Using HP Global Workload Manager with SAP

Abstract

HP’s Global Workload Manager (gWLM) can help you isolate, manage, and prioritize SAP

workloads that have variable resource needs. This paper demonstrates various management

techniques. In particular, it:

• Illustrates general gWLM workload separation and management techniques

• Demonstrates example uses of gWLM with SAP workloads at the SAP system, instance, and process

levels

• Explores using the Application Discovery feature of Virtualization Manager (another VSE

component) to view and place SAP processes

• Suggests how to use other VSE tools with SAP

For customers new to workload management, the paper demonstrates the ease of implementing a few

prime use cases where using gWLM with SAP can provide quick benefits. For customers already

using HP-UX Workload Manager with SAP, the paper illustrates how the newer gWLM tool can

provide similar or improved functionality in familiar use cases.

Goal

After completing the integration, you will be able to use gWLM to actively manage and monitor an

SAP workload. Using gWLM, you will be able to move CPU resources to or from the workload as

needed to maintain acceptable performance, while also using less net CPU resources over time than

an unmanaged workload would. This is a net win for you as the unused CPU resources can then be

used for other computing tasks when the SAP workloads do not require them.

Target Audience

The discussion of use cases and management techniques should be accessible to most technical

professionals with some UNIX background. The detailed information on applying changes to various

configuration files may require previous knowledge of SAP and its associated terminology and

administrative tools.

Terms

There are several specialized terms used in the examples below that may not be known by SAP

administrators. These terms are:

• TiCAP

Temporary Instant Capacity (TiCAP) is a feature of the HP Instant Capacity product. With TiCAP,

you can activate and deactivate Instant Capacity cores on your system as needed, in a temporary

“calling-card fashion.” With TiCAP on the system, any number of Instant Capacity cores can be

activated as long as there is a positive balance of temporary capacity.

• Shared Resource Domain (SRD)

A collection of compartments that share system resources. The compartments can be npars, vpars,

virtual machines, psets, or fss groups.

Consult VSE documentation at http://docs.hp.com/en/vse.html for a more complete list of terms and

their definitions.