Sap System Lifecycle

SAP System Lifecycle (start / stop / restart)

sapcontrol orchestrates the SAP instances; it does not start or stop the database — the official SAPControl documentation states "The database is not stopped by these commands. You have to stop the database using database-specific tools or commands." [V, L1] So a full system operation is always two layers: the DB (via sap-db-command-reference) and the instances (here).

startsap / stopsap are deprecated — use SAPControl. (SAP Notes 1763593, 809477.) [V, L1]

Guardrail contract (see repo README)

1. Identify — SID, hosts, instance numbers, DB type/OS, and the topology (§1) before acting.
2. Classify — PRD vs non-PRD; any stop against PRD needs an explicit typed confirmation.
3. Preview — show the exact command + blast radius. StopSystem has no dry-run.
4. Execute — via the user's shell/SSH MCP, one layer/step at a time, never chained across a stop.
5. Verify — GetProcessList / GetSystemInstanceList after each step (§5).

1. Identify the topology first

List every instance of the system, its host, ports, start priority and status: [G, L4]

# UNIX (host agent copy):
/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function GetSystemInstanceList
# Windows:
%ProgramFiles%\SAP\hostctrl\exe\sapcontrol.exe -nr <nr> -function GetSystemInstanceList

Output columns: hostname, instanceNr, httpPort, httpsPort, startPriority, features, dispstatus. [G, L4] The features column tells you the instance type:

2. Start order

Instances start in ascending startPriority; the DB must be up before the application servers. [G, L2/L3]

1. DATABASE            → via sap-db-command-reference (HDB start / startdb / db2start / …)
2. ERS      (prio 0.5) ┐
3. ASCS/SCS (prio 1)   ├─ sapcontrol StartSystem does steps 2–4 in the right order automatically
4. PAS then AAS (prio 3)┘   (ERS is started before ASCS by design)

Operationally (two commands):

# 1) start the DB first — see sap-db-command-reference for the exact command for your dbms_type
# 2) then start all SAP instances of the system in priority order:
/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function StartSystem        # UNIX  [V, L1]

%ProgramFiles%\SAP\hostctrl\exe\sapcontrol.exe -nr <nr> -function StartSystem   :: Windows

• StartSystem starts every instance of the system in the correct priority sequence. [V, L1]
• To start a single instance: sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function Start. [V, L1]
• Remote instance: add -host <host> -user <sidadm> <password>. [V, L1]
• Windows GUI alternative: the SAP MMC (start the system/instance node). [G, L1]

3. Stop order ⚠️ destructive — no dry-run

Reverse of start: application servers first, Central Services last, then the database. [G, L2/L3]

1. PAS/AAS  (prio 3)   ┐
2. ASCS/SCS (prio 1)   ├─ sapcontrol StopSystem does these in reverse-priority order automatically
3. ERS      (prio 0.5) ┘   (ASCS is stopped before ERS)
4. DATABASE            → via sap-db-command-reference (HDB stop / stopdb / db2stop / …)

Operationally (two commands):

# 1) stop all SAP instances of the system (reverse priority order):
/usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function StopSystem         # UNIX  ⚠️ [V, L1]
# 2) then stop the DB — see sap-db-command-reference

%ProgramFiles%\SAP\hostctrl\exe\sapcontrol.exe -nr <nr> -function StopSystem   :: Windows

• Stop a single instance: sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function Stop. [V, L1]
• StopSystem variants let you scope the stop (e.g. StopSystem ALL / dialog instances only); default stops the system's instances in reverse-priority order. Confirm scope before running on PRD. [G, L5]
• Order matters: never stop the DB before the SAP instances — app servers lose their DB connection ungracefully. Stop instances → verify down → stop DB.

4. Restart

sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function RestartSystem       # instances only; DB is untouched  [G, L5]

For a full DB+instance restart, do it as ordered steps, not one command: StopSystem → stop DB → start DB → StartSystem, verifying between each. A restart "for maintenance" usually means: StopSystem → (DB stays up or is stopped per the task) → do the work → StartSystem.

5. Verify (after every step)

# instances of the whole system + status:
sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function GetSystemInstanceList        # dispstatus GREEN = up  [G, L4]
# processes of one instance (disp+work, msg server, enqueue, ICM, …):
sapcontrol -nr <nr> -function GetProcessList               # all GREEN  [V, L1]

GREEN = running, YELLOW = starting/stopping, GRAY = stopped, RED = error. Only report a start/stop "done" once the relevant instances show the expected colour.

