Linux for Newbies: Installing ABAP AS on Oracle VirtualBox

Preparation

1. Download the latest released version of Oracle VirtualBox from https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads for your Operating system.
2. Download openSUSE Leap 42.1 in your local machine (64 bit, released version) from https://software.opensuse.org/421/en
3. Make sure the relevant ABAP download files (“abap.rar”) are on your local hard drive.

In Oracle VirtualBox Manager:

1. Start VirtualBox and create a new VirtualBox instance by clicking the New button:

2. Enter the following values:

• Name : MyVirtualLinux (for example)
• Type : Linux
• Version: openSUSE (64 bit) -> Next
• Select Memory size : 4 GB (4096 MB) -> Next
• Hard disk: Create a virtual hard disk now -> Next
• Hard disk file type: VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) -> Next
• Storage on physical hard disk: Dynamically allocated -> Next
• File location and size: 100 GB
• Choose Create.

3. To select the openSuse downloaded file as optical drive:

• Select the VirtualBox you just created:

• In the Settings dialog, choose Storage (1)

In the Storage tree, choose Adds optical drive (2), (the first of the 2 buttons after Controller IDE):

• In the dialog that appears, choose Choose Disk:

• Then select the downloaded openSuse installation file which you downloaded in Step 2, eg openSUSE-Leap-42.1-DVD-x86_64.iso. Then select this drive in the Storage Tree and choose OK.

The dialog box closes.

4. Back in the VirtualBox Manager, click on Start to start the VirtualBox you have created:

Your newly create VirtualBox opens (!):

5. 

• Start the Installation of OpenSUSE

Using your keyboard (ie not mouse), select Installation

6. 

• Important: Choose language and keyboard layout (test keyboard)
• Accept the License Agreement by choosing Next.
• In Installation Options, leave the 2 options unchecked, and choose Next:
• In Suggested Partitioning, choose Edit Proposal Settings and enter the following:
• File System for Root partitionin: choose  Ext4 from the drop-down box.
• Uncheck Propose Separate Home Partition
• (This step is needed so that SUSE installation creates only one drive but does not create 2 drives (Home and Extension) where Home has less space to continue the ABAP installation.)
• (Optional: Enlarged Swap for Suspend – I left it unchecked.)
• Choose Ok, -> Next
• Select Region and Timezone -> Next
• In Desktop Selection, choose GNOME desktop -> Next
• Enter:
• Your full name
• (Create a ) User name
• Create a Master password, confirm it -> Next

(I ticked Use this password for system administrator and Automatic Login. Leave the authentication method and encryption method as they are.)

• IMPORTANT: In Installation Settings, do not choose Install yet! You need to make settings:
• Scroll down to find Firewall and SSH.
• Disable Firewall
• Enable SSH service:

• Click on Install and Confirm again to Install the Operating System.The Linux operating system will install (yes!)

7. If you are successful, you will see something like this:

8. Boot up the system by choosing the first option, “Boot from Hard Disk.”Now, we just have a few settings to make before we install the ABAP server.

9. Change Proxy settings if you are behind a proxy:

• Open Activities and enter “N” as the search term.

The system returns something like this:

• Choose Network.

In the dialog that opens, choose Network Proxy, then choose Manual.

• Change the http / https proxy settings according to your company requirements and set the port to 8080:

10. Now we want to enter some commands using a tool called Xterm.

• Again, choose Activities, then enter “X” as the search term.
• Choose Xterm.
• Check used memory by typing df -h :

Minimum space in home directory should 33 GB to avoud memory errors during installation. (In this example, mine is 92G, or 5%.)

11. AND NOW…, it is time to download and extract the abap rar files to a local folder.

First, so that the Linux system can access this folder, we need to register it for auto-mount.

12. IMPORTANT: Make sure your Linux system is up and running.

• Select the folder, then choose Settings, then choose Shared Folders.
• Add a new folder to automount, by choosing the plus icon to the right:

• In the dialog that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the ABAP installation.
• Change the folder name to s4installer. (You will need to enter this folder name manually later, so using this alias is less error-prone than trying to remember the complete path.):

• Choose OK, OK.
• IMPORTANT: Reboot the Linux system.

13. Now we are going to change some settings, before installing the uuidd daemon. This daemen provides universal unique identifiers – essential for creating database keys. 

(Note: You only need to do this step if you are using a proxy.)

• Open the system tool YaST (choose Activities -> enter “Y” as search term…).
• Enter your root password (ie the one you use to log on to the Linux system.)
• On the left, choose Software .
• Scroll down on the right-hand side and choose Proxy.
• CHange the http settings, tick Use same for all, then test proxy.
• Choose OK, OK.

14. Now we are going to install the uuidd daemon.

• Still in YaST, scroll back up and select Online Update.
• Open the Search tab, and and enter the search term “uuidd”, then choose Search.
• Select “uuidd”, then choose Accept.
• YaST will install uuidd, then reboot.
• End YaST.

15. Now we are going to start the uuidd service in Xterm.

• Open Xterm.
• Start uuidd, by entering:  sudo service uuidd start 
• Enter the root’s password.
• (Note: sudo = “superuser do” ie you need to be a superuser to execute this command. Thus you also have enter the root’s password.)
• Check if the service has started by entering: sudo service –status-all |grep uuidd
• Your Xterm will look like this:

16. Now, still in Xterm we will change the hostname, by entering sudo vi /etc/hostname.

• Insert the hostname by entering i (for “insert”). It should look something like this:

• Save your changes by hitting the ESC key, then :wq (ie “colon”, “Write”, “Quit”)
• Check by entering sudo cat /etc/hostname
• Restart network by entering: sudo rcnetwork restart
• Check that the hostname has changed by entering hostname

17. Now we will map hosts to the new hostname.

• Check the IP address by entering sudo ifconfig
• Open the hosts file by entering sudo vi /etc/hosts
• Using this IP address, add a new entry of the form:
• <IP address> <hostname> <hostname>.dummy.nodomain
• (Here it is: 10.0.2.15 vhcalnplci vhcalnplci.dummy.nodomain )
• (To add a new entry, proceed as before:
• Enter i 
• Enter  10.0.2.15 vhcalnplci vhcalnplci.dummy.nodomain
• Hit ESC
• Enter :wq
• Save the file hosts
• Check the changes by using the cat command: sudo cat /etc/hosts

18. And now…(last step before we install), we will assign root privileges, by entering sudo -i.

• Enter the root’s password.
• Navigate to the shared folder with the ABAP installation: cd /media/sf_s4installer
• Change the access rights of the install script: chmod +x install.sh

19. FINALLY, we run the installation, by entering the command ./install.sh

• Read and accept the license agreement
• When prompted for the OS users password enter your master password of the virtual Linux OS instance twice
• Be patient, this will take a while…
• If the installation is successful, you will see something like this:

20. Ok, we’re almost done. We just need to enter the right proxy settings so that SAP GUI, ABAP in Eclipse etc can find your ABAP system:

• In Oracle VirtualBox Manager, select the VirtualBox with the installed ABAP system on it, then choose Settings from the context menu.
• From the left-hand menu, choose Network.
• Open Advanced, then choose Port Forwarding.
• In the dialog that appears, enter the following settings:

Name	Protocol	Host IP
HTTP	TCP	127.0.0.1
HTTPS	TCP	127.0.0.1
RFC	TCP	127.0.0.1
SAPGUI	TCP	127.0.0.1

Host Port	Guest IP	Guest Port
8000	10.0.2.15	8000
44300	10.0.2.15	44300
3300	10.0.2.15	3300
3200	10.0.2.15	3200