If you are new to SAP Basis or in SAP Administration field and you got opportunity to perform Kernel upgrade and you have doubts then refer below given question and perform activity without any doubt.
1. How to upgrade my kernel to a newer kernel release?
We are on kernel 753 and would like to upgrade to kernel 754
Upgrading the kernel means to change from one lower kernel release to the higher kernel release
sample use case: currently you have kernel 753 and would like to upgrade to kernel 754
Use the installation tools like Solution Manager to select the target kernel and additional components that you would need to upgrade
you might need to upgrade IGS version to a compatible one, for details see SAP Note 1491848 (What IGS should I be using with my Web AS?)
occasionally, you might need to also upgrade the SAP Web Dispatcher, for details see SAP Note 908097 (SAP Web Dispatcher: Release, Installation, Patches, Documentation)
for target patch level we recommend to use the latest available SP Stack Kernel, as listed in the SAP Note 2083594 (SAP Kernel Versions and SAP Kernel Patch Levels)
the upgrade tool will automatically apply the correct SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB installation files
2. How to update my kernel to the latest SP Stack Kernel?
We are on PL 413 and would like to update to PL 600
Updating the kernel means to go from a lower kernel patch to a higher kernel patch level within the same kernel release
sample use case: currently you have kernel 754 PL 413 and would like to update to kernel 754 PL 600
If updating to an SP Stack Kernel, you can use the installation tools like Solution Manager
for target patch level we recommend to use the latest available SP Stack Kernel, as listed in the SAP Note 2083594 (SAP Kernel Versions and SAP Kernel Patch Levels)
the tool will automatically apply the correct SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB installation files
3. How to upgrade the kernel to a specific hotfix patch (not SP Stack Kernel)?
We are on kernel 789 PL 315 and would like to upgrade to kernel 793 PL 432? Do I need to first upgrade to kernel 793 PL 400 and then to PL 432?
SAP tools like Solution manager require installation files SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB to perform an upgrade
we release installation files SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB only for the SP Stack Kernel (which have higher quality standards compared to weekly hotfix patches)
as result, you can only upgrade to an SP Stack Kernel with the help of SAP tools
You can't upgrade directly to a hotfix patch
upgrade to the latest SP Stack Kernel using the SAP Tools first
then apply the hotfix on top of the latest SP Stack Kernel
sample use case: you are on kernel 789 PL 315 and want to apply kernel 793 PL 432
upgrade to kernel 793 PL 400
then apply PL 432 hotfix
Check FAQ question 8 on more details on how to apply a hotfix patch in your system
4. How to update the kernel to a specific hotfix patch (not SP Stack Kernel)?
We are on PL 300 and would like to update to PL 432? Do I need to first update to PL 400 and then to 423?
SAP tools like Solution manager require installation files SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB to perform an update
we release installation files SAPEXE and SAPEXEDB only for the SP Stack Kernel (which have higher quality standards compared to weekly hotfix patches)
as result, only SP Stack Kernel can be updated via the SAP tools
it is recommended to apply the latest Stack Kernel first to improve kernel consistency across all components
if you are already on a patch that is higher than the latest available SP Stack Kernel, then apply the hotfix directly on top of the current patch
sample use case: you are on kernel 793 PL 412 and want to apply kernel 793 PL 423
apply PL 423 hotfix
if you are on a patch that is lower than the latest available SP Stack Kernel, use the SAP tools to update to the latest Stack Kernel first, then apply the hotfix on top of it
sample use case: you are on kernel 793 PL 300 and want to apply kernel 793 PL 423
update to kernel 793 PL 400
apply PL 423 hotfix
it is technically possible to update to the hotfix directly without updating the Stack Kernel first
apply PL 423 hotfix
SAPWEBGUI.SAR archives can be updated only on top of the latest SP Stack Kernel; if you want a webgui correction without a stack kernel update, you will have to apply the bigger DW.SAR patch instead
Check FAQ question 8 on more details on how to apply a hotfix patch in your system
5. Why are the SAPEXE/SAPEXEDB files missing for patch level XXX?
For kernel upgrade we require 2 files SAPEXE.SAR (Database independent - Part 1) and SAPEXEDB.SAR (Database dependent - Part 2).
We have checked the SAP marketplace but did not find the PL 416 files, the latest patch file we can find is for PL 400. Kindly share the PL 416 files.
installation files SAPEXE.SAR and SAPEXEDB.SAR are provided only for the SP Stack Kernel
example: PL 100, PL 200, PL 300 and so on
for all patch levels between the SP Stack Kernel = hotfixes, only smaller patch archives are offered
example: DW.SAR, SAPWEBGUI.SAR, LIB_DBSL.SAR, TP.SAR and so on
these patch archives correct a specific part of the kernel without touching the entire kernel installation and are therefore safer to apply
check the Solution section of the correction note to find out which hotfix archive you need to patch the issue
example: "This correction is delivered with the following kernel archives: hotfix - file dw.sar"
hence, the sample customer would need to:
upgrade/update to PL 400 first using the SAP Tools
manually dowload, extract and apply the correct hotfix archive for PL 416
Check FAQ question 8 on more details on how to apply a hotfix patch in your system
6. We can't find the hotfix patch XXX in the download area?
According to correction note, we need DW.SAR PL 318, but there is only PL 326 available for download. Where can we find PL 318 archives?
for hotfix (not SP Stack Kernel) patches only the latest patch level are available for download
this is done because kernel patches are cumulative
later patch level contain all corrections that were included in earlier patches
example: correction that was initially delivered with PL 318 is still part of PL 326
hence, download and apply the latest available patch for this correction
example: apply DW.SAR PL 326
older hotfix patches can be provided in exceptional situations - please create a ticket on component ??? and address your use case.
7. What patch files do I need to correct my issue?
I need to apply the correction from note XXX to the system.
check the Support Package Patches section of the correction note to find out the lowest required patch level containing the correction
if there is no entry for the kernel release, the patch is not yet available. The entry will be added upon the delivery of the correction.
if the patch is available:
apply the latest SP Stack Kernel as long as it contains the correction (PL of correction is smaller or equal to the PL of the latest SP Stack Kernel) using the SAP Tools
for the list of latest available SP Stack Kernels, see SAP Note 2083594 (SAP Kernel Versions and SAP Kernel Patch Levels).
else, apply the latest available hotfix patch
check the Solution section of correction note to find out which hotfix archive you need to patch the issue
example: This correction is delivered with the following kernel archives: hotfix - file dw.sar
if the correction note does not list the required hotfix archives, please ask the note responsible to add this information
8. I can't find a DW.SAR file for my Database?
kernel files can be database dependent or independent
database independent files are SAPEXE.SAR, DW.SAR and so on
you can find them under "Database independent" files for your OS
these files are the same for all databases
hence, there is no database specific file for DW.SAR
database dependent files are SAPEXEDB.SAR and LIB_DBSL.SAR
you can find them by selecting your database next to your OS
these files are specific to the database, so you need to select the correct one
9. Where to find hotfix patch XXX? How to apply it to the system?
for the step for step guide on how to apply a hotfix patch consult the Solution section of SAP Note 19466 (Downloading SAP kernel patches)
you will need to:
find the correct kernel download folder on SAP Support Portal (see Part 1 of Solution section of Note 19466)
identify the actual patch archive that contains the hotfix correction you want to have (see FAQ question 6 and 7, as well as Part 3 of Solution section of Note 19466).
download the patch from the SAP Support Portal
extract the patch using the SAPCAR tool (see Part 2.1 of solution section of note 19466)
apply the patch to your system manually (see Part 4 of solution section of note 19466)