Support Package & Stack Updates – Ultimate Guide
What is a Support Package?
• When an end user of SAP finds a bug in the SAP product, he reports the same to SAP support. SAP programmers inspect the bug and develop a correction for the bug. This correction is known as SNOTE (SAP Note).
• With time, multiple end users, report bugs for which SAP releases SNOTE. SAP collects all these corrections in one place and this collection is called SUPPORT PACKAGE. This support package also includes enhancements to earlier versions of SAP.
• In simple words collection of SAP NOTES is called as SUPPORT PACKAGE.
• Support Packages are implemented in SAP system using Transaction SPAM (Support Package Manager)
What is Support Package Stack (SPS)?
The Support Package Stack is a list of ABAP and Java Support Packages for all software components (SC) included in SAP NetWeaver. It is used to bring each Software Component of SAP NetWeaver to a defined Support Pack (SP) level.
Support Package Stack , commonly known as STACK bundles all required components or individual patches that are already tested together and recommended applying as SPS instead of individual patch (until and unless you face some problem which requires certain components to be patched).
Go to http://service.sap.com/sp-stacks/, select your NW version to check the current SPS level and other details.
What are Support Pack Stack version numbers ?
Support Package Stacks have a release number, and a Stack number, Example, SAP NetWeaver '04 Support Package Stack 11.
Each software component has a separate sequence of Support Packages. The following list contains the technical names of a number of components and the notation for their Support Packages:
• COP (Component Package):
• SAP_APPL (SAP APPL Support Package): SAPKH<rel><no>
• SAP_BASIS (Basis Support Package): SAPKB<rel><no>
• SAP_ABA (Application Basis SP): SAPKA<rel><no>
• SAP_HR (SAP HR Support Package): SAPKE<rel><no>
• SAP_SCM (SCM Support Package): SAPKY<rel><no>
• SAP_BW (BW Support Package): SAPKW<rel><no>
• SAP_CRM (CRM Support Package): SAPKU<rel><no>
Pre-requisites for Support Package implementation:
• Support packages should be always applied in client 000.
• The user to be used for the support package implementation must have authorizations equivalent to DDIC or SAP*
• Call the transaction SPAM and see if any previous Support Package import is incomplete. You can proceed ahead unless the previous support package import is successful.
• Ensure that there is enough space in the transport directory. The transport directory is located at /usr/sap/trans
Steps to Upgrade the Support Package:
Step 1: Download Support Packs
Support Packages are available in SAP Support Portal, under service.sap.com/patches.
Step 2: Loading Support Packages:
To load support packages we have two options:-
1. From Application Server
2. From Front End
From Application Server
1. Download the support packages from service marketplace and save them at OS level in directory /usr/sap/trans.
2. Uncompress these files using sapcar executable
sapcar –xvf <support package name>
After uncompressing the support packages at OS level the .PAT and .ATT files are stored in /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in directory.
Next, load the Support Packages into SAP system by choosing Support Package -->Load Package --> From Application Server
From Front End
Choose Support Package --> Load Packages --> From Front End
Step 3: SPAM/SAINT Update:
A SPAM/SAINT Update contains updates and improvements to Support Package Manager (SPAM) and Add-On Installation Tool (SAINT). There is always one SPAM update for each release. SPAM/SAINT update is mandatory before any support package upgrade.
Step 4: Defining Queue
Queue contains the Support Packages available for the different SAP Components installed in your system. This Queue information is derived from the support pack uploaded in Step 2.
1.On the initial screen in Support Package Manager, choose Display/Define.
2.A list of installed software components (for example, SAP_BASIS, SAP_HR, SAP_BW) is displayed.
3.Once you select the required component, the current queue appears. This queue contains the Support Packages available for the selected component in your system. If you want to define the queue for another software component, choose Other Component. If the displayed queue meets your requirements, you can confirm it by choosing Confirm Queue
Step 5: Importing Queue.
Once you a define a Queue (Step 4) while selecting a particular component (for which we want to upgrade support pack), we need to do 'Import queue' to start importing/applying that particular selected support pack (as per the standard SAP process).
Choose Support Package --> Import Queue
To become familiar with known problems and issues, always read the note mentioned in above screenshot.
The support package import has been started
Step 6: Confirming Queue:
Confirm that the queue has been imported successfully into your system. This allows you to import Support Packages in the future. You will not be able to import Support Packages further,if you do not confirm the queue.
