The preparation phase for an SAP-to-Azure migration follows a logical infrastructure-readiness path. First, a compatibility assessment (using tools like SAP Readiness Check) is mandatory to identify unsupported OS/DB versions or hardware requirements. Once the requirements are clear, the target environment must be established by deploying core networking components, such as Virtual Networks (VNets) and subnets, which form the "Landing Zone." Finally, an ExpressRoute connection is configured to provide the dedicated, high-bandwidth, low-latency link necessary for transferring large SAP databases and maintaining hybrid connectivity during and after the migration.

Microsoft Official Documentation: SAP on Azure migration guide - Preparation phase. This section details the necessity of assessing source system compatibility before infrastructure deployment.

Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF): Azure landing zone for SAP. Explains that network topology (VNets/Subnets) must be deployed as a prerequisite to connectivity services like ExpressRoute.

SAP Support Note 1928533: SAP Applications on Azure: Supported Products and Azure VM types. This is the primary reference for the compatibility assessment step to ensure the target Azure environment supports the specific SAP landscape.

Microsoft Learn (AZ-120): Module: Plan for SAP on Azure - Networking and Connectivity. Specifies that ExpressRoute is the recommended connectivity solution for SAP migrations to ensure reliable data transfer.

The SAP transaction OS07N, the Operating System Monitor, is the correct tool for this task. It provides detailed, real-time, and historical data about the underlying operating system's hardware resource consumption. This includes critical metrics for migration sizing, such as CPU utilization, physical and virtual memory usage, disk I/O, and network statistics. Analyzing this data from the source system is a fundamental step in accurately sizing the target virtual machines in Azure to ensure performance and cost-effectiveness for the migrated SAP workload.

A. SM51: This transaction is used to list and manage the active SAP application server instances within a system, not for monitoring detailed OS-level hardware metrics.

B. DB01: This is a database-specific transaction used to analyze exclusive database lock waits. It does not provide information about OS hardware usage like CPU or memory.

C. DB12: This is a database administration transaction used to display logs and the status of database backups and recovery operations, not for OS performance monitoring.

1. SAP Help Portal

Operating System Monitor (OS07N): "You can use the operating system monitor to check the status of the operating systems of the servers in your system landscape. It displays data such as CPU utilization

memory consumption

and disk and network information." This directly confirms the function of OS07N.

Source: SAP Help Portal

Document: Operating System Monitor.

2. Microsoft Learn

SAP workload planning and deployment checklist: "Size the Azure VMs that will host the SAP application layer and the DBMS layer. For existing SAP systems

SAP provides tools that can help you determine the current resource consumption of your SAP systems." OS07N is a primary SAP tool for gathering this resource consumption data.

Source: Microsoft Learn

Module: Plan for SAP workloads on Azure

Unit: SAP workload planning and deployment checklist.

3. SAP Help Portal

CCMS: System/Server Status (SM51): "This transaction allows you to get an overview of the SAP servers (instances) and to manage them." This confirms SM51 is for managing SAP instances

not OS monitoring.

Source: SAP Help Portal

Document: Displaying and Controlling Servers.

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The process begins by defining the configuration for the core SAP components. You first generate the ASCS parameter file, followed by the application server parameter files, which are combined to represent the application tier. These configuration templates must be added to the BOM so the Ansible-based automation engine knows the specific SID, instance numbers, and parameters to use. Once the BOM is updated and the environment is prepared, the framework executes the playbooks to install the HANA and SCS instances. The final step in the software deployment lifecycle is to load the database content (the SAP export) into the HANA instance to complete the system setup.

Microsoft Azure Documentation: SAP deployment automation framework - SAP application installation. This documentation details the requirements for preparing the configuration files (ASCS and App Servers) and updating the BOM before running the installation playbooks.

Microsoft Learn: Configure the SAP Bill of Materials (BOM). Sections regarding "Application Configuration" specify that parameter files must be generated and referenced in the BOM to enable automated unattended installation.

SAP Deployment Automation Framework GitHub Wiki: Process Flow for SAP Software Installation. It outlines the lifecycle: 1. Configuration Generation -> 2. BOM Update -> 3. Software Deployment (HANA/SCS) -> 4. Database Load.

To protect an SAP HANA High Availability (HA) cluster, you must first prepare the environment by running the preregistration script on all nodes to set up necessary permissions. Next, a custom HANA user must be created on both nodes (synced via replication) so the backup service can access the database. You then add this user's credentials to the hdbuserstore on both nodes; this allows the Azure Backup plugin to connect to whichever node is currently primary without hardcoded passwords. Finally, you trigger Start Discovery in the Azure portal to identify the databases and configure the backup protection. The "Recovery Plan" action is irrelevant as it pertains to Azure Site Recovery, not the initial backup configuration.

