AWS Network Load Balancer Gains SAP ASE HADR Certification: Expanding High Availability Beyond NetWeaver

Amazon Web Services has certified its Network Load Balancer (NLB) for SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) solutions, marking a significant expansion in automated failover capabilities for SAP database environments. The certification enables organizations to deploy any application with SAP ASE in HADR configurations, extending beyond the traditional NetWeaver-only limitations.

The integration combines AWS NLB health checks with SAP ASE Fault Manager to provide automated traffic routing to active database instances. When a primary database instance fails, the system automatically redirects traffic to secondary instances without manual intervention, addressing one of the most critical operational challenges in SAP high availability deployments.

Technical requirements include SAP Fault Manager version 182 or higher and SAP Kernel 7.53 PL 1512, with patches for SAP Kernels 7.54 and 7.22 expected soon. The solution supports continuous TCP health monitoring, custom probe ports, and virtual hostnames via CNAME records, providing flexibility for diverse deployment scenarios.

Streamlined NetWeaver Operations Through Virtual Hostname Registration

For NetWeaver environments specifically, the certification adds virtual database hostname registration features that remove the need for manual intervention during failover events. This marks a major change from traditional failover methods that depended on administrators updating database connections and reconfiguring application servers.

The NLB functions as a Layer 4 pass-through load balancer, routing traffic to overlay IP (OIP) addresses that ensure stable network endpoints regardless of which cluster node is active. This design maintains client IP addresses while supporting both internal and external load balancing setups, which are essential for preserving application performance and security.

The NLB also retains client IP addresses, which is crucial for applications that depend on consistent network identity. By supporting both internal and external load balancing strategies, organizations have more flexibility in designing ASE failover topologies across their AWS environment.

The certification is documented in SAP Note # 3638446 – SAP on AWS: SYB Fault Manager Support for AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB).

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Expand SAP ASE deployments beyond traditional NetWeaver application boundaries. Technology leaders can now implement high availability setups for custom applications, third-party software, and hybrid environments that depend on SAP ASE as the database layer. This expansion facilitates comprehensive high availability strategies across entire SAP landscapes instead of isolated NetWeaver segments. The capability supports digital transformation efforts that require SAP ASE integration with modern application architectures and cloud-native services.

Cloud-native database availability solutions replace traditional hardware-based clustering methods. The enterprise database high-availability market is shifting toward automated, cloud-native options that provide better scalability and cost efficiency than legacy clustering hardware. While AWS is not the only hyperscaler offering similar capabilities, AWS NLB certification is a key differentiator. This certification indicates enterprise readiness and reassures SAP customers about deploying mission-critical workloads on AWS.

Automated failover reduces downtime and operational risk. For SAP technology leaders, AWS NLB certification for ASE HADR eliminates a major time-consuming challenge: database failover. Instead of hours of manual work, organizations can now depend on automated health checks and traffic redirection to keep applications running. This enhances uptime for critical systems and directly lowers business risk caused by outages.