Support Package Manager (SPAM) Settings

The content information below is taken from SAP Online Help (F1).

Load Packages

Directory on the application server

You can check which application server directory the Support Packages are located in.

Load CAR/SAR archives from front end

• Display content before decompressing

You can decide whether to display a dialog box with the contents of the CAR/SAR archive before decompressing it. This is the default setting.

• Delete archive after decompressing

You can choose whether you want to delete the CAR/SAR archive, which was transferred to the application server, after decompressing it. This is the default setting.

• Check archive signature

You can specify if you want the digital signature of the SAR archives created by SAP to be checked. We strongly recommend that you activate this option. It is activated by default.

• Save last upload directory
  

You can decide whether to save the most recently used upload directory from your front-end host. This directory then appears as the start directory in the dialog box where you select an archive. This is the default setting.
You can enter an upload directory of your choosing in the Upload directory field. This upload directory then appears as the start directory in the archive selection dialog box.

Define a Queue

Queue Calculation Initial Screen

You can specify the queue calculation method that you want to be provided with by default upon entering the queue definition screen.

• Queue calculation for a vector of software component

The Support Package queue calculation takes place for multiple software components based on the target Support Package level that has been defined for each software component.

• Queue calculation for one software component

The Support Package queue calculation takes place by selecting one component and the highest Support Package for this software component

Including the Modification Adjustment

You can specify whether you want the system to always check the queue definition for modification adjustment transports that are to be included.

• Include adjustment transports

For the queue definition, the dialog box for including adjustment transports is always displayed.

• Do not include adjustment transports

No adjustment transports are included in the Support Package queue. The corresponding dialog box is not displayed automatically.

• Always ask

When defining the queue, the system asks you whether to include adjustment transports or not. You can then decide whether the dialog box for including adjustment transports is to be displayed or not.

Filtering the Component List

You can filter the software components using different criteria. This improves the overview of the software component list for the queue definition. You can adapt the standard settings and your requirements.

• Displaying Inactive Software Components

As of SAP NetWeaver 7.0, SAP also delivers the Switch Framework with which you can activate individual software components by activating the related Business Function Set in the Switch Framework as required. This means that not all the software components installed in, for example, an ERP 6.0 system are active. Industry-specific enhancements, such as ECC-DMP and IS-OIL, are inactive as standard. Since support packages do not necessarily have to be imported for inactive software components, you can hide these components in the component list of the queue definition as standard. If you deselect this checkbox, the system does not display the inactive components.

• Displaying Unused Subcomponents

Some software components were divided into subcomponents that form the entire scope of the master component (originally software component). An example for this is the division of software component SAP_HR into country-specific subcomponents.
Support Packages only have to be imported for those subcomponents that are actually used. You can hide the unused subcomponents from the component list of the queue definition. If you deselect this checkbox, the system does not display the subcomponents that you have selected as Unused using the Subcomponents pushbutton.

• “Subcomponents” pushbutton

You can specify which of the subcomponents are not used. Note: When creating the subcomponents automatically, the system takes which country-specific functions are used for the SAP_HR software component from the previous use of the function and shows these as Used. You can change this setting.

Import Queue

Scenario

When choosing the scenario, you determine which activities are to be performed during the import.

• Standard

You use the standard scenario to import Support Packages completely. All steps are performed.

• Import mode downtime-minimized

If you choose the standard scenario, you can also choose between the conventional import method and the import mode downtime-minimized to reduce the downtime. In the default setting, this option is deactivated. The packages are imported using the conventional import method.
Note: To find the best import mode for your system, check the prerequisites under Import Mode: Downtime-Minimized.

• Test

Use the test scenario to determine if a modification adjustment is required before the Support Package is actually imported, or if any conflicts need to be resolved before the import. The test scenario does not import data into your SAP system. There is no test scenario for SPAM/SAINT updates. A SPAM/SAINT import ignores the scenario you select.

