This chapter covers SAP on Azure design considerations, a critical topic for the AZ-305 exam that appears in approximately 10-15% of questions related to infrastructure and migration. You'll learn the specific Azure services, VM sizes, storage configurations, and networking requirements needed to run SAP workloads (both SAP NetWeaver and SAP S/4HANA) in a certified, high-performance manner. Mastering this content ensures you can design solutions that meet SAP's stringent performance and availability SLAs, a key skill for the Solutions Architect Expert.
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Imagine a highly specialized manufacturing plant that produces precision machinery. This plant (SAP) has unique requirements: massive raw material storage (high memory), just-in-time delivery of components (low latency), and a strict assembly line sequence (transaction processing). Moving this plant to a new location (Azure) isn't like renting generic warehouse space. You must replicate the exact floor plan: the overhead cranes (HANA in-memory), the conveyor belts (high-throughput networking), and the backup generators (disaster recovery). Azure provides the building but you must configure the layout: choose the right size for the factory floor (VM SKU), install the correct power supply (Premium SSD disks), and set up dedicated loading docks (ExpressRoute). If you just drop the machinery into a standard warehouse, the assembly line will jam (performance issues) or the cranes won't fit (incompatible VM sizes). The analogy is mechanistic: SAP on Azure is about mapping SAP's rigid architectural dependencies onto Azure's flexible infrastructure, ensuring every component—memory, storage, networking, availability—matches SAP's certified configurations exactly.
Overview of SAP on Azure
SAP on Azure refers to running SAP applications—such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP NetWeaver, SAP BW/4HANA, and SAP HANA—on Microsoft Azure infrastructure. Azure is a certified cloud provider for SAP, meaning it has passed SAP's rigorous certification tests for compute, storage, and networking. The exam tests your ability to select the correct Azure services and configurations to support SAP workloads, focusing on high availability (HA), disaster recovery (DR), performance, and licensing.
SAP Application Types and Their Requirements
SAP applications can be broadly categorized into: - SAP NetWeaver-based: Includes SAP ERP, SAP CRM, SAP BW (non-HANA). These can run on Windows or Linux VMs and use any SAP-certified database (e.g., SAP ASE, IBM DB2, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, or SAP HANA). - SAP S/4HANA: The next-generation ERP suite that runs exclusively on SAP HANA database. Requires specific VM sizes certified for SAP HANA. - SAP BW/4HANA: Business warehouse running on HANA. - SAP HANA: In-memory database platform. Can be used as a database for other SAP applications or standalone.
Certified VM Sizes for SAP
Azure provides specific VM series that are SAP-certified. The exam expects you to know the main families: - M-series: Memory-optimized VMs, certified for SAP HANA (e.g., M208ms, M416ms). They offer high memory-to-core ratios (up to 12 GB per core). - Mv2-series: Higher memory configurations (up to 6 TB) for large SAP HANA deployments. - E-series: Memory-optimized VMs for SAP NetWeaver (e.g., E4s_v3, E64s_v3). These are not certified for HANA. - D-series: General-purpose VMs for non-production or small NetWeaver systems. - H-series: HPC-optimized VMs, but some are certified for HANA (e.g., H16r).
Key exam fact: Only specific VM sizes are certified for SAP HANA. Using an uncertified VM will not be supported by SAP. The list is maintained by SAP and Microsoft; you can find it at the SAP Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware Directory.
Storage Configuration for SAP
Storage is critical for SAP performance. Azure offers several disk types: - Premium SSD: Required for production SAP systems. Provides low latency (sub-millisecond for read) and high IOPS. - Ultra Disk: For extreme performance needs (up to 160,000 IOPS per disk). Can be used for SAP HANA log and data volumes. - Standard SSD/HDD: Only for non-production or low-performance systems.
SAP HANA specific storage requirements: - Data volume: Must use Premium SSD or Ultra Disk. For production, SAP recommends a minimum of 5000 IOPS per HANA instance. - Log volume: Must use Premium SSD or Ultra Disk with write accelerator. Write Accelerator is a feature for M-series VMs that reduces write latency for log writes. - Shared volume: For /hana/shared, use Premium SSD. - Backup volume: Can use any disk type, but Premium SSD is recommended for fast backups.
Disk striping: Use storage spaces (Windows) or LVM (Linux) to stripe multiple disks for higher throughput. The number of disks depends on the required IOPS and throughput.
Networking Requirements
ExpressRoute: For production SAP systems, use ExpressRoute (dedicated private connection) to ensure consistent latency and bandwidth. VPN is acceptable for dev/test but not production.
Azure Accelerated Networking: Must be enabled on all SAP VMs for low latency and high throughput. This is a requirement for SAP certification.