Once Queue has been imported, SPAM status becomes YELLOW
Confirm successful import of the Support Packages into your system by choosing Support Package à Confirm.
Checking Logs
• IMPORT LOG :It displays logs for Support Package Manager Phases that are used by transport control program tp(transport control program).
Go to-->Import log-->Queue
• ACTION LOG: It contains information about the actions that take place during the individual phases (while importing the current queue).
It also includes information about the point at which a phase was stopped, as well as detailed error information.
To display the logs for the current queue Go to-->Action log
• While the support packages are being imported, logs are made into the tmp directory (path: usr/sap/trans/tmp)
• Once the import process is completed logs can be viewed from the log directory (path: usr/sap/trans/log)
What is SAP Kernel and how to update it?
What is a Kernel?
• The Kernel is the central program which acts as an interface between SAP application and operating system.
• The Kernel consists of the executable programs that reside under the path "/sapmnt/<SID>/exe" (UNIX) or \usr\sap\SID\SYS\exe\run (Windows)
• These files help startup the R/3 system, initialize the memory, create buffers and start managing the requests from users and effectively utilizing of hardware resources.
• The kernel is also responsible for starting and stopping all the application services like dispatcher, message server, collector etc.
Why Kernel Upgrade?
• SAP Kernel is the core of the application. Like all other applications the Kernel contains the executable files (.EXE files for stating various processes in SAP).
• Kernel is the heart of the operating system. It contains those files which are used to run every event in SAP. E.g.|: starting database, shutdowns of database, starting sap, shutdown of sap, saposcol, to uncar the sap files etc.
• That's the reason why when a Kernel upgrade is done it means new versions of the various EXE files replace the older versions.
How to check Kernel Version?
There are many ways to check the Kernel Version -
Method 1) Logon to SAP system and go to SM51 à Release Notes
Method 2) Logon to SAP system and go to System tab in the menu bar and select Status
Method 3) Logon in operating system, switch to user <SID>adm and give the command disp+work
You can also give disp+work –version
Download Kernel from Service Marketplace
• Go to "SAP Service Marketplace. " (https:\\service.sap.com) You will need your OSS ID and password.
• Then go to Downloads à SAP Support Packages -> Entry By Application Group -> SAP Kernel 6.00 64 Bit -> Select your OS (LINUX/WINDOWS/SOLARIS/AIX) -> Database Dependent and Database independent Kernel Patch.
• Two SAR files SAPEXE.SAR and SAPEXEDB.SAR are downloaded from Service Marketplace.
Database Independent
Database Dependent: ORACLE
Kernel Upgrade Steps:
1. Create a new Directory at OS level with enough space. Name of Dir can be "exe_new<ddmmyy>".
2. Transfer these SAPEXEDB.SAR & SAPEXE.SAR files which you have downloaded to the new directory at OS level.
3. Change your current directory to path .SAR files are created (cd /sapmnt/PR2/exe_new20122006). Check the directory path with command 'pwd' to ensure you are in the same dir (exe_new<ddmmyy>).
4. Now uncompress these .SAR files by sapcar exe. The command used for the same would be
SAPCAR –xvf sapexe.SAR
SAPCAR –xvf sapexedb.SAR
5. Now create one more directory in that path with the name "exe_old<ddmmyy>". Take the backup of existing kernel.Copy (only copy not move) the existing kernel from exe directory to "exe_old<ddmmyy>"
6. Now stop the SAP application. (For kernel upgrade the shutdown of database is not essential but we need to stop the SAP application)
stopsap r3
7. Then copy the files from the new kernel directory exe_new<ddmmyy> to the existing kernel directory exe
cp -rp /sapmnt/<SID>/exe_new<ddmmyy>/* /sapmnt/<SID>/exe/
8. This will copy / replace all the files in the existing kernel directory with a new kernel files.
9. Then check the kernel version from OS level by the command disp+work. It should show that the patch number has been increased.
10. Then logon to OS level as root (specific to UNIX). In the kernel directory, there is a script called saproot.sh. Execute this script
./saproot.sh <SID>
11. This script assigns the correct permissions to all the executable programs in the kernel such br* file etc...
12. Then start the SAP system
startsap r3
13. Now you can also check the kernel version level from SM51 or by selecting system à status
What is a Support Package?