Number of parallel processes for each R3trans

You specify the number of parallel processes that are started by R3trans to import transport request data into the database. We recommend you set this to a maximum of 5.

For more information about this R3trans function, see SAP Note 1127194. To avoid known problems with this function, use at least the R3trans version from 19.12.08.
Note: This option affects the import of all Support Packages imported with the Support Package Manager.

Handle R3trans data files

• Delete data file after import

You can determine whether to delete the data files after the Support Packages have been imported. This saves hard disk space and is the default setting. If you use a multiple system landscape with a common transport directory, it is best to deactivate this option. This saves you from having to create new data files in the other systems.

Checks during import

When a queue is imported, various checks are made in the individual import phases to ensure that the import is successful and to guarantee the consistency of the system. Some of these checks can be deactivated without risk according to system environment and configuration.

• Check on active DDIC user

Individual import steps are processed by background jobs in the ABAP system (for example, DDIC activation). These background jobs usually run under the DDIC user. To avoid problems when processing these back jobs, it is checked if the DDIC user exists in the system and is active. Since the DDIC user can represent a security risk, the transport system can be configured in such a way that another user can be used for processing the import steps . In this case it does not make sense to check for the active DDIC user and it can be deactivated.

• Check for requests to import in TMS

When a Support Package queue is imported, a check is made before the physical import of the Support Packages to verify whether the import queue in Transport Management System (TMS) contains requests that need to be imported before the Support Package import. This check takes place only on the basis of the request attributes that contain the installed software component versions of the export system at the time of the export. If this check finds that the system status after the import of the Support Package queue no longer matches the status of the export system, then a warning is displayed about performing a transport for the previous import.
However, this check does not take the content of the transport requests into consideration, which means it is not checked if there is an actual collision with the Support Packages to be imported. This means the check result is only ever a recommendation which can be ignored while importing the Support Package.
It can make sense in some constellations to deactivate this check entirely, for example, if the transport requests only contain customer-own objects that do not collide with SAP Support Packages or if Change Management Tools (for example, CHARM in Solution Manager) are used to ensure system changes are executed in the correct order.

• Check for digital signature of to be imported OCS Packages

You can specify if you want the system to check the digital signature (of the OCS packages to be imported) during the import phase. This is the default setting. NOTE: SAP Note 2520826 is required to run this check. If this SAP Note has not been imported, the check is not performed.

Create Object Versions During Import

This option does not apply for SPAM/SAINT Updates. You can choose to create versions of the objects in the Support Packages in the queue when they are imported. This option is deactivated by default, since it is a good idea only if version creation is active for all imports. This can take a long time and uses up a lot of space in the database.
Note: If version creation is activated in the configuration of the transport tools in the Transport Management System (transaction STMS), parameter VERS_AT_IMP must be set as ALWAYS.

ABAP/dynpro generation

Select this option if you want the programs and screens delivered in the Support Packages to be generated when they are imported. You cannot change the generation settings for SPAM/SAINT updates.

• Never execute

If you set this option, the programs and dynpros are generated only when called for the first time.

• Always execute

If you set this option, the programs and dynpros are always generated. Note that generation can take a long time and may cause errors.

• According to SAP instructions

If you choose this option, the programs and screens are generated if the option for generating them while importing these Support Packages has been activated by SAP.

Create backups for Transport based Correction Instructions

You can determine, whether a backup transport is created during the implementation of resettable transport based correction instructions.
Note: The creation of a backup transports happens only, if the to be imported transport based correction instructions are marked as “resettable”.

Runtime Analysis

Send runtime analysis and feedback form

When you confirm a queue, a dialog field opens by default where you send a runtime analysis and feedback form to SAP. Deselect this option if you no longer want to display this field.

Default values for the feedback form

Use this options to specify which data you want to add to your feedback form by default.

• System type

Select this option to specify whether your feedback refers to your development system, quality assurance system, or production system.

• Contact/e-mail address

Select this option to enter an e-mail address as your contact address in the feedback form.

Default Settings in Support Package Manager