SAP HANA Installation
SAP HANA Hardware Requirements: Certified Systems, Linux, and TDI
Learn the SAP HANA hardware requirements for certified systems and tailored data center integration, including memory, storage, Linux, networking, and installation prerequisites.
SAP HANA hardware requirements cover the certified server platform, memory capacity, storage layout, Linux operating system, networking, and operational prerequisites. A reliable design starts with workload sizing and then verifies that the selected system appears in SAP’s supported hardware and software documentation.
SAP HANA 2.0 runs as a multitenant system with a system database and tenant databases. The hardware design therefore needs to support the combined resource demand of the system database, tenant databases, platform services, and the applications that connect to them.
Start with workload sizing
Begin with business workload data rather than a server specification. Review the expected number of users, transaction volume, data growth, concurrent queries, batch schedules, data-retention rules, and high-availability objectives. SAP Quick Sizer provides a structured starting point for estimating resource demand, while a detailed implementation design validates the result against the actual workload.
Memory is usually the primary sizing dimension because SAP HANA keeps frequently accessed column-store data in memory. Include room for database growth, temporary execution memory, row-store data, system overhead, and operating-system requirements. A production design should also reserve capacity for maintenance activities and periods of elevated workload.
For operational planning, SAP HANA memory usage explains how administrators can inspect memory consumption after the system is running. This supports capacity validation alongside the original sizing exercise.
Choose certified hardware or TDI
SAP HANA can be deployed on a certified appliance or through a tailored data center integration design. Certified hardware has a validated combination of server components, storage, and operating-system support. This approach simplifies procurement and gives the implementation team a defined platform baseline.
Tailored data center integration gives an organization more flexibility in selecting infrastructure components. The complete design still needs to satisfy SAP’s certification and support requirements for the relevant SAP HANA version, server platform, storage, and Linux distribution. Record the certification status and supported configuration before procurement.
The SAP HANA hardware and software requirements documentation is the authoritative reference for supported platforms. Check it together with the applicable Product Availability Matrix when confirming a specific server, storage system, or operating-system release.
Plan memory and storage
Memory planning should account for the database footprint and the services that run on the host. Column-store table size, record volume, workload concurrency, temporary results, and growth all affect the required capacity. A multi-host system also needs a deliberate distribution plan so that services and data are placed consistently across the landscape.
Storage design separates the main SAP HANA persistence areas. The data volume stores database data pages, the log volume stores redo information, and the shared area contains files used across the SAP HANA installation. Size each area for its workload, recovery objectives, restart behavior, and expected growth.
Use storage with predictable latency and throughput. Confirm that the selected storage architecture is supported for SAP HANA and that it provides the required protection against component failure. Backup storage should be planned separately, with enough capacity and bandwidth for the backup schedule and retention policy.
Verify Linux prerequisites
SAP HANA on-premise requires a supported Linux distribution and release for the selected SAP HANA version and hardware platform. Apply the operating-system requirements from SAP’s current documentation, including required packages, kernel settings, limits, time synchronization, host naming, and network configuration.
Prepare consistent host names and name resolution before installation. In a distributed system, every host must resolve the relevant host names reliably in both directions where required by the implementation design. Synchronize system time across hosts so that database operations, traces, monitoring, and recovery records use a consistent timeline.
Create the required operating-system users and groups according to the installation procedure, and confirm that the installation directories have the expected ownership and permissions. The SAP HANA installation guide provides the broader sequence for preparing hosts and completing the installation.
Design networking for the system
Networking must support client connections, inter-host communication, storage access, backup traffic, and administrative access. Distributed SAP HANA systems require dependable communication between hosts, with bandwidth and latency appropriate for the workload and system architecture.
Separate traffic logically or physically when the design requires it. Document the addresses, host names, interfaces, firewall rules, service ports, and routing paths before installation. Include monitoring and backup traffic in the capacity plan so that operational activity does not compete unexpectedly with database communication.
High availability and disaster recovery designs add network requirements for replication and failover coordination. Validate those paths with the infrastructure and operations teams before production acceptance.
Prepare installation and operations
The hardware design is complete only when the operational model is ready. Define installation media handling, administrative access, backup destinations, monitoring responsibilities, patching windows, capacity thresholds, and recovery procedures before the first production deployment.
Use hdblcm as the command-line lifecycle manager and hdblcmgui as its separate graphical front end. The SAP HANA hdblcm guide covers lifecycle-management tasks that follow host preparation. SAP HANA cockpit and SAP HANA database explorer support administration and inspection after the system is available.
For ongoing operations, monitor host memory, service memory, storage utilization, log growth, backup completion, and system alerts. A hardware design should define the thresholds that trigger investigation or capacity expansion rather than waiting for resource exhaustion.
Validate the design before installation
Use a documented review to confirm that the selected platform, Linux release, storage, network, and memory capacity are supported together. Verify the intended SAP HANA version, system topology, tenant layout, backup design, and high-availability requirements against the official documentation.
A practical validation sequence is:
- Estimate workload demand with SAP Quick Sizer and implementation data.
- Select a certified platform or a supported tailored data center integration design.
- Confirm memory, storage, network, Linux, and operating-system prerequisites.
- Check host names, time synchronization, users, groups, permissions, and firewall rules.
- Review backup, recovery, monitoring, and growth plans.
- Record the approved configuration before running the installation.
This process turns a hardware specification into a supportable SAP HANA operating platform.