How to generate SAP solution manager key for the installation or upgrade process

This article answers the following queries:

• How to generate SAP solution manager key for the installation or upgrade process?
• What is the process to generate solution manager key for a new installation?
• How to generate solution manager key from SMSY transaction?
• What is the tcode used to generate solution manager key in SAP?

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In a real time scenario, a basis administrator is required to install an SAP system or upgrade an SAP system.  As of my SAP ERP 2004 ( SAP ECC 5.0), an SAP solution manager key is required for installing and upgrading SAP software.

Therefore generating SAP solution manager key is one of the most important pre-steps of an SAP installation or upgrade.

SMSY is the transaction code used to generate a solution manager key for installing a new SAP system or upgrading an SAP system.

Login to ABAP stack of solution manager system and choose SMSY transaction. It results in below screen.

In the above screen, right click on “Product systems” tab and choose “Create New product System”. A screen similar to below will appear

In the above screen, please provide SID of the system and select Product type from drop down list . Depending on the SAP system being installed, please select the product type like SAP ECC or SAP CRM or SAP PI etc. Also select the product version and installation number of the product from the drop down list.

Once this is done, please click on save button. This creates a new product system as shown below.

In the above example, I have created a product system KT3, whose product version is SAP ECC 6.0.

In the above screen, please tick on the relevant products and click on save. After this, again choose SMSY transaction and navigate  to System Landscape -> Select object as shown below:

Once select object is clicked, a screen similar to below one will appear.

In  the above screen, please click on key icon ( highlighted in the above screen).This results in the below screen

Please provide system number (i.e instance number) and message server hostname in the above screen and click on “Generate Key” pushbutton to generate the Installation/Upgrade key as shown in the above screen.

This particular key should be noted and specified in the installation or upgrade tool.