Components Terminology

The FlexNet Manager for SAP Applications documentation uses the following terminology:

• FlexNet Manager Suite provides hardware and software asset management functions. You use FlexNet Manager Suite to manage the SAP system landscape and configure license optimization rules.
• The SAP Admin module is a component of FlexNet Manager for SAP Applications which acts as a central access point in an SAP landscape. It includes a staging database that stages all the data collected from the dependent SAP systems. The SAP Inventory Agent connects to the staging database and transfers the collected data to the FlexNet Manager Suite database. FlexNet Manager Suite uses this data to optimize the license position and create license-type and user-data recommendations. The SAP administrator imports the recommendations via web services into the SAP Admin module and processes (that is, implements or rejects) the recommendations. In addition, the SAP Admin module is used to perform package measurements, activity checks, and LAW measurements. Usually, the SAP Admin module is installed by importing the AdminModule transport into the SAP system that receives services updates which it distributes to the managed dependent SAP systems.

  If required, your implementation can contain several SAP Admin modules that are connected to FlexNet Manager Suite.

• All SAP systems that are connected to the system on which the SAP Admin module is installed are referred to as dependent SAP systems. A dependent SAP system can be connected to only one SAP Admin module. During the processing of license type recommendations, user data changes are sent from the SAP Admin module to its dependent SAP systems.
• An independent SAP system is an SAP system that is connected to FlexNet Manager Suite, but not to an SAP Admin module. The license and user data of an independent system can be read by the SAP Inventory Agent for optimization.
• The SAP Inventory Agent (SAPReader.exe) accesses and collects the user primary record information from the SAP Admin module via Remote Function Call (RFC) and imports the data into FlexNet Manager Suite for analysis and optimization.
• The Satellite transport is an optional component. It must be installed if any of the following statements are true:

  • You want to collect SAP package data and you do not want to execute the USMM to collect user data and license data.
  • You do not want to use the RFC function RFC_READ_TABLE or its corresponding authorization, SDTX.
  • You want to collect activity check data.
  • You want to retrieve the module hierarchy from an independent SAP system. The module hierarchy is used to provide information on modules and sub-modules in the Module Usage report. The data from the Module Usage report can be used to create transaction profiles. For more information, see the FlexNet Manager for SAP Applications User Guide.

  If any of the above statements apply to you, the Satellite transport must be installed on all SAP systems with SAP packages, to enable the optimization of the relevant package licenses and execution of activity checks.

• The Role transport contains the following roles:
  • /LICMAN/ADMIN_MODULE
  • /LICMAN/SATELLITE
  • /LICMAN/SATELLITE_CHARGEBACK

  For more information about roles, see Authorizations for FlexNet Manager for SAP Applications.