• When an end user of SAP finds a bug in the SAP product, he reports the same to SAP support. SAP programmers inspect the bug and develop a correction for the bug. This correction is known as SNOTE (SAP Note).
• With time, multiple end users, report bugs for which SAP releases SNOTE. SAP collects all these corrections in one place and this collection is called SUPPORT PACKAGE. This support package also includes enhancements to earlier versions of SAP.
• In simple words collection of SAP NOTES is called as SUPPORT PACKAGE.
• Support Packages are implemented in SAP system using Transaction SPAM (Support Package Manager)
What is Support Package Stack (SPS)?
The Support Package Stack is a list of ABAP and Java Support Packages for all software components (SC) included in SAP NetWeaver. It is used to bring each Software Component of SAP NetWeaver to a defined Support Pack (SP) level.
Support Package Stack , commonly known as STACK bundles all required components or individual patches that are already tested together and recommended applying as SPS instead of individual patch (until and unless you face some problem which requires certain components to be patched).
Go to http://service.sap.com/sp-stacks/, select your NW version to check the current SPS level and other details.
What are Support Pack Stack version numbers ?
Support Package Stacks have a release number, and a Stack number, Example, SAP NetWeaver '04 Support Package Stack 11.
Each software component has a separate sequence of Support Packages. The following list contains the technical names of a number of components and the notation for their Support Packages:
• COP (Component Package):
• SAP_APPL (SAP APPL Support Package): SAPKH<rel><no>
• SAP_BASIS (Basis Support Package): SAPKB<rel><no>
• SAP_ABA (Application Basis SP): SAPKA<rel><no>
• SAP_HR (SAP HR Support Package): SAPKE<rel><no>
• SAP_SCM (SCM Support Package): SAPKY<rel><no>
• SAP_BW (BW Support Package): SAPKW<rel><no>
• SAP_CRM (CRM Support Package): SAPKU<rel><no>
Pre-requisites for Support Package implementation:
• Support packages should be always applied in client 000.
• The user to be used for the support package implementation must have authorizations equivalent to DDIC or SAP*
• Call the transaction SPAM and see if any previous Support Package import is incomplete. You can proceed ahead unless the previous support package import is successful.
• Ensure that there is enough space in the transport directory. The transport directory is located at /usr/sap/trans
Steps to Upgrade the Support Package:
Step 1: Download Support Packs
Support Packages are available in SAP Support Portal, under service.sap.com/patches.
Step 2: Loading Support Packages:
To load support packages we have two options:-
1. From Application Server
2. From Front End
From Application Server
1. Download the support packages from service marketplace and save them at OS level in directory /usr/sap/trans.
2. Uncompress these files using sapcar executable
sapcar –xvf <support package name>
After uncompressing the support packages at OS level the .PAT and .ATT files are stored in /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in directory.
Next, load the Support Packages into SAP system by choosing Support Package -->Load Package --> From Application Server
From Front End
Choose Support Package --> Load Packages --> From Front End
Step 3: SPAM/SAINT Update:
A SPAM/SAINT Update contains updates and improvements to Support Package Manager (SPAM) and Add-On Installation Tool (SAINT). There is always one SPAM update for each release. SPAM/SAINT update is mandatory before any support package upgrade.
Step 4: Defining Queue
Queue contains the Support Packages available for the different SAP Components installed in your system. This Queue information is derived from the support pack uploaded in Step 2.
1.On the initial screen in Support Package Manager, choose Display/Define.
2.A list of installed software components (for example, SAP_BASIS, SAP_HR, SAP_BW) is displayed.
3.Once you select the required component, the current queue appears. This queue contains the Support Packages available for the selected component in your system. If you want to define the queue for another software component, choose Other Component. If the displayed queue meets your requirements, you can confirm it by choosing Confirm Queue
Step 5: Importing Queue.
Once you a define a Queue (Step 4) while selecting a particular component (for which we want to upgrade support pack), we need to do 'Import queue' to start importing/applying that particular selected support pack (as per the standard SAP process).
Choose Support Package --> Import Queue
To become familiar with known problems and issues, always read the note mentioned in above screenshot.
The support package import has been started
Step 6: Confirming Queue:
Confirm that the queue has been imported successfully into your system. This allows you to import Support Packages in the future. You will not be able to import Support Packages further,if you do not confirm the queue.
