Exploring Crucial AWS Networking Components and Services for SAP on?AWS
In the realm of modern business, enterprises are increasingly turning to cloud computing to optimize their operations, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge. Amazon Web Services (AWS), has emerged as a favored platform for hosting business-critical applications like SAP Netweaver and databases like SAP HANA, SAP ASE, Oracle, IBM DB2, and MSSQL. However, the success of deploying SAP on AWS hinges not only on the application itself but also on the underlying networking components and services that ensure performance, security, and reliability. AWS a robust and flexible infrastructure well-suited for running SAP workloads. I will try to provide a high-level insight into the key AWS networking components and services that play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of SAP on AWS.
1. Transit Gateway: Seamless Network Connectivity
In present times, many large customers opt for a decentralized AWS deployment for their SAP systems, often segregating critical and non-critical SAP instances across multiple VPCs and/or accounts. However, this decentralized approach, without the right network architecture and policy design, can lead to issues such as heightened latency, escalated data expenses, compromised security, and intricate system designs. In such situations, AWS Transit Gateway emerges as a crucial solution compared to the traditional approach of VPC peering to address these challenges effectively via Transit Gateway peering (both intra and inter-region).
AWS Transit Gateway can significantly enhance SAP deployment for customers by simplifying network architecture and improving scalability and performance. With AWS Transit Gateway, organizations can consolidate their SAP workloads into a centralized hub, reducing complexity and minimizing data transfer costs between multiple virtual private clouds (VPCs). This centralized architecture streamlines connectivity, making it easier to manage and secure SAP deployments. Transit Gateway can also perform overlay IP routing for a highly available SAP implementation. Additionally, Transit Gateway allows for seamless integration with AWS Direct Connect and VPN connections, ensuring reliable and low-latency connections to on-premises SAP systems. Overall, AWS Transit Gateway offers a robust and efficient solution for SAP deployment, enhancing agility and reducing operational overhead for customers.
Architecture and configuration of AWS Transit Gateway for SAP HANA-based HA is documented by AWS at Overlay IP Routing using AWS Transit Gateway
2. VPN and Direct Connect: Secure Connectivity
AWS VPN and Direct Connect play pivotal roles in enhancing SAP deployment for customers by offering secure and reliable connectivity options. AWS VPN, with its Virtual Private Network technology, enables organizations to establish encrypted connections over the public internet. It is ideal for smaller deployments or for connecting remote users to SAP systems securely as using a VPN service on AWS has a bandwidth limitation of 1.25 Gbps and data transfer over the internet can introduce some latency which may affect the overall user experience. On the other hand, AWS Direct Connect provides dedicated, private network connections between on-premises data centers and AWS, ensuring low-latency, high-throughput links for mission-critical SAP workloads, though data over AWS direct connect is not encrypted natively and may require additional configuration e.g. VPN setup over Direct Connect or enabling MACsec across the Direct Connect endpoints.
Together, these services facilitate seamless integration between on-premises SAP systems and non-SAP applications, end users, and SAP instances running on AWS, enhancing data transfer efficiency and reducing latency. They also contribute to a robust disaster recovery and high availability strategy for SAP deployments, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical business processes. Whether it’s for data migration, real-time data access, or ensuring regulatory compliance, AWS VPN and Direct Connect offer versatile and dependable connectivity options that can significantly benefit customers in their SAP deployment endeavors on the AWS platform.
3. AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB) and AWS Application Load Balancer (ALB): Load Balancing for High Availability
AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB) can be a crucial asset for SAP deployment, offering features like load balancing for logon users at network layer four and facilitating overlay IP routing for SAP high availability setup in the absence of DNS-based routing via Amazon Route 53 or non-usage of AWS Transit Gateway for overlay IP routing. As a logon load balancer, it enables the efficient distribution of incoming traffic across multiple SAP application servers, enhancing user experience by ensuring even load distribution. For overlay IP routing, upon receiving a connection request, the load balancer chooses a target from the Network Load Balancer target group to direct the network connection request toward a destination address, which can be an overlay IP address. With Network Load Balancer, customers can ensure their SAP deployments are resilient, responsive, and optimized, enhancing both user satisfaction and system reliability.
