Application-Server-Starter or Self-Starter 

When configuring a Virus Scan Server for ABAP systems, instead of an application-server-starter (started by the application server) you can install a self-starter (for example, started externally as a service under Microsoft Windows NT or a daemon under UNIX). In the case of application-server-starters, all components are on the same host. On the other hand, in the case of self-starters, the Virus Scan Server and the SAP Web AS can be on different hosts. This means that you can use a Virus Scan Server that is only available for a particular platform, even if the SAP Web AS is installed on a different platform.

Virus Scan Server on One or Two Hosts

During operation, this division into application-server-starters and self-starters primarily affects the Computing Center Management System (CCMS). You can monitor the virus scanners in the CCMS (transaction RZ20), in the monitor Virus Scan Servers in the monitor set SAP CCMS Monitors for Optional Components. The following differences exist in this case:

●      Application-Server-Starters

In this case, the CCMS data collector automatically checks whether a configured Virus Scan Server is available. If this is not the case, the CCMS triggers an alert, and starts the Virus Scan Server again as an auto-reaction.

●      Self-Starters

In this case, although the processes are monitored by CCMS, they are not automatically stopped or started. There is, however, a separate MTE class in CCMS for these self-starters. You can assign an auto-reaction method to this MTE class yourself to react to alerts. You can, for example, use the MTE class CCMS_OnAlert_Email to send an e-mail or an SMS (see Defining Automatic Alert Notification and Forwarding Alerts to Alert Management (ALM)).

Ensure that you secure your RFC connections with Secure Network Communications (SNC) as described in the SNC manual.

For more information about application-server-starters and self-starters, see:

●      Virus Scan Server as an Application-Server-Starter

In the following case, you can use the application-server-starter as a self-starter:

The SAP Web AS kernel uses 64 bits and the external anti-virus product or the external Virus Scan Adapter (VSA) uses 32 bits.

To do this, use the field Instance Name, and create the 32 bit Virus Scan Server in a separate instance directory. More information: SAP Note 964305.

●      Installing a Virus Scan Server as a Self-Starter

The self-starter is available to you as an alternative, if you cannot use the application-server-starter, for example in the following cases:

○       The SAP Web AS kernel uses 64 bits and the external anti-virus product or the external Virus Scan Adapter (VSA) uses 32 bits.

○       The SAP Web AS and the external anti-virus product support different architectures. For example, the SAP Web AS is installed on an AIX platform, but the anti-virus product is only available for Microsoft Windows.