6. The control layer (always running)

sapstartsrv (one per instance) and the SAP Host Agent (saphostexec, under /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe) are the services SAPControl talks to — they run independently of whether the SAP system is up. If sapcontrol can't reach an instance, check sapstartsrv / the host agent first (saphostexec -status), and the boot wiring (§ references).

Cross-references

• Database start/stop commands (the layer SAPControl doesn't touch): sap-db-command-reference — HANA/Oracle/ASE/Db2/MaxDB/SQL Server.
• Is it healthy / first-response triage: sap-health-triage.
• Full sapcontrol function catalog, instance-type glossary, and per-OS boot wiring (systemd / /etc/inittab sapinit / Windows services): references/sapcontrol-and-order.md.

Run as the correct OS user

Identify the right OS user before running anything, and switch with a login shell. Wrong-user execution is a top cause of SAP failures, and the damage outlives the command: files created by root under /usr/sap, /sapmnt or a DB directory break every later start by the real owner. A login shell also matters because each user carries the environment the tools need (SAPSYSTEMNAME, ORACLE_HOME/ ORACLE_SID, SYBASE, DB2INSTANCE, library paths) — without it, commands fail or act on the wrong system.

Rules

• Switch with a login shell: su - <user> (the - is what loads the environment) or sudo -iu <user>. Windows: use the correct account, or an elevated shell only where documented.
• root only where the procedure explicitly says so — e.g. saproot.sh after a kernel extract, SAP Host Agent install/upgrade. Never as a shortcut around a permission error; that is how root-owned files get created and break the system later.
• Verify before acting: whoami / id, plus the env actually being set (echo $SAPSYSTEMNAME, echo $ORACLE_SID, echo $DB2INSTANCE, echo $SYBASE).
• State the user in every command you hand over (e.g. "as <sid>adm:"), and if the required user is not available, say so and stop — do not substitute another user.

Staying current — check SAP Notes first

SAP Notes supersede this file. Landscapes differ by release, patch level, DB and OS, and SAP changes procedures via Notes/KBAs between doc revisions.

If the SAP Notes MCP is configured, use it before acting on anything version-specific — especially any destructive step, or when a command here doesn't behave as documented:

1. search the topic (e.g. the component + symptom, or a Note number cited below).
2. fetch the promising Note IDs for the current text, validity (affected releases/components), prerequisites and side effects.
3. Prefer the Note over this file where they disagree, and say which Note you followed.

No MCP available? Look the Note up on me.sap.com/notes/<id> and say the check was skipped rather than assuming this file is current.

Sources

• [L1] Starting and Stopping SAP Systems Using SAPControl — SAP NetWeaver 7.5 / ABAP Platform. [V] sapcontrol paths, StartSystem/StopSystem/Start/Stop, remote -host/-user, startsap/stopsap deprecated (SAP Notes 1763593, 809477), "The database is not stopped by these commands." https://help.sap.com/docs/ABAP_PLATFORM_NEW/30eef4341efd4a2c86f2f98f187eccb3/471d6feeff6e0d46e10000000a155369.html
• [L2] SAP Note 897933 — Start and stop sequence for SAP systems (canonical sequence + priorities). https://me.sap.com/notes/897933
• [L3] Start/stop sequence and startPriority (ERS 0.5 → ASCS/SCS 1 → PAS/AAS 3; ERS before ASCS; ASCS stopped before ERS; PAS/AAS require a running DB) — SAP S/4HANA Technical Operation curriculum
  • Note 897933. [G]
• [L4] GetSystemInstanceList fields (hostname, instanceNr, httpPort, httpsPort, startPriority, features, dispstatus) — SAPControl documentation. [G]
• [L5] Starting and Stopping SAP System Instances Using Commands — SAP Help Portal (RestartSystem, StopSystem scope). https://help.sap.com/docs/PRODUCT_ID/00b4e4853ef3494da20ebcaceb181d5e/0a2f54809e064ee68b02fb9fb392bafd.html

To confirm/deepen — check current SAP Notes with the SAP Notes MCP (search, then fetch the note ID): SAP Note 897933 for the exact priority table of your release, and SAP Note 1763593 for the startsap/stopsap deprecation details.