SYSTEMDB -j HANA_SystemDB -m MP_HANA -C backup-srv.sep.de

or

sm_install_saphana2 -s SEP -i 90 -u SYSTEM -p secret! -D PRD -j HANA_ProductionDB -m MP_HANA_DB -l MP_HANA_LOG -C https://sesamServer.sep.de:11443 -S http://sesamRDS.sep.de:11000 -d 7

The options, specified with the sm_install_saphana2 command, are converted into SEP sesam Backint parameters and inserted in the .utl configuration file. In addition, the required parameter SSB_LOGFILE is also set automatically.

Specifying backup parameters in .utl file

The sm_install_saphana2 script generates the .utl files and adds the correct path and filename for the .utl files into the HANA database configuration file (specifically, the global.ini file). The SAP HANA Backint parameter file contains all relevant information for backing up SAP HANA with SEP sesam. It contains parameters, which are used by the SEP sesam HDBBackint module. The file(s) are generated in /var/opt/sesam/var/ini/.

To set up the SAP HANA database backup, edit the .utl file and configure the SEP sesam Backint parameters as required. For detailed descriptions of available parameters, see SEP sesam Backint parameters.