Starting the SAP Instance

The normal SAP instance start up consists of three parts: starting the SAP OS Collector, starting the Oracle Listener, and starting the SAP instance. The process mainly goes like this: ora logs on and starts the Oracle Listener then adm logs on and runs the startsap script.

What? You say we missed a step? What happened to the SAP OS Collector?

The startsap script takes care of the SAP OS Collector for us. When the SAP Instance starts up via the startsap script, it checks to see if saposcol is up and running – whether from the root user starting it manually or from another SAP Instance already starting it up, it doesn’t matter. If saposcol is up and running, the script simply moves on to the next step. If it is not, the script starts saposcol as root and then proceeds. So the SAP OS Collector gets handled one way or another.

Even if you have multiple SAP instances on a server, the process is pretty much the same unless the Oracle databases were installed using the MCOD installation option. Then only one Oracle Listener is used since both databases share one Oracle listening port which is normally 1527. Normally each SAP database – ie SAP instance - has it’s own listener.

Enough talk, here is how to start a SAP instance.

1. Verify that the SAP instance is down.
2. Log on to the appropriate server as ora.
3. Type in the following:

lsnrctl start¬

4. Log on to the same server as adm.
5. Type in the following – the saposcol will come up automatically:

startsap¬

If you only need to start the database and not the SAP instance too, type
instead:

startsap DB¬

And do not do the rest of the start up procedures listed below, you can stop now.
6. Wait until the startup messages have scrolled by. There may be other minor programs that start at the time as well. If you try to logon and are refused connection, check the logs in the /home/adm for applicable errors.