e-business solutions by IBM and SAP
VEDES AG: an easy play –
High availability for SAP with Linux
on xSeries.
SAP creates conditions for expansion.
It’s not easy for the toy industry right
now. For the VEDES group, expansion
on a Europe-wide basis is therefore
the order of the day. VEDES sees the
greatest potential in responding more
quickly to market changes and reducing costs in purchasing and logistics.
For this purpose, new concepts and
the reorganization of the core processes
are necessary. “So we decided to
further expand our SAP solution”, says
Gerhard Schreyer, VEDES IT Manager
The service center for the European
in the toy metropolis of Nuremberg.
toy industry.
“We need a uniform ERP system for
The ship of the VEDES logo has
central goods management. The
become a trademark familiar to
previous platform was partly host-
In the course of the expansion and
generations of parents and children.
based and partly evolved as client/
release upgrade of the SAP
VEDES, founded in 1904 as an
server architecture. Our numbers were
implementation, a scalable, highly
association of German specialized toy
not uniform or transparent.”
available, yet economical, server
retailers, is today a modern service
platform was sought. The operating
center and supports its members –
Back to IBM with xSeries and Linux.
system and database were also to
specialized shops – in purchasing and
SAP R/3 had already been in use since
be changed.
logistics, in marketing and IT services.
1998. In 2002, VEDES was looking for
It has set up a central settlement bank
an ERP solution for the future and
Industry: Retail
to handle the bank-guaranteed
therefore evaluated three products –
Application: SAP® R/3 ® Enterprise;
delcredere (liability for recovery of a
only to end up right back where it
SAP BW; SAP for Retail
debt) for affiliated members. The
started, with SAP. In addition to finance
central settlement turnover in 2002
and controlling applications, SAP for
Tivoli ; SteelEye LifeKeeper for Linux
was 427 million Euros. With about
Retail and the SAP Business Information
Hardware: IBM ^ ® xSeries ®,
950 employees, the VEDES Group
Warehouse (SAP BW) were to form the
represents approximately 1,150
core of the new IT generation.
Overview
■ The Challenge
■ The Solution
®
Software: SuSE Linux; Oracle ;
®
IBM TotalStorage
®
Services: CC Computersysteme
members in Germany, Austria,
und Kommunikationstechnik GmbH
Switzerland, Italy and the Benelux
“Scalability, functionality, the certified
countries.
standard interfaces and the future-proof
■ The Benefit
VEDES now operates a stable,
perspective of SAP were decisive in
secure and economic platform for
this process”, stresses Gerhard
business-critical applications,
Schreyer. In connection with the
which supports future company
release change to SAP R/3 Enterprise,
growth.
even greater tasks were however on
the agenda. A completely new
in the xSeries environment is possible
The system will run to capacity with
platform was introduced. “We already
at a low cost. Because our medium-
the productive operation of the SAP
had an IBM host in the sixties, and
sized customers have become very
industry solution SAP for Retail, which
therefore had positive experience of
cost-conscious, Linux solutions
is currently still being customized in
IBM“, notes Gerhard Schreyer. “With
represent an ideal basis for an IT
the test environment. Schreyer’s first
the xSeries and its very favorable
environment with a particularly low
experiences are positive: “Extremely
price-performance ratio, we have now
TCO.”
stable! The server hasn’t been
touched once since putting it into
returned to IBM. Linux was the first
choice for us because we wanted a
SAN Concept with FAStT and Tivoli.
operation. It doesn’t have to be
stable operating system in the xSeries
The productive SAP cluster system
rebooted again and again. Our
environment, with which we could
for the approximately fifty registered
previous system wasn’t even close to
grow. And one which would allow us to
VEDES users consists of two
being so stable – or so reliable.”
run an IT solution at the lowest possible
IBM ^ xSeries 445, each with
cost.”
two Intel® Xeon® processors, an IBM
ServeRAID™ adapter, 4 GB RAM and
SteelEye LifeKeeper: high availability
36.4 GB on a RAID level 1 drive. The
with Linux – an easy play.
SAP test system was set up on an
As a medium-sized company, VEDES
IBM ^ xSeries 345. The external
was looking for an economical, reliable
storage solution on the IBM TotalStorage
and practical high availability solution
SAN is an IBM TotalStorage FAStT 600
for its business-critical applications.
Storage Server with 14 x 73.4 GB, also
It found all these in LifeKeeper for
certified for use in a LifeKeeper
Linux from SteelEye Technology Inc.
environment.
“Very impressive:
high availability,
certified products,
implementation.”
Gerhard Schreyer, IT Manager, VEDES AG,
Nürnberg
The advantages: a modularly set up,
application-oriented solution, scalable
The operating system is SuSE Linux
high availability of up to 32 nodes in
Enterprise Server 8. The SteelEye
one Linux cluster, certified application
solution LifeKeeper for SAP on Linux
recovery kits for management,
takes care of the high availability.
controlling and protection of many
The planned SAP BW will also be
applications. Errors both in hardware
implemented in a Linux environment
and in applications are detected, and
using an Oracle database, with an
corrected where possible.
x445 with four processors each for
both the productive system and for the
For the implementation, Schreyer was
test and development system. In
able to engage IBM Business Partner
addition, there is an x345 as backup
Computer Concept CC, Computer-
server, an IBM Ultrium tape library and
systeme und Kommunikationstechnik
a FAStT extension, also with 14 x 73.4
GmbH, in Dresden as a partner. CC
GB on the SAN. The system is
acts as the SteelEye Competence and
completed by an IBM Tivoli security
Support Center for the Central Region
solution.
IBM Deutschland GmbH
70548 Stuttgart
ibm.com/de
The IBM home page can be found on the
Internet at:
ibm.com
ibm-sap.com
IBM, the IBM Logo, the e-Logo, ^ ,
xSeries, TotalStorage and ServeRAID are
trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM
Corporation in the United States, other
countries, or both.
Microsoft and Windows NT are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States, other countries, or both.
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle
Corporation.
and for Eastern Europe, and thus also
stands for availability of first level
Complete restart – without having to
support. CC works closely with the
reboot.
Linux specialists in the IBM laboratory
The move from SAP R/3 Release 3.1i
in Böblingen. “xSeries platforms are
to SAP R/3 Enterprise and the database
often preferred when it comes to
migration from SQL Server under
consolidation processes and cost
Microsoft® Windows NT® to Oracle 9
reduction programs”, reports Dr. Mira
with Linux went smoothly. Following
Stranz from CC. “With the certified
precise preparation of the system
failover cluster solution, LifeKeeper,
installation, cluster activation was
a very high degree of failsafe reliability
achieved in only one working day.
Other company, product, and service names
may be trademarks or service marks of others.
This case study illustrates how one IBM
customer uses IBM and/or Business Partner
technologies/services. Many factors have
contributed to the results and benefits
described. IBM does not guarantee comparable
results. All information contained herein was
provided by the featured customer and/or
Business Partner. IBM does not attest to its
accuracy.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2004
All rights reserved.
IBM Form GK12-3927-00 (03/2004)