Apply SAP R/3 Support Packages, Patches, Service Packs using SPAM, SAINT

From time to time SAP does modifications to the various objects of its R/3 software and makes the modifications available to the customers in form of support packs and CRTs. Customers are required to check for the latest updates on the changes being made by SAP to its software and accordingly apply them at their installations. The support packs and CRTs are made available by SAP on their mySAP.com Marketplace site (earlier known as SAP Net) http://service.sap.com. The following is procedure to show you step-by-step process of applying different support packages into your system. It is always advisable to first verify the SPAM/SAINT version in the system. If you do not have, download the latest SPAM/SAINT package. There are certain support packages, which require certain level of SPAM/SAINT. For such packages, you first have to update the SPAM/SAINT SPAM/SAINT update and support packs are applied through Transaction code SPAM. The SPAM/SAINT updates and support packs files are .CAR (compressed archive) files, which need to be unpacked. Each CAR files is an archive of two files. Supports packs for Applications area (i.e. changes made to the objects of various functional modules of SAP) are also known as HOTPACKS

What Is a Support Package?

A Support Package is a quantity of corrected SAP objects. Support Packages Are required to correct errors in various components. This is done by replacing erroneous objects with corrected versions of these objects. 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 R/3 Support Package) Naming conversion of SAP_APPL is SAPKH<rel><no> SAP_APPL Stands sap application platform SAP_BASIS (Basis Support Package) Naming conversion of SAP_BASIS is SAPKB<rel><no> SAP_BASIS Stands sap basis component SAP_ABA (Application Interface SP)

Naming conversion of SAP_ABA is SAPKA<rel><no> SAP_ABA Stands sap cross application component SAP_HR (SAP R/3 HR Support Package) Naming conversion of SAP_HR is SAPKE<rel><no> SAP_HR stands human resources SAP_APO (APO Support Package): SAPKY<rel><no> SAP_BW (BW Support Package): SAPKW<rel><no> SAP_CRM (CRM Support Package): SAPKU<rel><no> SAP_SRM (SRM Support Package): SAPKU<rel><no> SAP_SEM (SEM-BW Support Package): SAPGKS<rel><no>

Why Support packages are required

1. A support packages is a quantity of corrected SAP objects. 2. Support packages are required to correct errors in various components. This is done by replacing erroneous objects with corrected versions of these objects. 3. Each software component has a separate sequence of Support Packages.

Prerequisites of Support Packages:

1. Login to 000 client with user like DDIC. 2. Support packages and patches are applied in T-code SPAM (support package manager) 3. No aborted packages should be available in the system. 4. Download the support packages from marketplace. 5. Always use the updated SPAM & SAINT versions to Apply Support Packages. 6. There should be enough space in EPS directory to hold support directory. 7. There should be at least two background processes reserved for this process. 8. Functional and technical consultants should be around for applying changes to data dictionary elements and repository objects. 9. Take the database backup before going to apply support packages. 10. In order to avoid network congestion the files which are more than 10MB has to be applied through application server. Patches which are less than 10MB can be applied through front end 11. There should be enough space in table space in the table spaces (DB02),it should not be above 90%. 12. Apply patches in the sequence defined in the composite note. Patches can be applied individually or bundled together. 13. Patches cant be reverted by consultants, only SAP can revert patches by developing a negative patches if required. 14. Schedule the downtime before going to apply support packages.

15. Go through the composite note and document the sequence and CRT. 16. Observe the system behavior. 17. Check STMS configuration before going to apply support package. 18. Before going to apply support package we need to check either any side effects if we apply the patch.

Procedure
The support packages are needed to be applied to the system depending on the requirement from functional and technical consultants support package can make changes to objects are data dictionary level or at repository level. It requires to be applied during non-peak hours. It provides enhanced functionality. Sap recommended applying patches for the known problems.

What are SAP Support Packs, SAP Service Packs, SAP NOTEs
What are SAP Support Packs, SAP Service Packs, SAP NOTEs
When a customer finds a bug in the SAP product and reports it to SAP support, SAP develops a correction for the bug. This correction is sent to the customer in the form of a SAP NOTE. If the same or similar bug is reported by multiple customers then SAP recognizes such bug corrects them and collects all these corrections in one place and adds some enhancements to the earlier version of SAP and then calls this as a SUUPORT PACK. A collection of SAP NOTES eventually makes a SAP SUPPORT PACK.

What are SAP AddOn Components

SAP AddOn components are extra functionalities that do not come with main SAP product. Different organizations have different requirements, so SAP has recognized some main functionalities that are in demand and builds that functionality as a components, which can be integrated with the core SAP. so add on components sit above the core and access the same dictionary objects or repository objects and perform the required funcionality.

The following steps are to be followed while applying service packs.

Go T-code SPAM Apply support pack through front end if the size of the pack is less than 10MB. Apply support pack through Application server if the support pack is greater than 10MB, after decompressing the file using uncar (SAPCAR XVF xxxx.CAR). In order to apply the support patches define the Queue and import the queue. During the runtime of import we may ask to run SPDD to modify the data dictionary objects. During the runtime we may be asked to run SPAU to modify repository objects. Confirm the queue.