A detailed use case of AWS Network Load Balancer with SAP is documented in the blog: Guide to GUI access to SAP systems without VPN
Architecture and configuration of AWS Network Load Balancer for SAP HANA-based HA is documented by AWS at Overlay IP Routing with Network Load Balancer
AWS Application Load Balancer (ALB) is an AWS-managed service that needs no maintenance of the underlying operating layer or EC2 instance. ALB is a highly available service that receives HTTP(s) requests from clients and then allocates them to target groups according to predefined rules. ALB intelligently routes incoming web traffic to SAP applications such as SAP Fiori, SAP Web Dispatcher, SAP PO, etc. hosted across multiple servers, ensuring even distribution and optimal performance. Its robust load-balancing capabilities at network layer seven of OSI model improve SAP application availability and responsiveness, crucial for business-critical operations. ALB also offers advanced features like content-based routing and SSL termination, making it versatile for SAP deployments with varying requirements. Moreover, ALB integrates seamlessly with other AWS services and enables security enhancements, helping customers build scalable, secure, and highly available SAP solutions on the AWS cloud, ultimately improving their SAP deployment’s efficiency and reliability.
A detailed use case of AWS Application Load Balancer with SAP EP is documented in the blog: Application Load Balancer for SAP Enterprise Portal
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4. AWS Global Accelerator and Amazon CloudFront: Optimizing Latency
For global enterprises, minimizing latency and improving the user experience are vital goals. AWS Global Accelerator and Amazon CloudFront, a content delivery network, work in tandem to accelerate and distribute content, reducing latency and enhancing the responsiveness of SAP applications for users worldwide.
AWS Global Accelerator operating at networking layer four of the OSI model can provide benefits for SAP deployment by optimizing global traffic routing and enhancing the availability and performance of SAP applications to the end users. It uses a network of AWS edge locations worldwide to direct traffic to the SAP instance over the AWS network backbone, reducing latency and improving user experiences. AWS Global Accelerator also offers built-in DDoS protection (via AWS Shield), ensuring the security of SAP deployments. Overall, it would empower customers to create a low-latency and secure SAP infrastructure on a global scale, facilitating seamless and reliable business operations.
Amazon CloudFront operates as layer seven of the OSI model and can enhance SAP application deployment by delivering HTTP(s) content to users with speed, security, and scalability. With its globally distributed network of edge locations, CloudFront reduces latency and accelerates content delivery, ensuring a responsive SAP Web application user experience, regardless of the user’s geographic location. Moreover, CloudFront offers robust security features, including DDoS protection (via AWS Shield) and SSL/TLS encryption, safeguarding SAP data and applications. By leveraging CloudFront’s content distribution capabilities, customers can optimize their SAP deployments like SAP Fiori for performance and reliability, meeting the demands of modern businesses for fast and secure access to critical SAP resources.
A detailed use case of AWS CloudFront and Global Accelerator with SAP Fiori is documented in the two-part blog:
5. NAT Gateway and Internet Gateway: Secure External Access
AWS NAT Gateway and Internet Gateway are essential components that bolster SAP deployment on the AWS cloud. The NAT Gateway enables private instances within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to access the internet securely in stateful egress-only mode while maintaining security controls. This is crucial for SAP deployments that require external connectivity for updates or data exchange. Simultaneously, the Internet Gateway (which is also a pre-requisite for deploying a NAT gateway) facilitates external access to SAP systems in the public subnet (e.g. SAP Router, SAP Web Dispatchers, SAP PO, etc.), ensuring that users and applications can interact with SAP resources securely (the security can be control at NACL, route tables, and security groups level). Together, NAT Gateway and Internet Gateway offer a comprehensive network infrastructure, ensuring that SAP deployments remain both accessible and secure, meeting the stringent demands of modern enterprise-level SAP applications.
In Conclusion
Deploying SAP on AWS offers businesses a powerful and flexible platform to run their critical applications. However, the success of such deployments depends on a well-designed network infrastructure and the utilization of AWS networking components and services. From optimizing bandwidth to ensuring high availability and security, these networking components play a pivotal role in delivering the performance, reliability, and scalability that SAP workloads demand. By carefully considering and configuring these networking elements, you can harness the full potential of SAP on AWS, enabling your business to scale, innovate, and remain competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
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