Remote Access to Customers System Landscape

Welcome to the training on Remote Access to Customer System Landscapes. Within thislesson, you will learn about several remote connectivity options.

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At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Explain the remote connectivity options to connect to a customer’s system landscape

Let’s begin by looking at remote support and services provided by SAP.

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SAP offers its customers access to remote support and a large number of support services which are delivered remotely in the customer system. Error analysis and services delivered remotely have one major advantage: they are instantly available.

In addition, SAP offers its VAR partners the same remote support infrastructure for their customers. VAR partners don’t need to logon to SAP Support Backbone, they can use many remote functions via partner’s SAP Solution Manager if this solution is installed.

Extensive information on remote connectivity types are available through the SAP Service Marketplace pages under http://service.sap.com/remoteconnection.

By far, the SAP software program SAProuter is the most popular means for controlling and monitoring communication between SAP servers and frontend computers, as well as enabling RFC access between different servers. SAProuter information can also be taken from http://service.sap.com/saprouter.

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For non-ABAP platforms, customers can use the Netviewer to allow SAP to either display or execute (with customer permission) transactions in the system. This is also recommended for SAP BusinessObjects products. For information on the usage and application of Netviewer, please visit also http://service.sap.com/remoteconnection.

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Current communications and networking options offer various means of accessing customer systems in a remote environment. This becomes the most cost-effective means to view, diagnose, analyze, and resolve incidents without necessitating the physical presence of an individual at the customer site. This is, by far, the most feasible alternative for assisting customers quickly and with minimum amount of delay.

For SAP customers, remote connectivity with SAP’s support backbone is a mandatory requirement for all productive instances. This is a necessary first step for allowing SAP to provide mission critical services when it is sorely needed. Without this infrastructure, a customer should clearly understand that SAP or the Partner is not expected to fulfill service level targets. This could also allow SAP or the Partner to downgrade priority calls as the expected resolution for incidents without immediate access would be lowered.

Remote connectivity has to be setup with customer systems for the following purposes:

View, analyze, and resolve incidents from SAP or Partner side from any location at any time.

Execute SAP and/or Partner services for either proactive monitoring (such as SAP EarlyWatch® Alert, root cause analysis, or solution assessment.)

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The diagram shows an example of remote connectivity with a customers SAP Solution. For example, you may interact with the customer based on an incident or to get data out of customers SAP Solution through an Early Watch Alert (EWA).

In both cases, the incident/data may be transferred to SAP for you or SAP to connect remotely to their system. Using the SAP Global Support Backbone, a remote connection can be established to access the customer system for application sharing needed for root cause analysis for an incident or for a service delivery.

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There are several connection types available, each offering different capabilities. The customer releases the required connection types once per system.

The most important connection types are:

SAP GUI based connection is the standard access to an ABAP-based SAP system and has to be configured for all relevant systems. For more information, see SAP Note 812732

Connection to SAP Solution Manager provides access to the solution graphic in SAP Solution Manager. For more information, see SAP Note 962516

A Netviewer connection type provides application sharing methods or access on Operating-System Level (OS-level). The Netviewer supports application sharing between support consultants and the customer, thereby enabling simultaneous collaboration and system access.

A list of all available connection types is published on SAP Support Portal at http://service.sap.com/remoteconnection under the link - Various Service Connection Types

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If you are working with the SAP Solution Manager you can establish a remote connection during the incident management process, from the message processing screen - click on “Action” and then choose “Customer Connection via SAP Service Backbone”.

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Now you get a view of the open service connections for the customer at the SAP Service Backbone. Next you need to select the connection type you want to use and the connection to the customer will be established.

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Netviewer is a tool that provides application sharing methods and is intended to ease Education / Training of customers and Online Meetings.

Features of Netviewer are:

Encrypted data exchange

Supports session recording

Supports voice and video channel

Provides application sharing

Provides read-only mode (safe mode, where customer can allow desktop viewing only - but application sharing is disabled)

Connection control: Connection can be closed by customer at any time

Netviewer is integrated into SAP's Remote Support Infrastructure (the service has to be released by customers before it can be used by SAP, connections are encrypted and logged in the log book). In order to meet security requirements, a read-only mode is offered, where customer can allow desktop viewing only, but application sharing is disabled. Two basic options for the data transfer are available. A recommended option that uses the SAProuter connection is available as well as option via an internet connection.

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Correct!

SAP GUI based connection is the standard access to an ABAP-based SAP system and has to be configured for all relevant systems.

Sorry, that is incorrect.

SAP GUI-based Connection

SAP GUI based connection is the standard access to an ABAP-based SAP system and has to be configured for all relevant systems.

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Correct!


Sorry, that is incorrect.

Netviewer Connection


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You should now be able to:

Explain the remote connectivity options to connect to a customer’s system landscape

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For more information on topics discussed in this training, see the references listed here.

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Thank you for attending this lesson.

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Documents

Remote Access to Customers System Landscape