Release Notes Avantra 23

Introduction

These release notes refer to an older version of Avantra and may no longer be accurate in the latest version. Please consult the latest release notes.

Avantra 23 is a major release replacing Avantra 21.11. Read on to find out what’s new in 23!

What’s new in Avantra 23

Enhanced automation engine

  • New SAP Control API to reduce coding required for performing actions on SAP

  • New ability to Stop running workflows

  • New scheduling capabilities for workflows including CRON style schedule definitions

  • Improved UX for workflow editing, step editing and workflow execution

  • New built-in automation step to send a notification from a workflow using an output channel

  • Support step library automation steps on Java based SAP Systems

  • Support step library automation steps and custom RUN_JS checks on Cloud Services

New Enterprise automation templates

  • Improvements to the SAP System Refresh automation template for SAP HANA

  • New support for SAP System Refresh with Oracle and Sybase ASE databases

  • Support for SAP Rolling Kernel Upgrades in SAP Kernel Upgrade

  • New operating system patching automation templates

  • Available to Enterprise Edition customers through the Avantra Support Portal

Ansible Integration

  • New built-in automation step to start an Ansible Playbook from an Avantra workflow

  • New step library step to communicate with Ansible Controller (Ansible Tower) from an Avantra workflow

  • New open Ansible module to communicate with Avantra as part of an Ansible Playbook

    • (coming soon)

New UX landscape browser

  • Explore your Server, SAP System, SAP Instance, Database, SAP BusinessObjects, Cloud Services using an intuitive new display

  • Embedded performance analytics displayed alongside configuration and detail information of the system

  • Intuitive display of related systems and system inventory

  • New functionality to create System Selectors that can be used in the landscape browser or elsewhere in Avantra

  • New Tree view to explore each customers' landscape

New built-in native checks

  • 5 new native checks for the PostgreSQL database to optimize your PostgreSQL databases

    • PostgreSQL now available on all editions of Avantra!

  • New SAP daily check to monitor ABAP licenses to ensure you don’t miss a license expiry

  • New SAP daily check to monitor ABAP buffer performance to ensure your ABAP systems are running smoothly

  • New SAP daily check to perform a consistency check of the TemSe data store

  • New SAP daily check to check for obsolete internal RFCs

  • New SAP daily check to perform the SAP Initial Consistency Check (SICK)

  • New SAP daily check to perform a consistency check on the operation modes (RZ04)

  • New SAP daily check to check for shutdown CCMS monitoring segments (RZ21)

  • New SAP daily check to check the active server profile is consistent (RZ10)

  • New SAP daily check to perform the SAP Spool Consistency Check (SPAD)

  • New SAP RTM check TRFCInStat to monitor inbound TRFC records with detail display

  • Updated SAP RTM check TRFCOutStat to include a detail display

  • New memory check for HANA 2.0 tenant databases

Platform Updates

  • Support user API Keys instead of passwords for use in integration scenarios

  • New certificate credential support for SAP Control users in automation and monitoring *

Important Notes

  • If upgrading from a version earlier than 21.11, please read the release notes for each version for any additional guidance.

  • Java 8 is recommended for all installations now since it has a longer support period and there are a few known issues with using Java 11. Java 12 or higher is not supported (yet).

  • For the upgrade of the transports, see Procedure: Import Transport Request.

See also Supported Platforms.

Upgrading to Avantra 23

To upgrade to Avantra 23 is simple as it can be applied like any patch, it is typically less than a few minutes to upgrade an Avantra server.

Previous agent releases (21.11, 20.11 & 20.5) are compatible with Avantra Server 23.

If upgrading an agent from 20.11 or earlier, due to dependencies in 21.11.X, the 23.0 Agent requires a minimum ABAP transport version. Please see 21.11 Upgrade Path for the latest advice.

Java Runtime Environment 8 is the required JRE version to use with Avantra 23 Server and Agents (versions less than or equal to 23.2.X). Java Runtime Environment 17 is the required JRE for Avantra Agents from version 23.3.0 and above.

See also the Upgrading Avantra.