Using Process Servers
Process servers are responsible for running and monitoring processes, watching for file events, and monitoring system performance. They run processes in local and remote systems. Process servers host services, which allow processes of different types to be run. The different types of processes supported by Redwood Server include:
- SAP ABAP jobs (via XBP) in R/3 and InfoPackages and Process Chains (via BW-SCH) in BI and Mass Activities in IS/U.
- System processes (locally) for maintenance tasks.
- SAPPI jobs with SAPPI process servers
- Platform process servers
- UNIX shell scripts
- Windows Command scripts
- HP OpenVMS scripts
- Perl scripts
- AS/400 jobs
- z/OS jobs via JES (FTP)
note
Some process definitions are part of a module and require a specific license, please check the License section for more information.
Process servers are part of the Environment section of the navigation bar.
note
When you create or edit a process server, the required services are added automatically to the process server based on the definition types or the SAP interfaces you configured, so there is no need to change services on a process server. The only exception is for process servers that are used for file events exclusively, there you do not need to specify a definition type, however, the PlatformAgentService has to be added manually.
- Creating a Process Server.
- Configuring a Process Server.
- Process Server Parameters.
- Controlling Process Servers with RedwoodScript.
Context-Menu
The following context-menu actions are available for process servers:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Start | Start the process server |
| Stop | Stop the process server |
| Monitor Related Chains | Shows a processes monitor with all processes that are have, are and are scheduled to run on the process server |
| Export > Export | Allows you to export all the settings from this process server; you can import it into another Redwood Server environment. Requires the Import/Export module license key. |
| Export > Export with related objects | Allows you to export all the settings from this process server; you can import it into another Redwood Server environment. Requires the Import/Export module license key. including referenced objects |
| Promote > Promote to system | Promote the object to a remote system |
| Promote > Edit further then promote | Edit the export rule set prior to promoting |
| Promote | Promote the process server to another Redwood Server instance |
| Edit | Allows you to edit the configuration of the process server; you will need to restart the process server for the changes to take effect. |
| Edit Security | Allows you to specify which users or roles may view, edit, delete process servers. |
| Delete | Allows you to delete the process server, see the Deleting Process Servers section below for more information on deleting process servers. |
| Duplicate | Allows you to make a copy of the process server will all its settings. |
| Get Support Files | Allows you to download log files and operator messages from the process server, this allows you to quickly inspect logs when something goes wrong. |
Retrieving Support Files
When you use the action Get Support Files a process is prepared so you can choose which log files to retrieve. You select the files you are interested in and submit the process.
A new tab will open once the process has completed with the output of the process, choose <ID> stdout.log and a second tab will open with a link to the process, from there you can access the zip file with all the logs.
SAP Process Servers
There can be one or more process servers for every instance of an SAP System in the landscape, for example one per interface (XBP, XMW, XAL, or PI) or one per instance/client. This allows SAP Systems and interfaces to be managed in a granular manner and makes it possible to manage scheduling on both a per-system and a per-interface basis. SAP process servers are created for you when you define an SAP System object in Redwood Server.
Finding Process Servers
You can search for process servers using filters and the Search Process Servers box on the Process Servers tab. This box is known as the IntelliSearch box and located under your username on the top right-hand side of the user interface. Filters allow you to specify a list of objects with static criteria. IntelliSearch allows you to specify complex queries in a simple way using prefixes. Prefixes are used to specify which property you are searching in and have short as well as long syntaxes. For example, if you want to display all process servers with the term production in the comment, you would use the search criteria as follows:
c:production
You can search more than one property, as follows:
c:production n:B1P
note
No spaces should be entered before or after the colon (: ).
See the Advanced Object Search for more information.
The following table illustrates the available prefixes for process servers:
| Prefixes | Description |
|---|---|
| n, name | searches the name property |
| c, comm, comment | searches the documentation property |
| d, desc, description | searches the description property |
| a, application | searches the application property |
| cb, changedbefore | (internal) search for process servers that changed before a certain ISO-8601 period |
Deleting Process Servers
You can only delete process servers when no other objects relate to them. For example, if there are processes that have run on the process server, the process server cannot be deleted until all processes that ran on it have been deleted. You can see all processes that relate to the process server in Related Objects in the lower detail pane and on the show page. Besides, you cannot delete process servers that are currently running, you must stop the process server first.
The table in related objects contains three columns:
- Type - the type of object with a link to it
- Related Object - the name of the object with a link to it
- Used As - objects can sometimes be used in different roles, SAP jobs are forced to run on the process server that is connected to the appropriate SAP instance.