Microsoft Learn: "Backup SAP HANA databases in Azure VMs" - Section: Set up backup for SAP HANA High Availability system. Document ID: backup-azure-sap-hana-database.

Microsoft Learn: "Tutorial: Back up SAP HANA databases in an Azure VM" - Section: Prerequisites.

Microsoft Azure Documentation: "SAP HANA backup architecture in Azure Backup" - Detailed steps for HDBUserStore and script execution.

SAP Note 2039883: FAQ regarding SAP HANA System Replication and third-party backup tools (integrating with Backint).

For migrating an existing SAP environment from VMware to Azure, a two-pronged approach is required for accurate resource sizing. Azure Migrate is the primary Microsoft tool designed to discover and assess on-premises environments, including VMware vCenter. It analyzes the performance metrics of the existing virtual machines (CPU, memory, disk I/O) to provide right-sized Azure VM recommendations. To complement this infrastructure data, SAP EarlyWatch Alert (EWA) reports from the source SAP system provide crucial application-specific performance metrics, such as SAPS (SAP Application Performance Standard) consumption, memory usage, and database growth. Combining the infrastructure assessment from Azure Migrate with the application performance data from EWA reports ensures a comprehensive and accurate sizing for the SAP workload in Azure.

B. Azure Site Recovery and SAP Quick Sizer: Azure Site Recovery is primarily a disaster recovery tool, not the recommended assessment tool for migrations. SAP Quick Sizer is used for sizing new (greenfield) SAP implementations, not for analyzing existing systems.

C. SAP Quick Sizer and SAP HANA system replication: SAP Quick Sizer is for new implementations. SAP HANA system replication is a high-availability/disaster-recovery technology for databases, not a sizing or assessment tool.

D. Azure Site Recovery Deployment Planner and SAP HANA Cockpit: The ASR Deployment Planner is for DR planning. While SAP HANA Cockpit provides monitoring, EWA reports are the standard SAP tool for comprehensive performance analysis and sizing reports.

1. Microsoft Docs

Azure Well-Architected Framework

SAP workload on Azure: planning and deployment checklist. This document explicitly states the tools for different scenarios.

Under the "Sizing" section

it recommends: "For existing systems

SAP EarlyWatch reports are very helpful. They help you determine the resources that you use."

It also states: "For new implementations

use the SAP Quick Sizer." This confirms Quick Sizer is for new

not existing

systems.

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/framework/sap/sap-planning-checklist#sizing

2. Microsoft Docs

About Azure Migrate. This document establishes Azure Migrate as the central hub for migration projects.

"The Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment tool discovers on-premises VMware VMs... The tool then assesses the discovered servers to check whether they're suitable for migration to Azure

and provides cost estimations."

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-services-overview#azure-migrate-discovery-and-assessment-tool

3. Microsoft Docs

Select a VMware assessment tool. This page guides users on choosing the right tool for VMware assessment.

"To assess on-premises VMware VMs for migration to Azure

we recommend you use the Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment tool."

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/common-questions-discovery-assessment#what-assessment-tools-can-i-use

For a SAP HANA scale-out configuration that includes a standby node, a shared file system is required for /hana/shared, /hana/data, and /hana/log to ensure all nodes (including the standby) can access the data volumes in the event of a failover. Azure NetApp Files (ANF) is the recommended high-performance storage solution that supports the necessary NFS protocols and provides the low-latency, high-throughput requirements mandated by SAP HANA's Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for scale-out architectures on Azure. While Azure shared disks are viable for some clusters, ANF is the primary recommendation for production HANA scale-out deployments involving standby nodes due to its native NFS support and performance tiering.

Microsoft Learn: SAP HANA Azure virtual machine storage configurations - Section: "SAP HANA scale-out with standby node using Azure NetApp Files on Red Hat Enterprise Linux."

SAP Note 1900823: SAP HANA Storage Connector API - Details requirements for shared storage in scale-out scenarios.

Microsoft Learn: Azure NetApp Files for SAP HANA - Documentation on performance limits and architectural requirements for /hana/data and /hana/log in scale-out.

SAP Certified Solutions Portal: Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware - Listing Azure NetApp Files as a certified enterprise storage solution for HANA scale-out.

