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SAP Testing Automation Framework

| Dennis Padia | Devansh Jain | Hemanth Chowdary Damecharla |

HA Infrastructure

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Episode #241

Introduction

In episode 241 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about testing the setup up and configuration of SAP on Azure using the SAP Testing Automation Framework. We are excited to introduce you to the SAP Testing Automation Framework, an innovative open-source tool designed to elevate your SAP system testing on Azure. Whether you’re a seasoned SAP professional or just getting started, this framework offers a comprehensive solution to ensure your SAP deployments run smoothly and efficiently.

We will dive into the key features of the framework, including configuration validation, high availability functional testing, and detailed reporting. You’ll learn how to integrate it seamlessly into your validation efforts and leverage its extensibility to meet your unique testing needs.

Links: SAP Testing Automation Framework with SAP Deployment Automation Framework (SDAF): https://github.com/Azure/sap-automation-qa/blob/main/docs/SDAF_INTEGRATION.md

Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode241

Reach out to us for any feedback / questions:

#Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #HA #Infrastructure #Testing #SDAF

Summary created by AI

  • Goran introduced the SAP on Azure Podcast Episode 241, focusing on high availability (HA) for SAP on Azure. He emphasized the importance of HA for SAP customers and the challenges they face in following best practices and testing configurations.
    • Podcast Introduction: Goran introduced the SAP on Azure Podcast Episode 241, highlighting the focus on high availability (HA) for SAP on Azure. He emphasized the importance of HA for SAP customers, noting that it is a critical feature for maintaining system resilience and performance.
    • HA Importance: Goran discussed the significance of HA for SAP customers, explaining that it ensures system reliability and minimizes downtime. He mentioned that many customers implement HA across zones to enhance system resilience.
    • Challenges in HA: Goran pointed out the challenges customers face in following best practices for HA configurations. He noted that best practices are continuously evolving, making it difficult for customers to keep their systems up to date. Additionally, he highlighted the complexity of testing configurations to ensure they work as expected.
  • Introduction of Participants:
  • Devansh, Hemanth Chowdary, and Dennis introduced themselves and their roles at Microsoft. Devansh is a software engineer, Hemanth is a product manager, and Dennis is a principal software architect.
    • Devansh’s Role: Devansh introduced himself as a software engineer on the SAP on Azure Engineering team at Microsoft. He is involved in developing solutions and frameworks for SAP on Azure.
    • Hemanth’s Role: Hemanth Chowdary introduced himself as a product manager in the SAP in Azure Product Group. He oversees product offerings and ensures they meet customer needs.
    • Dennis’s Role: Dennis introduced himself as a principal software architect at Microsoft, focusing on creating reference architectures for SAP workloads on Azure. His work includes high availability, disaster recovery, and deployment frameworks.
  • Challenges in HA Configuration:
  • Dennis discussed the challenges customers face in keeping their systems up to date with best practices and avoiding misconfigurations in cluster configurations. He highlighted the need for automated testing to capture misconfigurations before going live.
    • Updating Best Practices: Dennis explained that best practices for HA configurations are frequently updated based on new features and customer feedback. This continuous evolution makes it challenging for customers to keep their systems up to date.
    • Cluster Misconfigurations: Dennis highlighted that manual cluster configurations often lead to misconfigurations, which can affect system performance and failover behavior. He emphasized the importance of capturing these misconfigurations before deploying systems to production.
    • Need for Automation: Dennis stressed the need for automated testing to identify and correct misconfigurations in HA setups. Automated testing helps ensure that systems are configured correctly and can handle failover scenarios effectively.
  • SAP Testing Automation Framework:
  • Dennis introduced the SAP Testing Automation Framework (STAF), which automates the validation of HA configurations for SAP systems on Azure. The framework aims to help customers adopt best practices and keep their systems up to date.
    • Framework Introduction: Dennis introduced the SAP Testing Automation Framework (STAF), designed to automate the validation of HA configurations for SAP systems on Azure. The framework helps customers ensure their systems adhere to best practices and remain up to date.
    • Framework Goals: The primary goal of STAF is to assist customers in adopting best practices for HA configurations. By automating validation processes, the framework helps maintain system reliability and performance.
