4.2 Active Services in the ICF 
The Internet Communication Framework (ICF) allows you to communicate with the SAP system using Internet standard protocols (HTTP, HTTPS and SMTP). Within the ICF tree, the NWBC runtime also has a node that can be found by default under the path /sap/bc/nwbc. This node must be active to enable any NWBC client to access the server.
Below the nwbc node, there are a number of nodes in the format nwbc_*, which are used to limit access to specific NWBC services. For more information about when these nodes should be active, see 7.6 ICF Configuration.
In addition, the various cockpits are configured within the ICF. Each cockpit is defined as a subnode under /sap/bc/nwbc, for example, /sap/bc/nwbc/solman.
A subnode must be active so that the cockpit can work.
Node |
Representation in browser |
Description |
|---|---|---|
nwbc_launch |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~launch |
Transaction NWBC (started in the SAP GUI via /nNWBC) displays a launch page with a complete list of all available cockpits and all roles that the user has assigned via this cockpit. For more information, see 4.9 Transaction NWBC. Effectively, the transaction starts the nwbc_launch node of the NWBC. For security reasons, the ~launch page is controlled via the nwbc_launch node in the ICF tree and can be deactivated here. For more information, see 4.8 ~launch Page. If this node is deactivated, then transaction NWBC starts NWBC for HTML client directly without allowing the user to select a specific cockpit; the access is over all roles. |
nwbc_test |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~test |
This is an access channel that dumps, in raw format, all relevant trouble shooting information that could help to resolve a problem. The information from ~test includes the complete NWBC configuration, all roles assigned, and a large amount of user-relevant information. For more information, see 4.7 ~test Page. When the NWBC creates a support ZIP file, it also includes all this information, if available. This node can be selectively disabled. Activate this node in low security systems, as the additional trouble shooting information from the server can help extensively. For high security systems or systems directly connected to the internet, we recommend that you disable this node. |
nwbc_testcanvas |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~testcanvas |
This node is used for internal development only. Therefore, it should be disabled on all productive systems. This is a test content area (canvas), which is loaded into the NWBC shell with a test role to test different APIs. |
nwbc_debug |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~debug |
This node is used for internal development only. Therefore, it should be disabled on all productive systems. This allows you to run an alternative $TMP runtime for quick troubleshooting purposes. |
exprt_sapportal |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~sapportal |
This node controls the activation of an API that can be used by the SAP NetWeaver Portal (>= SAP NetWeaver 7.02) to fetch role information for using dynamically in an enterprise portal. For more information, see 6.5
HTTP REST Based APIs and SAP Library for SAP NetWeaver on SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com |
nwbc_ext2int |
/sap/bc/nwbc/nwbc_ext2int |
This node is used when data is to be displayed in a side panel. The node converts the external representation of UI elements to an internal representation. |
nwbc_roletest |
/sap/bc/nwbc/~roletest |
This node is used to test roles. You can start NWBC with roles that are not assigned to your user, but only with display authorization. This node makes the Other section on the ~launch page visible. For more information, see 4.8 ~launch Page. This node is used for internal development only. Therefore, it should be disabled on all productive systems. |
Customer Paths
We recommend that application groups and customers do not work under the path /sap/bc. If necessary, you can create new paths: /myCustomer/.../nwbc/myCockpit.
For NWBC nodes, the CL_NWBC_HTTP runtime handler must be configured. Access over the myCockpit node is also monitored here – it must be available and active.
In addition, the system logon must be configured. For more information, see System Logon and Namespaces and Naming Conventions (BC-CTS-NAM).
BSP and Web Dynpro ABAP
For BSP or Web Dynpro ABAP applications in the Business Client, the relevant BSP/Web Dynpro ABAP-specific nodes must be active in the ICF service tree.
For more information about BSP settings, see Prerequisites in Administration of Business Server Pages
For more information about Web Dynpro ABAP settings, see Initial Configuration Settings in Initial System-Wide Configuration Settings for Web Dynpro ABAP and Active Services in SICF.
Activities
From the backend system, call transaction SICF.
Set the Hierarchy Type to SERVICE and choose Execute (F8).
Expand the nodes under the default_host.
The cockpit subnode for the Business Client can be accessed by navigating down to the following service tree: default_host/sap/bc/nwbc
(Standard ICF service tree)Select the relevant service node(s) and choose
Service/Host 
Activate 
.