Once Queue has been imported, SPAM status becomes YELLOW
Confirm successful import of the Support Packages into your system by choosing Support Package à Confirm.
Checking Logs
• IMPORT LOG :It displays logs for Support Package Manager Phases that are used by transport control program tp(transport control program).
Go to-->Import log-->Queue
• ACTION LOG: It contains information about the actions that take place during the individual phases (while importing the current queue).
It also includes information about the point at which a phase was stopped, as well as detailed error information.
To display the logs for the current queue Go to-->Action log
• While the support packages are being imported, logs are made into the tmp directory (path: usr/sap/trans/tmp)
• Once the import process is completed logs can be viewed from the log directory (path: usr/sap/trans/log)
What is SAP Kernel and how to update it?
What is a Kernel?
• The Kernel is the central program which acts as an interface between SAP application and operating system.
• The Kernel consists of the executable programs that reside under the path "/sapmnt/<SID>/exe" (UNIX) or \usr\sap\SID\SYS\exe\run (Windows)
• These files help startup the R/3 system, initialize the memory, create buffers and start managing the requests from users and effectively utilizing of hardware resources.
• The kernel is also responsible for starting and stopping all the application services like dispatcher, message server, collector etc.
Why Kernel Upgrade?
• SAP Kernel is the core of the application. Like all other applications the Kernel contains the executable files (.EXE files for stating various processes in SAP).
• Kernel is the heart of the operating system. It contains those files which are used to run every event in SAP. E.g.|: starting database, shutdowns of database, starting sap, shutdown of sap, saposcol, to uncar the sap files etc.
• That's the reason why when a Kernel upgrade is done it means new versions of the various EXE files replace the older versions.
How to check Kernel Version?
There are many ways to check the Kernel Version -
Method 1) Logon to SAP system and go to SM51 à Release Notes
Method 2) Logon to SAP system and go to System tab in the menu bar and select Status
Method 3) Logon in operating system, switch to user <SID>adm and give the command disp+work
You can also give disp+work –version
Download Kernel from Service Marketplace
• Go to "SAP Service Marketplace. " (https:\\service.sap.com) You will need your OSS ID and password.
• Then go to Downloads à SAP Support Packages -> Entry By Application Group -> SAP Kernel 6.00 64 Bit -> Select your OS (LINUX/WINDOWS/SOLARIS/AIX) -> Database Dependent and Database independent Kernel Patch.
• Two SAR files SAPEXE.SAR and SAPEXEDB.SAR are downloaded from Service Marketplace.
Database Independent
Database Dependent: ORACLE
Kernel Upgrade Steps:
1. Create a new Directory at OS level with enough space. Name of Dir can be "exe_new<ddmmyy>".
2. Transfer these SAPEXEDB.SAR & SAPEXE.SAR files which you have downloaded to the new directory at OS level.
3. Change your current directory to path .SAR files are created (cd /sapmnt/PR2/exe_new20122006). Check the directory path with command 'pwd' to ensure you are in the same dir (exe_new<ddmmyy>).
4. Now uncompress these .SAR files by sapcar exe. The command used for the same would be
SAPCAR –xvf sapexe.SAR
SAPCAR –xvf sapexedb.SAR
5. Now create one more directory in that path with the name "exe_old<ddmmyy>". Take the backup of existing kernel.Copy (only copy not move) the existing kernel from exe directory to "exe_old<ddmmyy>"
6. Now stop the SAP application. (For kernel upgrade the shutdown of database is not essential but we need to stop the SAP application)
stopsap r3
7. Then copy the files from the new kernel directory exe_new<ddmmyy> to the existing kernel directory exe
cp -rp /sapmnt/<SID>/exe_new<ddmmyy>/* /sapmnt/<SID>/exe/
8. This will copy / replace all the files in the existing kernel directory with a new kernel files.
9. Then check the kernel version from OS level by the command disp+work. It should show that the patch number has been increased.
10. Then logon to OS level as root (specific to UNIX). In the kernel directory, there is a script called saproot.sh. Execute this script
./saproot.sh <SID>
11. This script assigns the correct permissions to all the executable programs in the kernel such br* file etc...
12. Then start the SAP system
startsap r3
13. Now you can also check the kernel version level from SM51 or by selecting system à status
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