    • Automation Benefits: Dennis highlighted the benefits of automation, including reduced manual effort, minimized risk of misconfigurations, and improved system reliability. Automated testing ensures that configurations are validated before going live.
  • Framework Overview and Use Cases:
  • Devansh provided an overview of the SAP Testing Automation Framework, explaining its components and use cases. The framework uses Ansible Playbooks and Python modules to automate the validation of HA configurations and generate HTML reports.
    • Framework Components: Devansh explained that the SAP Testing Automation Framework comprises Ansible Playbooks, Python modules, and reporting templates. These components work together to automate the validation of HA configurations and generate detailed HTML reports.
    • Use Cases: Devansh outlined various use cases for the framework, including new OS version testing, HA validation, and regression testing. The framework helps ensure that systems are configured correctly and can handle different failover scenarios.
    • Automation Process: The framework automates the validation process by connecting to SAP systems, mimicking failover scenarios, and observing cluster behavior. It then generates HTML reports that detail the results of configuration checks and functional tests.
  • Support Metrics:
  • Devansh outlined the support metrics for the framework, including support for SAP deployments on Red Hat and SUSE OS distributions, various cluster fencing mechanisms, and both scale-up and ENSA scenarios for SAP HANA and central services.
    • OS Support: Devansh mentioned that the framework supports SAP deployments on both Red Hat and SUSE OS distributions. This ensures compatibility with a wide range of customer environments.
    • Cluster Fencing: The framework supports various cluster fencing mechanisms, including Azure fencing agent and SBD devices with iSCSI target servers. This flexibility allows customers to choose the best fencing mechanism for their needs.
    • HA Scenarios: Devansh explained that the framework supports both scale-up and ENSA scenarios for SAP HANA and central services. This comprehensive support ensures that different HA configurations can be validated using the framework.
  • Getting Started with the Framework:
  • Devansh explained how to get started with the framework, including the two options for integration: using the SAP Deployment Automation Framework pipelines or running the framework independently. He also detailed the requirements for the independent version.
    • Integration Options: Devansh described two integration options for the framework: integrating with the SAP Deployment Automation Framework pipelines or running the framework independently. These options provide flexibility for different customer setups.
    • Independent Version: For the independent version, Devansh detailed the requirements, including a Ubuntu 2204 management server, access to the SAP system, and optionally, Azure Log Analytics or Azure Data Explorer for log data.
    • Setup Process: Devansh explained the setup process for the framework, which involves cloning the repository, running a setup script, and configuring connection details and SAP parameters. This process prepares the environment for executing tests.
  • Demo of the Framework:
  • Devansh demonstrated the framework, showing how to configure the necessary files and execute the tests. He provided a detailed walkthrough of the test execution process and the generated HTML report, highlighting the validation of HA parameters and resource migration.
    • Configuration Files: Devansh demonstrated how to configure the necessary files, including the hosts.yaml and SAP parameters.yaml files. These files contain connection details and SAP system parameters required for the framework to operate.
    • Test Execution: Devansh walked through the test execution process, explaining how the framework connects to the SAP system, performs configuration checks, and executes failover scenarios. He highlighted the steps involved in validating HA parameters and resource migration.
    • HTML Report: Devansh showcased the generated HTML report, which includes detailed information on the executed tests, parameter validation, and functional test results. The report helps identify any discrepancies and provides insights into the system’s HA configuration.
  • Comprehensive Report Example:
  • Dennis shared a comprehensive report example, showing the results of database and central services validation tests. The report included detailed information on the executed tests, parameter validation, and functional test results.
    • Database Validation: Dennis shared a comprehensive report example that included the results of database validation tests. The report detailed the executed tests, parameter validation, and functional test results for the database HA configuration.
    • Central Services Validation: The report also included the results of central services validation tests. It provided detailed information on the executed tests, parameter validation, and functional test results for the central services HA configuration.
  • Future Developments and Feedback:
  • Dennis mentioned that the framework is still in public preview and encouraged customers to provide feedback and contributions. He also highlighted ongoing work to support SAP HANA SRNG and other future developments.

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