Network Virtual Appliances (NVAs): Avoid placing NVAs in the data path between SAP application servers and database servers, as they introduce latency.
Latency: For SAP HANA scale-out, the network latency between nodes must be less than 0.1 ms. This is achieved by placing VMs in the same proximity placement group.
High Availability for SAP
Azure provides several HA options: - Availability Sets: Distributes VMs across fault domains and update domains. Use for SAP NetWeaver (ASCS, ERS, PAS, AAS). SAP ASCS/ERS can be clustered using Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) or Pacemaker. - Availability Zones: Physical separation within a region. Provides higher SLA (99.99% for VMs). Use for SAP HANA (active/read-enabled or scale-out with standby). - Azure Site Recovery: For disaster recovery across regions. - SAP HANA System Replication: Replicates data from primary to secondary HANA instance. Can be combined with Azure availability zones or regions.
SAP NetWeaver HA: The central services (ASCS) are a single point of failure. Use a cluster with a shared disk (Azure shared disks) or file share (Azure NetApp Files) for the transport directory.
SAP HANA HA: Use HANA System Replication (HSR) with automatic failover. Azure supports: - Scale-up: Single VM with HSR to a standby VM in another zone/region. - Scale-out: Multiple nodes with a standby node. Requires Azure NetApp Files for shared storage or ANF for /hana/shared.
Disaster Recovery
Cross-region replication: Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMs to a secondary region.
SAP HANA replication: Use HSR to a secondary region for database-level DR.
Backup: Use Azure Backup for SAP HANA (native integration) or third-party tools.
Operating System and Licensing
Supported OS: RHEL, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) for SAP, and Windows Server. For HANA, Linux is required (RHEL or SLES).
Licensing: SAP licenses are customer-provided. Azure provides the infrastructure. For SQL Server, you can use Azure Hybrid Benefit to reduce costs.
Monitoring and Management
Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions: Provides insights into SAP infrastructure and performance. Collects metrics from VMs, storage, and network.
SAP Landscape Management (LaMa): Can be used to manage SAP systems in Azure, including start/stop and cloning.
Cost Optimization
Reserved Instances: For predictable workloads, purchase 1- or 3-year reserved instances for up to 72% discount.
Azure Hybrid Benefit: Use existing Windows Server or SQL Server licenses.
Right-sizing: Choose the smallest certified VM that meets performance requirements.
Interaction with Other Azure Services
Azure NetApp Files: Provides high-performance shared storage for /hana/shared and /hana/data/log in scale-out scenarios.
Azure Files: Can be used for SAP transport directory (SAPMNT) with Premium tier.
Azure Active Directory: For SSO to SAP applications (SAP Fiori, SAP Cloud Platform).
Azure Key Vault: Store SAP credentials and certificates securely.
Azure Policy: Enforce compliance (e.g., require certain VM sizes).
Specific Exam Traps
Trap 1: Assuming any M-series VM is certified for HANA. Only specific sub-series (e.g., M208ms) are certified. Check the SAP HANA hardware directory.
Trap 2: Using Standard HDD for SAP HANA log volume. Must be Premium SSD with Write Accelerator.
Trap 3: Not enabling Accelerated Networking. The exam may present a scenario with performance issues; the fix is to enable it.
Trap 4: Placing SAP application servers and database servers in different regions without ExpressRoute. This violates latency requirements.
Trap 5: Forgetting that SAP NetWeaver HA requires a cluster for ASCS/ERS. A single VM with no HA is not acceptable for production.
Select SAP-certified VM sizes
Consult the SAP Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware Directory to find Azure VM sizes that are certified for your specific SAP HANA version and workload. For SAP NetWeaver, use the SAP Application Performance Standard (SAPS) rating to determine the required VM size. For example, an M208ms VM provides 208 GB of memory and is certified for HANA up to 2 TB. Do not assume all M-series VMs are certified; only specific sub-types are. This step is critical because using an uncertified VM voids SAP support.
Configure Premium SSD with Write Accelerator
For SAP HANA data and log volumes, attach Premium SSD managed disks. Enable Write Accelerator on the log disk if the VM is M-series. Write Accelerator uses the VM's NVMe cache to reduce write latency to the log volume. Without it, log writes may exceed SAP's latency requirements (sub-1 ms). For data volumes, you can stripe multiple Premium SSDs using LVM or Storage Spaces to achieve the required IOPS. For example, a 4 TB HANA database might need 8 x 1 TB Premium SSDs striped for 40,000 IOPS.
