How to perform mail configuration in SAP?

This article answers the following queries:

• How to perform mail configuration in SAP?
• How is the tcode for mail configuration in SAP?
• What are the steps involved in mail configuration in SAP?
• What profile parameters to be defined to enable mail configuration in SAP?
• How to perform SMTP configuration in SAP?
• How to activate SMTP server host in SAP?
• How to schedule SAPCONNECT mail send job in SAP?

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The kernel of the SAP Web Application server supports SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). This protocol enables email exchange between SAP system and each SMTP mail server, without having to use additional external components.

The SAP system sends the outbound emails to a separate mail server, whilst the mails in the inbound direction can be received by any number of mail servers.

To use the SMTP functionality, below mentioned profile parameters are to be maintained, in the application servers of SAP using RZ10 transaction.

icm/server/port_<*> = PROT=<protocol>, PORT=<port>

In the above line protocol can be any one of SMTP, HTTP or HTTPs. For web dispatchers, there is an additional protocol named ROUTER

For Example, this parameter may look like one of these below:

icm/server/port_0 = PROT=SMTP, PORT=3

icm/server/port_1 = PROT=HTTP, PORT=1086

icm/server/port_2 = PROT=HTTPS, PORT=1444

Optionally, we can also set TIME_OUT parameter to define maximum waiting time (in seconds) to be applied for a mail server to respond.

This parameter icm/server/port_<*>, opens a TCP/IP port for receiving mails through the SMTP plugin. <Port> describes the port that is to be used. If no mails are to be received in a given SAP system, then please maintain the port number as 0.

Please find below screenshot, which gives an idea on how to maintain this parameter in RZ10 profile of SAP application server

Please make sure RZ10 parameter rdisp/start_icman is set to true as shown below. This setting ensures that ICM(Internet Communication manager) is started so that application server can directly process all external protocols like HTTP

 

 Another profile parameter to be maintained is :

   is/SMTP/virt_host_<*> = <host>:<port>,<port>,...;

Example values will look as shown below:

is/SMTP/virt_host_0 = *.25010;                               

         is/SMTP/virt_host_1 = *:25011; 

This parameter defines a virtual mail host for receiving mails. If all incoming mails are to be received and processed by one single client of the sap system, then this parameter is not required to be set. In this scenario, is/SMTP/virt_host_0=*.* will be used by default.

If multiple clients are to be used as recipients, a virtual host to be created for each of these clients.

<host> indicates the name of the host to which the incoming mails are addressed. If mails are to be sent independent of the host being addressed, * can be entered.

<Port> describes the number of the port to which the incoming mails are addressed.

Please find below screenshot which helps you in understanding how to set this parameter in sap system

 

In the above example, value * is set for both host and port

Creation of Service User

After maintaining these parameters, a service user to be created using SU01 transaction. S_A.SCON profile need to be assigned to this user. This service user can be used for processing incoming mails in every SAP system client

Assigning Email address to Users

After this, every user who is supposed to receive emails in an sap system should require an email id. This email id should be maintained in Email section of address tab in SU01 transaction

Activation of SMTP Node in SICF Transaction

Every SAP system that is to receive and process incoming mails must have a SMTP server. One SMTP server has already been created in SICF and is delivered by default in every SAP system. Please use this to create the first client and create another SMTP server for each additional client.

Goto transaction SICF and provide SAPCONNECT in the Virtual Host field as shown below and execute

 It displays the below screen

Double click on SAPconnect entry highlighted above which displays below screen

In the above screen, in the host data tab, please maintain the the sequence number of parameter is/SMTP/virt_host_# from the profile. If you have created only one client, enter 0.

After this navigate to “Logon Data” tab in the above screen. It results in below screen

In the above screen, please maintain client, language and user/password details. The user to be maintained here is nothing but service user created by you for incoming mails.

After this, navigate to “Handler list” tab of the above screen, which will be similar to below screen

Please maintain CL_SMTP_EXT_SAPCONNECT in handler list as shown in the above screen.

Also, please note that each SMTP server must be activated after being created or changed. To activate, please goto tcode SICF and navigate as shown below. Please note inactive servers are grayed out

SAPCONNECT Administration using SCOT

We have to configure SAPconnect settings for every client of sap system that is used for send process

Domain Configuration:

First of all, domain configuration to be done. To perform that, please goto SCOT transaction and navigate as shown below ( Settings -> Default domain)

It results in below screen and system prompts you to provide your organization’s domain name. Please provide the same and click on tick mark to confirm

Once you the provide the same, please navigate to SCOT transaction again and double click on SMTP node which was highlighted in green below in the below screen

                                                                                                                                      

Once you double click on SMTP, it results in below screen

In the above screen, please maintain Mail host details. After that under “Supported address types” section, click on Set pushbutton, which is next to Internet. It results in below screen

In the above screen, in the address area, which make sure your organisation’s domain address details are maintained.

For example: if your company name is XYZ345. It will be like XYZ345.COM

Leave all other default settings unchanged.

