SAP Support Backbone Update

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SAP Support Backbone Update

How the SAP Support Backbone update affects
SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run

SAP's Support Backbone is the central infrastructure located at SAP to provide technical support to our customers. The Support Backbone consists of several different systems for different purposes - for example, it provides the SAP Support Portal infrastructure, the Maintenance Planner, SAP EarlyWatch Alert Reports, and many more.

On the customer side, SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run for SAP Solution Manager connect to the SAP Support Backbone to exchange data for various purposes: Support incidents, system data for Maintenance Planner, SAP EarlyWatch Alert data, and many more.

The SAP Support Backbone has been updated. After a transition period of 1.5 years, the legacy infrastructure has been shut down on January 8, 2020. Since Monday November 30, 2020 all RFC communications from customer systems to SAP have been closed permanently and irreversibly.

If you have not yet done so, you need to switch the communication of SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run to the new infrastructure to ensure connectivity.

What is the support backbone update all about?

One Pager: Impact of SAP's backbone update on SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run (PDF document)
Overview Presentation (PDF document)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Checklists per SP to ensure connectivity (NEW!)

What happens when you switch?

The most important changes are upgrading to https communication channels and the enablement of server certificates to use SSL.

Which actions do you need to take?

Focused Run for SAP Solution Manager

The communication channels in Focused Run 2.0 (or higher) enable the exchange of data with the updated SAP Support Backbone. All Focused Run customers need to upgrade to Focused Run 2.0 (or higher, latest version recommended). Focused Run 1.0 systems will not be able to communicate with the SAP Support Backbone after January 8, 2020.

Information on upgrading Focused Run can be found in the Focused Run Expert Portal.

Remark: Focused Run 1.0 has entered its customer-specific maintenance phase on November 23^rd 2019.

SAP Solution Manager

When you switch to the new communication channels you enable the exchange of data with the updated SAP Support Backbone. The following is required:

Scenario 1: You are on SAP Solution Manager 7.2

Upgrade to SAP Solution Manager SP07 or higher (*Upgrade to SP08 or higher is recommended)

Scenario 2: You are on SAP Solution Manager 7.1

Upgrade to the latest SAP Solution Manager 7.2 support package (find more information here)

Please note: For SAP partners (PartnerEdge Sell, VAR, CCC, PCOE), SP08 or higher is required.

Find hands-on instructions for your move onto the new communication infrastructure here:

7.1 to 7.2 upgrade
update from lower to higher SP within 7.2
your switch-over to SAP's new support backbone.

Which SAP Solution Manager scenarios are impacted?

The following scenarios are technically impacted by SAP's Support Backbone Update, meaning that you have to take action – see above – if you need any of these to continue to work after January 2020.

Landscape Management

Landscape synchronization with SAP (automatic update of customer system data, used for Maintenance Planner)
Remote Service Connection Management from SAP Solution Manager (more information)
System Recommendations

License Management

Automatic distribution of licenses and maintenance certificates

Test Suite

Scope and Effort Analyzer

IT Service Management

Exchange of messages with SAP

SAP Engagement and Service Delivery

Where can you find help with questions or problems?

Your first point of call should always be the detailed Checklists for SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Support Backbone Update
Also try Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Look through the Comprehensive Guided Answer for troubleshooting the SAP Solution Manager connectivity switch-over
Post your questions or answer other user's questions in the SAP Community discussion forum
In case of technical problems, please contact SAP Product Support by incident, e-mail, chat or phone.

What happens if you don't take action?

Since January 8, 2020:

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 systems on SP04 and lower support package stack levels are no longer able to communicate with SAP's support backbone. Systems on SP05 and SP06 allow limited connectivity, manual efforts are required. Please check the overview presentation for more information.
SAP Solution Manager 7.0 and 7.1 systems cannot communicate with the SAP Support Backbone anymore.
To avoid disruption of sending EarlyWatch Alert reports from Solution Manager 7.1 to SAP while you have not yet upgraded, please implement SAP Note 2837310 (find a detailed description for SAP Solution Manager 7.1 in this video)
SAP Partners (PartnerEdge Sell / VAR, ISV, PCOE etc.) lose connectivity unless they upgrade to SP08 or higher.

Areas "outside" SAP Solution Manager and Focused Run are affected by the update of the Support Backbone. Please refer to the overall landing page for more information.