The SAP Quick Sizer is the official and mandatory tool provided by SAP for calculating the hardware requirements for SAP applications before installation. When planning a migration to SAP Business Suite on SAP HANA on Azure virtual machines (an IaaS scenario), this tool is used to estimate the necessary CPU (SAPS), memory, and disk resources based on business inputs like user numbers and transaction volumes. This ensures the selected Azure VM types meet the performance and capacity needs of the planned SAP system, which is a critical step in the planning and deployment phase.

A. SAP Quick Sizer for HANA Cloud: This is incorrect because SAP HANA Cloud is a distinct Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) offering. The question specifies deploying on Azure virtual machines, which is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model.

B. SAP Cloud Platform Cockpit: This is a management and administration interface for the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), not a tool for sizing infrastructure for SAP applications.

C. HANA Cockpit: This is an administration and monitoring tool used after an SAP HANA database has been deployed. It is not used for pre-migration sizing calculations.

1. Microsoft Learn

Azure Docs: In the "SAP workload planning and deployment checklist

" under the "Sizing SAP systems" section

it states

"For sizing of SAP systems

SAP requires using the SAP Quick Sizer tool." This document provides guidance for deploying SAP workloads on Azure

which is the scenario in the question.

Source: Microsoft Docs

SAP workload planning and deployment checklist

Sizing SAP systems section.

2. SAP Note #1793345 - Sizing for SAP Suite on HANA: This official SAP Note provides the guidelines for sizing SAP Business Suite on HANA. It explicitly directs users to the SAP Quick Sizer tool for the sizing process.

Source: SAP ONE Support Launchpad

SAP Note #1793345.

3. SAP Help Portal: The documentation for "Sizing for SAP S/4HANA" (a successor to Business Suite

but the principle and tool are the same) states

"The SAP Quick Sizer tool has been developed by SAP in close cooperation with its platform partners to help you determine the hardware requirements for your SAP applications."

Source: SAP Help Portal

Sizing for SAP S/4HANA

"SAP Quick Sizer" section.

To meet the requirement of migrating the HANA database servers (rehosting/lift-and-shift) to Azure virtual machines while minimizing downtime, Azure Migrate is the appropriate tool.

• SCS (SAP Central Services): This is a server-level component. Azure Migrate (specifically the Server Migration tool) is the standard Azure service used to replicate on-premises virtual or physical servers to Azure VMs with minimal downtime during the cutover.
• HANA: While SAP-native tools like HSR (HANA System Replication) provide the lowest downtime for data, the question specifically asks for a tool to migrate the servers. Azure Migrate performs block-level replication of the entire server to an Azure VM.
• Why not others: Azure Database Migration Service does not support SAP HANA. S/4HANA Migration Cockpit is used for data/object migration, not server migration. HANA Cockpit is an administrative tool, not a migration engine for server-level moves.

Microsoft Documentation: "Migrate SAP workloads to Azure: Migration strategies." This document specifies using Azure Migrate for rehosting (lift-and-shift) SAP application and database servers. Link

Microsoft Learn (AZ-120): Module "Migrate SAP workloads to Azure." It highlights Azure Migrate as the primary hub for assessing and migrating on-premises servers to Azure.

SAP Note 1928533: "SAP Applications on Azure: Supported Products and Azure VM types." Details the support for rehosting existing SAP landscapes using server migration tools.

Azure Documentation: "Azure Database Migration Service - Supported Databases." Confirms that SAP HANA is currently not a supported source or target for Azure DMS. Link

Joining SLES to AD requires Winbind to act as the bridge between Linux and the AD domain controller.

1. Install: You must first install the samba-winbind package to provide the necessary binaries and libraries.
2. Configure: You then modify /etc/krb5.conf to define the Kerberos realm and /etc/samba/smb.conf to define the workgroup, security mode (ADS), and realm. These configurations are prerequisites for authentication.
3. Join: The command net ads join is used to create the computer account in AD. The -U flag specifies an administrator account with permissions to join the domain. net rpc join is incorrect here as it is used for older NT4-style domains rather than Active Directory environments.

SUSE Documentation: SLES 15 SP5 Administration Guide, Chapter: "Active Directory Support," Section: "Joining an Active Directory Domain."

Samba Documentation: Samba Wiki, "Joining a Windows Domain," Section: "Active Directory Domain Join."

Microsoft Azure Documentation: SAP on Azure Architecture Guide, "SLES for SAP Applications on Azure," Section: "Active Directory Integration."

MIT Kerberos Documentation: Kerberos V5 Administrator's Guide, Section: "The krb5.conf File."