Making it clear - in technical... Ehp

[Former Member]

Hello,

I want to understand the Ehp technical background. I read throu almost all PDFs and notes. From them I assume the following:

An Ehp is similar to an SPS but in a bigger size.

An Ehp can contain new components in contrast with SPS which can contain only SPs for components which are already installed in the system.

So technically they are the same but the Ehp techology can install new components, and that's why SAP needed to introduce a new tool sapehpi to be able to do it in the background automatically.

So according to "Note 1064635 - SAP ERP Enhancement Packages: SP Stacks Release Info Note" , if you have an ERP 6.0 and want to update it but don't want to introduce new components you can apply SPS 15 which equals Ehp4 SPS3 state. But if you want to add new components you have two alternatives:

1. "Old fashined way": Install with SAINT and than patch with SPS

2. "New way": Install Ehp containing the new component and use sapephi (Ehp4).

But there is one more question unanswered for me: if this true what exactly and technically mean the version difference (for example: 600 -> 604 (Ehp4))?

I appriciate any comment.

Rob

[markus_doehr2 · Accepted solution]

There is not much technical difference between a "classical upgrade" using R3up/SAPup (e. g. R/3 4.7 --> ERP 6.0) and using SAPehpi:

- A classical upgrade uses the "upgrade export" provided on DVDs to build the shadow instance. SAPehpi uses a copy of the source system to build it (phase RSDBSCPY on EHPI vs. EU_IMPORT* on SAPup)

- SAPehpi needs and uses an XML file generated by Solution Manager to define the queue, in a classical upgrade this is done by uploading Addons and patches in BIND_PATCH

SAINT is supported for EHP installations only on 32bit systems but technically the same things happen. In that case you have to

1. install the new kernel (7.01)

2. run SAINT to build up the shadow instance and import the packages

3. restart the system and continue with SAINT

Markus

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank you Markus!

Upgrade steps are clear.

My main question is what is the technical benefit of introducing Ehp technology by SAP. What is that big advantage in comparasion with SP Stactks. Am I right when I say in technical point of view the only advantage of Ehp implementation instead of SP stacks is that I can implement new components beside implementing support packages in one step? Because till now I have to use SAINT to do this. Or I missed some serious info from the documentation and the content of an Ehp differs a lot from an SP stack?

Rob

[markus_doehr2 · Accepted solution]

Basically there is no difference.

A lot of that EHP is marketing, technically it would have been possible (without much problems) to provide new functionality with SAP_APPL 600 the same way as it's now done with SAP_APPL 604. It's clearer for customers (or not) if the know a certain functionality is available with EHP-x instead of SP-y.

The main news is the "switch framework". You can enable functionality if you want to use it but you don't have to. The separation between "support stack fixes" and "new functionality" is clearer, releases prior to ERP 6.0 mixed that up.

Markus

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hy Markus!

Thank you VERY much!