Scheduling Email-Send Job

The emails that are sent by SAP are stored in a queue. A periodical background job gets the email from this queue and sends them over the internet. To schedule this job, goto transaction SCOT and navigate to menu View -> Jobs as shown in below screen

It results it screen similar to below.

If no other job is scheduled, choose Job -> Create. Please provide job name and confirm it

Select the variant SAP&CONNECTALL by positioning the cursor on it. Choose schedule job periodically. Select the desired interval like every 15mins. Choose create and complete the job schedule.

This completes the mail/SMTP configuration in an SAP system

What is the difference between homogeneous system copy and heterogoneous system copy?

This article answers the following queries:

• What is System refresh?
• What is the difference between homogeneous system copy and heterogeneous system copy?
• What is the difference between System refresh and System copy?
• What is the need of System refresh?

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System Refresh:

System refresh is nothing but copying an SAP system to another.

Let us say the system from which copy is being done is called as source system and system in which data to be copied as target system.

If the target SAP system already exists then this is known as system refresh.

Difference between homogeneous system copy and heterogeneous system copy:

 If the target SAP system doesn’t exist and you are building a new SAP system on the same o/s and database then this process is called as homogenous system copy.  In case the o/s and database are different in your source and target SAP systems, then that process is called heterogeneous system copy or migration.

What is the need of System refresh?

In real time scenarios,

i)               If Quality system data is outdated with Production system, testing may succeed in quality system but may fail in Production system. So, it is required that Quality system should have  same data as Production system, so that better testing can be done in Quality system whose data is similar to production. So, it is suggested to refresh quality system with production system data periodically.

ii)            There might be a requirement to perform a production system upgrade (like support pack / version upgrade.) Instead of performing upgrade directly on actual production system, it is better idea to setup a mock / test system similar to production system with the actual data and perform the upgrade there first. After performing upgrade on mock system, some details related to errors likely to occur, actual time it took for upgrade, major issue if any can be identified so that necessary precautions can be taken while performing the upgrade on the actual production system.

iii)      In case a newly inducted team should be given training, instead of providing training to them on the actual system( DEV/QA/PRD), a system refresh can be done and a test/training system can be setup and access can be given to those systems. This makes sure that no damage is done to DEV/QA/PRD systems.

Will explain you the steps involved in System refresh(with screenshots) in the next article.

How to open Oss connection to SAP system?

This article answers the following queries:

• What is the need to open remote service or OSS connection to an SAP system?
• How to open Oss connection to SAP system?
• How to check SAP router status?
• How to modify existing oss connections of an SAP system?
• How to delete existing oss connection of an SAP system?
• How to set up and to open a Remote Service connection to an SAP system?

In real time scenarios, there will be cases like Basis administrator or functional teams could not resolve   some issues and have raised an Oss message. In those cases, SAP would like to troubleshoot the issue by connecting to the respective SAP system. So, SAP will request you to open an Oss connection to SAP system so that they can remotely login and check. In these cases, you need to open Oss connection (as explained below) and respond to SAP in Oss message to login to system and check.

Process to open an Oss connection:

In this article, am explaining how to open an Oss connection to an SAP system VE1.

Please login to the SAP service market place and navigate to Help & Support -> Connect to SAP.  This leads you to the below screen:

In the above screen, please click on “Maintain Connections” tab which is highlighted in the above figure.

It then lists all the systems recently used and gives an option to perform system search. Please look, if the system to which you would like to open oss connection is in recently used systems list. If it is exists, please click and open the same.

Otherwise, please perform system search by providing system id and by clicking “Search systems” button. In the above example, am performing system search for VE1, as I would like to open oss connection for this system. If that system is present it displays the system. Once displayed, please click on that system which results in below screen

In this screen, please make sure SAP router status is connected (highlighted in red). Otherwise, please click on connect button (highlighted in blue) and make sure sap router is in connected status.

After that, please click on “Systemdata” button (highlighted in green) which results in below screen.

Please click on “Maintain Access Data” button as shown in above figure.

This results in secure area screen as shown below. In this screen, if there are already oss connections opened to this system earlier, you can view those details. It displays the client, user id, password, expiration date, last changed on date and changed by user.

If you click on Modify button in the above screen, it results in the below screen.

From this screen, either we can modify existing oss connection or open new oss connection

If you would like to modify existing oss connection, select the respective line (figure highlighted with orange color) and click on “Change selected entry” and modify. You can do modification to an existing oss connection in the cases like you would like to change the password mentioned in the secure area or you would like to extend the expiration date/time of the existing oss connections.

 If you would like to delete oss connection details, select that entry and click on “Delete selected entry” tab to delete. We can delete this entry, if we feel that oss connection is no longer required.

If you would like to create a new oss connection, please provide the client, user id, password and expiration date details (as highlighted in the green color) and click save button.

Please note, user id   maintained here should exist in SAP system (in this example VE1 system) and password is the respective password of the same in the respective client.

Before maintaining credentials in secure area, please duly cross check by logging into respective SAP system and make sure they are working fine. By default oss connection will be opened for 14 days. If you wish, you can even extend the expiration date/time.

This is the process to open Oss connection for an SAP system