Set up ExpressRoute and Accelerated Networking
Provision an ExpressRoute circuit with at least 1 Gbps bandwidth for production SAP systems. Enable Accelerated Networking on all SAP VMs (application and database). Accelerated Networking bypasses the host and uses SR-IOV for lower latency and jitter. Without it, network latency between SAP application and database servers can increase by 2-3 ms, causing performance degradation. Test connectivity using Azure's latency test tools.
Implement High Availability for ASCS/ERS
For SAP NetWeaver, create two VMs in an availability set or availability zones. Install SAP ASCS on one VM and ERS on the other. Configure a cluster (Windows Failover Cluster or Pacemaker) to monitor the services. Use a shared disk (Azure shared disk) or a file share (Azure NetApp Files) for the transport directory. The cluster will fail over the ASCS service to the other VM if the primary fails. Without HA, an ASCS failure brings down the entire SAP system.
Deploy HANA System Replication
For SAP HANA HA, set up HANA System Replication between two VMs in different availability zones or the same region. Configure automatic takeover using a fencing mechanism (Azure fence agent for Pacemaker). The replication mode should be synchronous for zero data loss (mode=sync). Monitor replication status using the HANA Studio or command-line tools. If the primary fails, the secondary takes over automatically. Ensure the secondary VM is sized identically to handle the full workload.
Scenario 1: Large Enterprise Migration of SAP S/4HANA A global manufacturer migrated its on-premises SAP S/4HANA system (6 TB HANA database) to Azure. They chose Mv2-series VMs (M416s_v2 with 416 GB memory) for the production HANA instance, using 16 Premium SSD disks striped for data (80,000 IOPS) and 4 Premium SSDs with Write Accelerator for logs. They deployed across two availability zones with HANA System Replication in synchronous mode. For networking, they used a 10 Gbps ExpressRoute circuit and enabled Accelerated Networking on all VMs. The migration cut over in a weekend with less than 2 hours of downtime. Post-migration, they observed a 15% performance improvement due to lower latency from ExpressRoute.
Scenario 2: SAP NetWeaver HA with Shared Disks A financial services firm running SAP ECC on SQL Server needed high availability for the ASCS service. They deployed two D64s_v3 VMs in an availability set, configured Windows Failover Cluster, and used Azure Shared Disks for the SAP transport directory (SAPMNT). The cluster monitored the ASCS and ERS services. During a planned patching window, one VM was rebooted, and the cluster failed over ASCS to the other VM in under 60 seconds. The key challenge was ensuring the shared disk performance met SAP's I/O requirements; they used Premium SSD with caching set to ReadOnly for the transport disk.
Common Misconfigurations:
Using Standard SSD for SAP HANA log volumes, causing high commit latency and transaction failures.
Forgetting to enable Write Accelerator on M-series VMs, leading to log write timeouts.
Placing application and database VMs in different proximity placement groups, increasing latency beyond 0.1 ms for HANA scale-out.
Not sizing the secondary HANA VM identically to the primary, resulting in performance degradation after failover.
The AZ-305 exam tests SAP on Azure under objective 'Design an infrastructure solution' (4.1). You must know: - Certified VM sizes: Specifically, M-series for HANA, E-series for NetWeaver. The exam may present a scenario where you need to choose a VM for a HANA workload; the correct answer is always a certified M-series VM (e.g., M208ms). Wrong answers include D-series or non-certified M-series. - Storage requirements: For HANA data/log, Premium SSD with Write Accelerator is mandatory. Ultra Disk is an alternative but not required. Common trap: choosing Standard SSD for cost savings—this is wrong for production. - Networking: ExpressRoute is required for production; VPN is acceptable only for dev/test. Accelerated Networking must be enabled. Trap: selecting a VPN connection for a production SAP system. - High Availability: For NetWeaver, ASCS/ERS must be clustered. For HANA, use HSR with automatic failover. Trap: thinking a single VM with backup is sufficient for HA. - Disaster Recovery: Use Azure Site Recovery for VMs and HSR for HANA cross-region. Trap: using only Azure Backup without replication.
Numbers to memorize:
HANA latency requirement: < 0.1 ms for scale-out.
Write Accelerator: only available on M-series VMs.
ExpressRoute minimum bandwidth: 1 Gbps for production.
SAP HANA certified VM memory: up to 6 TB (Mv2).
Eliminating wrong answers: If an option suggests a VM size not in the SAP HANA certified list, eliminate it. If it suggests Standard HDD for HANA log, eliminate. If it suggests a single VM for production without HA, eliminate. The exam often includes distractor options that are technically feasible but not SAP-certified or best practice.
Only specific Azure VM sizes (e.g., M208ms) are certified for SAP HANA; always check the SAP HANA hardware directory.
