SAP Architecture on AWS: Instance Types and Storage
SAP workloads have specific hardware requirements. HANA in-memory database: SAP HANA requires certified hardware with very high memory-to-CPU ratios. AWS certified instances: x1e (up to 3.84 TB RAM — for large HANA scale-up), u-type (High Memory instances — up to 24 TB RAM for the largest HANA deployments), r6i and r7i (memory-optimised, up to 768 GB RAM — for smaller HANA instances). HANA scale-up vs scale-out: scale-up (single large instance, simpler, all data in one node's RAM — up to 24 TB with u-type), scale-out (multiple nodes with HANA shared memory — used when workload exceeds single-instance RAM). NetWeaver application servers: c5 or m5 instances, multi-AZ deployment for HA. Storage: SAP HANA requires EBS io2 Block Express volumes (up to 256,000 IOPS) for the data and log volumes — striping across multiple volumes with LVM for higher aggregate IOPS. Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP: supported SAP shared storage for transport directory, /sapmnt, and cluster fencing. EFS for shared NFS mounts.
SAP HANA HA and DR on AWS
SAP HANA HA uses HANA System Replication (HSR) — real-time log shipping between primary and secondary HANA nodes. HSR modes: synchronous in-memory (SYNC — zero data loss, secondary confirms before primary commits — use within same AZ for low latency), synchronous with logreplay (SYNCMEM — faster, secondary replays log after confirming — slight data loss risk under failure), asynchronous (ASYNC — secondary may lag primary — use for cross-region DR where sync overhead is too high). Pacemaker cluster: Linux HA cluster manages HANA and SAP virtual IP failover — STONITH fencing prevents split-brain (both nodes thinking they are primary). AWS-specific Pacemaker resources: aws-vpc-move-ip (moves the overlay IP to the surviving node's ENI), aws-vpc-route53 (updates Route 53 record to point to new primary). Overlay IP / Virtual Hostname: SAP application servers and clients connect to a virtual IP that floats between HANA nodes on failover — transparent failover without reconfiguration. For DR: use HANA HSR Tier 2 (multi-tier replication) — primary in Region A replicates to secondary in Region A (synchronous), secondary replicates to DR in Region B (asynchronous).
SAP Migration and Launch Partner Solutions
SAP migrations to AWS. Migration strategies for SAP: Homogeneous migration (same OS, same DB — backup/restore, SAP System Copy tool), Heterogeneous migration (different OS or database — required for moves to HANA from Oracle or DB2), SAP HANA Migration (database migration from AnyDB to HANA — use DMO (Database Migration Option) of SUM (Software Update Manager) — migrates and upgrades simultaneously, reduces downtime window). AWS Migration Hub: track SAP migration progress across accounts. AWS Backup for SAP HANA: native SAP HANA Backint interface — backups stored in S3 with point-in-time recovery. AWS Launch Wizard for SAP: automated guided deployment of SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and NetWeaver — provisions instances, storage, networking, and HA configuration automatically based on sizing inputs. SAP on AWS certified configurations: SAP publishes certified cloud IaaS (AWS) configurations in the SAP Note 2456932 — refer to this note for supported instance types, storage configurations, and HANA memory limits. AWS runs SAP infrastructure on Nitro System bare metal — no hypervisor overhead for maximum HANA performance.