Architecture of the SAP Web AS

Purpose

With the SAP Web Application Server you can implement both server-based and client-based Web applications. Server applications (for example, online shops or portals) can be created in the integrated development environment or in an external tool. These applications can contain Web pages as well as static HTML code and dynamic script code.

The SAP Web Application Server can execute – depending on your chosen installation option – ABAP and/or Java programs. This means you can use the ABAP-based Business Server Pages and a Java technology (JSP, etc.) to create Web applications.

Integration

The SAP Web Application Server is the application platform of the SAP NetWeaver, which is the basis for the other NetWeaver components.

Installation Options

There are the following installation options for the SAP Web AS:

· SAP Web Application Server ABAP System. In the graphic these are the components in the yellow box on the left.

· SAP Web Application Server Java System. In the graphic these are the components in the green box on the right. For more information see the Java Architecture Manual under Java Cluster Architecture.

· SAP Web Application Server ABAP+Java System. These are all the components of the graphic. For details see SAP Web Application Server with ABAP and Java.

Features

The graphic below shows the components of the Web Application Server.

The components and their tasks are described below:

· The Internet Communication Manager (ICM) sets up the connection to the Internet. It can process both server and client Web requests. It supports the protocols HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP. The SAP Web AS can behave as a Web server or as a Web client (see SAP Web Application Server: Web Server or Web Client)

· The dispatcher distributes the requests to the work processes. If all the processes are occupied the requests are stored in the dispatcher queue.

· The ABAP Work Process executes the ABAP code.

· The SAP Gateway makes the RFC interface between the SAP instances available (within an SAP System and beyond system boundaries). For information on the architecture see Architecture of the SAP Gateway.

· The message server exchanges messages and balances the load in the SAP System.

· In the Java component of the SAP Web AS there are the components Java Dispatcher, Server Process and Software Deployment Manager.

In the documentation on the Client/Server Technology you can find links to the administration options for the components.