They say time is money, and this is especially true when running a business. System downtime, whether due to planned updates or unforeseen outages, cuts down on productivity, adversely affects a business’s reputation and puts pressure on your IT staff. All of these issues lead to lost revenue.
Whatever distro you use, having a way to keep your systems (especially your SAP systems) up and running as close to 100 percent as possible is critical to your ability to deliver the innovative services that made your company successful in the first place.
Top three solutions to avoiding major outages with Linux enterprise systems
To prevent bottom-line-bruising outages on your existing Linux systems, consider employing these top three tips today.
Automated system management
An automated Linux management solution like this is an excellent way to keep your systems live. With the ability to execute consistent server deployments, business executives can optimize operations and keep downtime to a minimum.
Suppose you’re using a platform like SAP HANA. In that case, your systems must sidestep outages, as outages can have consequences on production and service across the supply chain.
With an automated system manager, you can significantly reduce the complexity of your SAP HANA environments, as the system manager brings system management and updates into one central location. In addition, the automated system manager can help you avoid significant outages by automatically patching and updating your SAP HANA environments.
Finally, an automatic system manager helps you monitor and control SAP HANA scale-out.
Live patching
When Linux updates for data integration and security are released, you should patch them. However, installing these security measures typically means downtime. Thus, IT Managers often face a Catch 22 of balancing security and system availability.
This balance isn’t necessary with live patching software. Utilizing live patching, you can apply kernel fixes immediately and without rebooting your systems for up to a year. In the long run, this means your systems are more available at critical moments, and you are in control of when you reboot.
One of the miraculous aspects of many Live patching software is installing the updates independently from the application running on top (even if that application is SAP HANA).
Use persistent memory
Persistent memory allows for instant database recovery immediately following a reboot. Thus, when you do have to reboot your systems, they can get up and running as soon as possible.
Currently, there are two ways to use persistent memory with SAP systems. The first is using Intel’s NVDIMM technology (only available on x86-64 systems), in which SAP HANA retains columnar data during a shutdown.
The second way to use persistent memory is with IBM. The Virtual PHEM allows SPH HANA data to be retained in the part of the server still running when the LPAR that HANA is running in shuts down. It immediately transfers the data when the LPAR restarts.
By using persistent memory, you decrease reboot time and save your business by increasing system productivity.
Avoid major outages with Linux enterprise systems
It’s vital to maintain security on your servers and keep your systems as updated as possible while striving towards around-the-clock availability. By employing solutions to avoid significant outages, you increase your business’s productivity, thereby allowing you to access your target customers or clients without technical obstacles standing in the way.