New Repository Domain for the Simple Content Repository

[graeberm]

In SAP Marketing Cloud 2102, we enhanced the Simple Content Repository by providing the new repository domain smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com. The new repository domain provides a much faster and more robust means of accessing your data. You can access all of your existing content also using the new repository domain. Existing email content is not changed, since the old repository domain is still supported.

The switch of the endpoint to the new repository domain is performed automatically as long as you have not configured a customer-managed CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app.
In the email editor provided in the Content Studio, you will see that the image URLs have been changed accordingly when you select an image from the Simple Content Repository. In this case the new image URL format looks similar to this: https://smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com/smd-a1b2c3d4e/public/dl?shr=<share>&obj=<obj>.

If you have configured a customer-managed CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app, you are asked to perform a manual migration.
A new button “Migrate” is available for simple repository usage of the Content Repository Configuration app.

Screenshot Content Repository Configuration

To ensure that both image URL formats (old and new) work with your CDN(s), you have in principle the following options:

1. Provide a new CDN distribution with the new repository domain as the endpoint (or origin). It is not necessary to adjust your old CDN configuration.


2. Adapt your existing CDN configuration by replacing the old endpoint (or origin) with the new endpoint. Additionally add a logic to enable the accessibility of the images with the old image URL format.

Option 1:

This is the slightly easier option, because you do not modify your active CDN but add a second CDN with the new endpoint.
You can make the changes at any time and do not need an extra maintenance window because your active CDN is not affected.
The old image URL format will be served via the old repository domain and the new image URL format will be served via the new repository domain.
The disadvantage of this option is, that the performance and stability is only improved for completely new created email content but not for the existing content or copied content (considering email templates and reusable blocks!).
Furthermore you will have to maintain two CDN distributions in the future.

If you choose this option, you should perform the following steps:

• In your CDN provider console, create a new CDN distribution with similar settings to your active CDN (e. g. enable caching of URL parameters), but with the endpoint to the new repository domain smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com.


• Deploy your changes in the CDN provider console.


• In your web browser test some image URLs with the new image URL format pointing to your new CDN domain you created.
  The new image URL format looks similar to this: https://<your CDN domain>/smd-a1b2c3d4e/public/dl?shr=<share>&obj=<object>. The path to your personal repository e. g. '/smd-a1b2c3d4e' can be seen in the field repository CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app. The values for the URL parameters can be taken from some existing images in the repository.


• In the Content Repository Configuration app with the simple content repository usage, enter your new CDN domain in the field Domain Name in the section Domain Configuration and choose “Save”. Note: the change is effective immediately!


• In the Content Repository Configuration app with the simple content repository usage, choose “Migrate” to confirm the change.


• In the email editor of the Content Studio app, test some new emails created that contain images. The existing content will continue to work, as the old repository domain will not be changed.

Option 2:

This is the option we recommend at SAP. It is slightly more complex but has the advantage, that not only new email content but also existing content and copied content (considering email templates and reusable blocks!) will be improved in regards to performance and stability.
Additionally you only need to maintain one CDN distribution in the future.
We recommend performing the switch of the endpoint during a maintenance window, because it might affect the active functionality of your CDN!

If you choose this option, you should perform the following steps:

• In your CDN provider console, change your existing CDN settings by replacing the old endpoint (e. g. smd-a1b2c3d4e.hana.ondemand.com) with the endpoint to the new repository domain smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com.
  This will serve the incoming requests having the new image URL format.
  Remember to enable the caching of URL parameters, as it is not as it is usually not the default setting!


• In your CDN provider console, add a logic (or behaviour) to adapt the URL of the incoming requests. If an incoming request URL contains the string '/mcm/' in the path (old URL format), this string must be replaced with the path to your personal repository e. g. '/smd-a1b2c3d4e/' (new URL format). The path can also be seen in the field repository CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app.


• Deploy your changes in the CDN provider console.
  Note: the change is effective immediately once you deployed the settings!


• In the Content Repository Configuration app with the simple content repository usage, choose “Migrate” to confirm the change.


• In the email editor provided in the Content Studio app, test some existing and new email content created containing images.

Related information
Administration Guide: Configure Content Repositories
Integration Guide: Integrate with SAP Document Center
Blog post: Enabling an Out-of-the-box (Simple Content) Repository for Storing Images in SAP Marketing Cloud

If you have performed the migration to the new repository domain, please let us know your feedback!

[graeberm]

Here you can find an example of how the image URL changes.

In the former image URL logic of the Simple Content Repository the path /mcm/ is always the first component following the repository domain:

https://smd-a4a28dea6.eu1.hana.ondemand.com/mcm/public/dl?shr=CnspB0kaNk6RKUrsVsMmOxm5oYKhJ3Qb8cee2O...

