Development Landscapes and Runtime Systems 

Use

The following information is only valid in case you are using CMS.

One of the most important features of the SAP NetWeaver Development Infrastructure (NWDI) is that it can handle many development projects in one central system; furthermore, NWDI works independently of the release under which the software is being developed.

But to develop software, you need runtime systems for testing purposes and for the productive system. These systems are not part of an NWDI (usage type Development Infrastructure (DI)) installation. Runtime systems for runtime objects to be deployed to can be chosen freely in the NWDI track configuration.

Prerequisites

The Application Server Java (AS Java) on which the NWDI is deployed and the NWDI software itself are on the same SPS level.

Activities

In an NWDI track you can name runtime systems for the following phases:

●      Development (DEV)

Deployment takes place on a DC-level based on activities that developers activate. This is used for early integration test by developers. Deployment can be defined to take place automatically when sources are successfully activated.

The advantage of having a central runtime system for this phase is that all developers deploy to one system immediately at activation: every single developer finds all other parts of the application deployed by his or her colleagues and does not need to worry about it.

Bear in mind two things: if more than one developer works on the same DC the deployed version will be overwritten by the latest deployment. The system state in respect of the deployed versions changes constantly.

●      Consolidation (CONS)

Deployment takes place on a development component (DC) level based on activities that are activated either due to an import triggered to CONS, or due to an activation request by a developer. For the import scenario, developers need to release their changes in the DEV system and the administrator can then import to CONS. The second scenario can be used to allow fixes in the CONS system.

This runtime system may be used so you have a system that is independent of the runtime system Development, so that development and consolidation also go on independently.

Deployment can be defined to occur automatically when sources are successfully activated. (Activation is triggered automatically when change requests are imported.)

The advantage of a runtime system in this phase is that deployment can be controlled by the administrator who steers the import of released objects – therefore, the system state remains stable as long as needed.

●      Test

Here, the deployment of assembled software component archives (SCAs) of step assembly is done in the same way as in a productive system.

Keep in mind that an assembly always assembles whole SCAs and takes the current state of the active code in the CONS workspace.

Deployment works at the import step.

●      Production (PROD)

Here the software is used productively, so it may be omitted by software vendors who do not use it productively. In case you need more than one productive system, see Automated Deployment into Multiple Production Systems.

Deployment works at the import step.

Even though the NWDI can host many different releases of software projects, the release is important for the development environment (defined in a track).

These are some rules for using runtime systems:

●      You use one NWDI for different releases. We recommend that you use the latest NWDI release available.

●      Tracks are release-specific. Developer Studio, used archives and the runtime must be the same release.

●      Runtime systems can be the AS Java instances on one physical server or on several servers.

●      It is not recommended to use NWDI as the runtime system since, in case you need to update your real productive runtime system, you always need to update NWDI as well. For more information, see SAP Note 754143 → Do not use CMS server as a runtime system.

●      You can deploy software components (SCs) from different tracks into one runtime system if all used SCs are of the same version.

If these rules are fulfilled, you may also put all SCs for development that are based on the same release of used SCs into one track (so that you get one track for each release).

Example

The runtime systems you need depends on your situation: for example, your development team may use the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio with a local AS Java (as a developer workplace) or without one. When using local AS Java on a developer workplace, you can omit the central DEV runtime system; if you do not have local AS Java you should define a central DEV runtime system.