Successful SAP migration from Windows to Unix
SAP Success Story
The customer
Naviair is a state-owned infrastructure company in Denmark under the Ministry of Transport. Naviair's main tasks include Air Traffic Management (ATM), Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), Flight Information Services (FIS) in Denmark and in the North Atlantic area as well as technical support for all ATM equipment in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
“We are very happy to have b-unity at our side as a partner who supports us with difficult questions and requirements regarding the design of our IT architecture. We have already achieved a lot together and appreciate the uncomplicated and trusting cooperation.
We are very much looking forward to further collaboration and the upcoming joint projects!”
Kristian Malvander Senior Infrastructure Specialist from Naviair
Initial situation
There were several reasons for a comprehensive migration of the SAP environment.
- Operating systems and databases were nearing the end of their maintenance period
- Maintenance contracts for hardware components were expiring
- Need for a future-proof database for the introduction of S/4 HANA
The main task was therefore to migrate the existing SAP system landscape with all associated components from a Windows platform to a new Unix system. In addition, the existing Microsoft SQL Server database had to be migrated to the SAP HANA DB, i.e. a cluster configuration had to be transferred to a “system replication scenario”.
The consulting and partial implementation of backup concepts, network and Unix configurations as well as other aspects of the new infrastructure were also an essential part of this project.
The challenges
A system migration with different interfaces, teams and requirements automatically brings challenges with it. Following an inventory and in-depth analyses, we identified three points that required particular attention.
- During the transition phase, both Windows and Unix systems had to continue to be operated. Due to the customer order from the aviation industry, it was very important to minimize the downtime of business-critical processes.
- Experience or knowledge in dealing with Unix systems and the SAP HANA DB had not yet been required on the customer's side and was therefore not yet sufficiently available.
- The business processes had to run across systems during the migration - partly on Windows, partly on Unix.
Procedure
Responsibilities Once the customer had defined the objectives and requirements for the migration, the project team was put together with the necessary competences. Together with the customer, the responsibilities of the various suppliers were determined and milestones defined. This ensured that the necessary experience and knowledge was available.
Preparation After a thorough review of the existing systems, databases and applications with all teams, the preparation began. A test environment was set up to simulate the migration and test various scenarios. Backup and recovery strategies were developed in order to be able to act in an emergency.
Migration The actual migration process was carried out according to the previously defined plans and procedures. Continuous monitoring took place throughout the entire process to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Extensive testing was then carried out to validate the functionality and performance of the migrated system.
The validation of the migrated systems for completeness and accuracy of the data was carried out by the customer.
Adjustments were made to applications or interfaces to ensure the smooth functioning of all processes for the productive migration.
Thanks to our backup and disaster recovery concept based on IBM Storage Protect (formerly IBM Spectrum Protect), operational security during the productive introduction of the new S/4 HANA environment was guaranteed from the outset.
Training After the successful migration, the customer's employees were trained in how to use the new operating system and the new database. The system was finally handed over to the operations team, accompanied by established processes for ongoing maintenance and support.
Handover In the final phase, comprehensive documentation of the migration and the new system architecture was created. The project was finalized and the goals achieved were evaluated. Close collaboration between the various teams was crucial throughout the process to minimize downtime and ensure a smooth migration.
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Jörg Neidhardt SAP Technology Consultant & Founder
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