The path /mcm/ only occurs once in an image URL.

In the future the corresponding image URL will look like this:

https://smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com/smd-a4a28dea6.eu1/public/dl?shr=CnspB0kaNk6RKUrsVsMmOxm5oYKh...

[vervinckt_joyca]

graeberm : you mentioned:

"The switch of the endpoint to the new repository domain is performed automatically as long as you have not configured a customer-managed CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app."

But, for production, a CDN is mandatory, right?

So this means that probably all customers are impacted by this?

On my test system in the content studio I have all broken images now, so I suppose this is the cause, I'll let my colleague check the CDN settings.

The coming weekend, the SMC production systems will be moved to 21.02. Can we make the settings described in your blog beforehand, or only after the upgrade in production?

 

Also, as I was reading your blog, when I got to the phrase "If you have configured a customer-managed CDN in the Content Repository Configuration app, you are asked to perform a manual migration.
A new button “Migrate” is available for simple repository usage of the Content Repository Configuration app."

I already clicked the Migrate button as I read this as an instruction... I only saw later that this was a step within option 1 and option 2... my migrate button is already gone now... is that a problem for the other steps?

 

Kr

Joyca

[graeberm]

Hello vervinckt.joyca,

yes, all SMC customers who use the SCR productively are affected, as a customer managed CDN must be connected in the production at the latest.

Due to a program error, the images may have been broken in the quality tenant since the upgrade to release 2102 HFC#02. This error will be corrected with the hotfix collection HFC#03 deployed next weekend.

As a workaround, the Content Repository Configuration app can be called up and, if a customer's own CDN is configured, the migration can be carried out including the configuration update in the CDN.

Since the Migrate button was available on your quality system, a customer CDN is configured, and you would then have to adapt the CDN to make it going. The Migrate button only causes that the old repository domain (smd-*.hana.ondemand.com) to no longer be displayed in the Content Repository Configuration app and the image URL’s in the editor of the Content Studio app to be changed to the new format (including the path /smd-*/ instead of /mcm/).

Of course, the CDN configuration can also be adjusted in advance to the production upgrade as the new repository domain (smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com) is already accessible. Even in the email editor, you will be rewarded with a noticeably faster loading of the images.

If possible, we would be interested to know which CDN provider you are using and more details about how you have adjusted the configuration!

Thank you and best regards
Michael

[vervinckt_joyca]

Hi Michael,

So the broken images in quality are a bug.

Does that mean that if we not take any action now, that our images on production will still keep working after the 2102 upgrade?

I'm just trying to determine the correct urgency for our CDN team.

Kr,

Joyca

[graeberm]

Hi vervinckt.joyca

First of all, it is important to say that the error only affects the image display in the email editor and newly created content in quality. Existing content continues to work correctly.

This is because the new image URL format is already being used in the editor without the "migration" having been carried out.

It is also possible to manually change the image URL to the old format (replace /smd-*/ with /mcm/ in the path).

After the hotfix on the upgrade weekend, everything works as before in quality and production (i.e. old image URL format is used) until the migration has been carried out. Therefore it is not that time critical.

Best regards,
Michael

[vervinckt_joyca]

Thanks Michael.

We've applied option 1 on our test system now.

We're using Amazon CloudFront.

As you indicated, option 1 is the easier option. I read option 2, but couldn't figure out how to do that in Amazon.

Kr,

Joyca

[graeberm]

Hello vervinckt.joyca,

thank you for your feedback. We were also testing with AWS Cloudfront.

Therefore we set up 2 different origins:

• smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com/smd-a1b2d3e4f for image URL’s containing the path pattern /mcm/* (old URL format) and


• smc-content.s4hana.ondemand.com as the default origin (for new URL format).

Then via Lambda function in the /mcm/* behaviour (viewer request) we are replacing the path /mcm/ by empty string. Coding example:

exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {



// Extract the request from the CloudFront event that is sent to Lambda@Edge 

var request = event.Records[0].cf.request;



// Extract the URI from the request

var olduri = request.uri;



// replace the '/mcm/' occuring in the path by empty string

var newuri = olduri.replace(/\/mcm\//i, '');



// Replace the received URI with the new URI

request.uri = newuri;



// Return to CloudFront

return callback(null, request);

};

I hope this helps you further.

Best regards,
Michael

[vervinckt_joyca]

Thanks for the explanation Michael.

But I'll stick with option 1. I'm not a developer, so I'm lost when it comes to the Lambda function ':)

option 1 works, so that's fine.

 

Kr

Joyca