SAP netweaver docker image scripts

These scripts create a SAP NetWeaver ABAP Developer Edition Docker image, and allow you to run it in a container

A docker image is a blueprint for a container, which is a self contained application. It looks like a dedicated virtual machine but it's not, and uses much less resources compared to a VM like this excellent Vagrant script by Alexander Tsybulsky

Tested on linux (arch). Once an image is created should be possible to run it in

This is heavily based on Jakub Filak's Dockerfile, which didn't work out of the box on my arch box

Requirements

For the installation:

• a linux machine or VM for the build process, with Docker installed

• enough map areas SAP needs 1000000, where the default is 65365. This must be set on the system, either by running

  sudo sysctl -w vm.max_map_count=1000000

  or, better, by adding setting vm.max_map_count=1000000 to your config file (depends on your linux distribution I use /etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf on arch linux, could also create a new file only dor that , say /etc/sysctl.d/98-abap.conf )

• lots of disk space. Once installed it should take around 80 Gb (46 for the image, a bit less for the container) but during the build it can require more than 100

• a decent amount of free RAM, say 4 gb

For running the container:

• a Docker system (linux is probably best, but should work on )
• enough map areas (see above)
• some spare RAM. Not sure how much, I guess between 2 and 4 Gb. When idle this uses about 2.5 Gb, but I expect this to increase when you run stuff

Installation

• Download the installation files

  • Go to the SAP trials download page
  • search for "7.52 SP04"
  • accept the licence and download the 11 rar archives
  • extract them in folder ABAP_Trial

• run script createimage (this will take several minutes):

  sudo ./createimage

• if everything works fine, you will end up with a docker image abapdevedition

• start a container again this will take a while to start as it will copy the whole database from the image

  sudo ./runcontainer

Yor new container will be called abaptrial, and will map the required ports to your local system ports. From here you can continue as any other AS ABAP installation from point E

Usage

To connect to your new SAP instance

• SAPGui: open saplogon and create a new server connection with:

  • Application server: your docker server IP address
  • System number 00
  • SID NPL

• Eclipse: use the connection defined in saplogon

• Visual studio code: Create a connection like this in your configuration file:

  "abapfs.remote": {
    "NPL": {
      "url": "https://myserverIP:44300",
      "username": "developer",
      "password": "",
      "client": "001",
      "allowSelfSigned": true
    }
  }

Management

• start the instance

  sudo docker start abaptrial

• stop the instance (will try to do it nicely by stopping the server, and then kill it after 20 minutes)

  sudo docker stop abaptrial

• delete the container (warning, all the data will be lost)

  sudo docker rm abaptrial

• check the start/stop logs (as they are generated)

  sudo docker logs -f abaptrial

  Press Ctrl+C to stop watching them

Technical details

This works by creating a temporary image, then running a container to install AS ABAP and save the final image

This is not idedeal, we would want a Dockerfile to do all the work in one stage, but mixes poorly with SAP installation process:

• Docker sets a dynamic hostname at start
• The installer wants a stable hostname and domain

Jakub Filak handles this with a custom library that allows mocking the hostname. I do it by setting the hostname and domainat installation/container start patching the configuration files at startup

This allows to put the installation files in a volume which speeds up the installation process (the total time is probably longer for this one, but it usually fails faster) and should end up in a slimmer image without the installation files As the whole process is scripted, I don't think this si a big deal

Also, I start the process using catatonit, which allows to run an unprivileged container