SAP HANA log volumes require Premium SSD with Write Accelerator enabled on M-series VMs.
ExpressRoute with at least 1 Gbps is mandatory for production SAP connectivity.
Accelerated Networking must be enabled on all SAP VMs to meet latency requirements.
SAP NetWeaver HA requires a cluster (WSFC or Pacemaker) for ASCS/ERS services.
SAP HANA HA uses HANA System Replication with automatic failover, not just Azure Site Recovery.
Availability zones provide higher SLA (99.99%) than availability sets for SAP VMs.
Azure NetApp Files is the recommended shared storage for HANA scale-out deployments.
Use Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions to monitor infrastructure performance.
Reserved Instances and Azure Hybrid Benefit can reduce SAP infrastructure costs by up to 72%.
These come up on the exam all the time. Here's how to tell them apart.
M-series VMs for SAP HANA
Certified for SAP HANA in-memory database
High memory-to-core ratio (up to 12 GB/core)
Supports Write Accelerator for log volumes
Available in sizes up to 6 TB (Mv2)
Required for production S/4HANA workloads
E-series VMs for SAP NetWeaver
Not certified for SAP HANA database
Memory-optimized but lower ratios (up to 8 GB/core)
Does not support Write Accelerator
Maximum memory 432 GB (E64s_v3)
Suitable for SAP NetWeaver application servers and non-HANA databases
Mistake
Any large VM can run SAP HANA as long as it has enough memory.
Correct
Only VMs listed in the SAP Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware Directory are certified. Using an uncertified VM voids SAP support, even if it has adequate memory.
Mistake
Standard SSD is sufficient for SAP HANA log volumes in non-production.
Correct
SAP HANA log writes require very low latency (sub-millisecond). Standard SSD cannot meet this; Premium SSD or Ultra Disk is required for all HANA instances, including dev/test, to avoid transaction failures.
Mistake
SAP NetWeaver HA can be achieved by simply having two VMs with the same configuration.
Correct
Two VMs alone do not provide HA. You need a cluster (WSFC or Pacemaker) to monitor and failover the ASCS/ERS services. Without clustering, a failure requires manual intervention.
Mistake
Azure Site Recovery is sufficient for SAP HANA disaster recovery.
Correct
ASR replicates VMs but does not guarantee database consistency for HANA. You must use HANA System Replication (HSR) for database-level DR; ASR can be used for non-database VMs.
Mistake
VPN is acceptable for production SAP systems to reduce costs.
Correct
VPN introduces latency and bandwidth variability. SAP production systems require consistent, low-latency connectivity via ExpressRoute. VPN is only for dev/test.
Reveal each answer, then mark whether you got it right. Score 60%+ to unlock the next chapter.
Only specific VM sizes from the M-series and Mv2-series are certified for SAP HANA. Examples include M208ms, M416ms, M416s_v2, and M832isx. The full list is maintained in the SAP Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware Directory. Always verify before deployment.
For production, SAP HANA data and log volumes must use Premium SSD or Ultra Disk. Log volumes on M-series VMs must have Write Accelerator enabled. It is recommended to stripe multiple disks for higher IOPS. For example, a 4 TB database might use 8 Premium SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration. Shared volume (/hana/shared) can use Premium SSD or Azure NetApp Files.
For production SAP systems, yes. ExpressRoute provides a dedicated, private connection with consistent low latency and high bandwidth. VPN is only acceptable for development and test environments. SAP's latency requirements for HANA scale-out (under 0.1 ms) cannot be guaranteed over the internet or VPN.
Use two VMs in an availability set or availability zones. Install SAP ASCS on one and ERS on the other. Configure a cluster (Windows Server Failover Cluster or Pacemaker) with a shared disk (Azure Shared Disk) or file share (Azure NetApp Files) for the transport directory. The cluster monitors the services and performs automatic failover if the primary fails.
Availability sets distribute VMs across fault domains (physical hardware) and update domains within a datacenter. Availability zones distribute VMs across physically separate datacenters within a region. Zones provide a higher SLA (99.99% vs 99.95%) and better protection against datacenter failures. For SAP HANA, zones are recommended for HA with HSR.
Yes, Azure Backup has native support for SAP HANA databases running on Azure VMs. It uses backint integration to perform full, differential, and log backups. However, for disaster recovery, you should also use HANA System Replication to a secondary region for near-zero RPO.
Azure NetApp Files provides high-performance NFS shared storage. It is the recommended solution for /hana/shared in HANA scale-out deployments and for the SAP transport directory (SAPMNT) in NetWeaver HA. It offers low latency and high throughput, and supports features like snapshots and cloning.
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