The following list contains the software components listed in the figure. Each component has its own release cycle.
Industry Solutions, Plug-Ins, and Enterprise Extensions are all Add-Ons. Enterprise Extension. These extensions of the functionally stabilized application components of SAP R/3 Enterprise are delivered as a complete set. Enterprise Extensions, Release 1.10, are first delivered with SAP R/3 Enterprise, Core Release 4.7. .Core 4.7. means the functionally stabilized Application components of SAP R/3 Enterprise. Industry Solution (IS). Industry Solutions are the technical software. realization of industry-specific requirements. We strongly recommend against using multiple Industry Solutions within one SAP system, since these modify the SAP system in different ways. You can obtain approval from SAP for using two Industry Solutions together in certain circumstances. Plug-In (PI). An SAP R/3 Plug-In provides interfaces between a my SAP component (such as SAP CRM) and a standard SAP R/3 system. Core Application (APPL). This area contains software for all non-HR Application components in SAP R/3. Human Resources (HR). This area contains software for HR applications in SAP R/3. Application Interface (ABA). This is special software for the basis area application interface. BASIS. This is software for the basis area in the standard SAP R/3 system and in the SAP Web Application Server. Business Information Warehouse (BW). This is updated software for the SAP BW. Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This is updated software for SAP CRM. Note that it is not possible to run APPL/HR and BW or other main components simultaneously on the same SAP Web Application Server (which consists of ABA and BASIS layers).

How to download CAR files from SAP Net or SAPServX server

Download the required .CAR files from SAP Net or SAPServX server as shown in the screenshots below

Login to service.sap.com. You will get an initial screen as shown above.

If you want to navigate into the market place you require an SAP user id. For example click on support pack you will get a popup box. Here you need to enter the S user ID and password.

Enter by component

Save the target and save them in a temporary directory

What is SAPCAR command? What are CAR files?

What is SAPCAR
SAPCAR command is used to compress or decompress CAR files.

What are CAR files

CAR files or Compressed ARchive files are compressed binary files similar to ZIP files. SAP updates always come in CAR format. You will need sapcar command to uncompress these CAR files.

Follow the below procedure to install

1. Copy them to a temporary directory either in /usr/sap/trans/tmp or any other folder which you can create (say, patch) 2. Change to the directory /usr/sap/trans (UNIX) or \usr\sap\trans (NT) 3. Use the command SAPCAR -xvf The command SAPCAR is case sensitive 4. The command SAPCAR will decompress the CAR file and put two files (with extensions .ATT and .PAT in the /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in directory. 5. Logon to the SAP system in client 000 as user DDIC

6. Once in the system execute the transaction code SPAM 7. Depending on what version are you in do the following o Goto Support Packages o Load Packages from Application Server 8. You will get a pop up box with the list of the patches in the queue. Both the applied patches and the new ones will be listed. Hit the Back button to come to the main screen. 9. Click on the Display/Define button on the screen

How to apply the downloaded SAP Support Packages and Patches

You will get a pop up screen with the unapplied patches. Select the patch or group of patched that you want to apply and hit the enter key/icon. The patch number will be defined in the queue box. Goto Support Packages >> Import Queue or click the apply patch / import queue icon on the application toolbar After the patch is successfully applied, you will have to CONFIRM the patch application. Goto Support Packages >> Confirm Or click the confirm icon on the application toolbar. The traffic light in the status box should turn green. While the patches are being applied, itll prompt us for conformation of the changes, whether to keep the objects which have come from SAP patch or to keep existing customized objects.

You can compare the changes and decide to keep the changes made to the system via OSS notes or return the objects to original.

For applying SPAM upgrage patch (KDVVVPP.CAR) use import SPAM/SAINT Update menu option.

SAP R/3 Support Packages and Patches - Importing, SAP Packages Errors and Problems

Import from Frontend for small files you can do this. It will upload from frontend to server and ask you to decompress. Once decompressed, click on New Support Packages/ Display button.

Once decompressed, click on New Support Packages/ Display button.

Check for logs

At times depending on the situation, you may have to reapply the OSS notes after returning back the object to original

Errors and Problems Cannot_create_cofile

While applying a patch, if you get an error "CANNOT_CREATE_COFILE" delete the concerned file of the patch from the /usr/sap/trans/cofile and /usr/sap/trans/data directory. After deleting the files restart the process. The patch application may work.

Eps in is in old format

If you are unable to upload the queue and you see a message like EPS in IS IN OLD FORMAT , check for the SPAM version and do a SPAM update. Delete the concerned files (i.e. the .ATT and .PAT files from the /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in directory) and then decompress the .CAR file and continue with applying the support packs.

Objects locked
There are also times when a patch fails because an object that it is trying to modify is locked by a change request. In such cases, identify the object and the change request and then using SE03 search for the object. Once you have identified the change request unlock the object and then Continue with the SPAM transaction. Sometimes the SPAM/SAINT Update process comes out with error. In such case just go ahead and start the SPAM update process again and it should go through fine.

Objects locked
Tp could not connect to database Tp may be older version or outdated No enough space in "eps/in" directory. Tp could not be executed. Stms is not configured properly.