SAP Web Dispatcher

Use
The SAP Web dispatcher lies between the Internet and your SAP system. It is the entry point
for HTTP(s) requests into your system, which consists of one or more SAP NetWeaver
application servers. As a “software web switch”, the SAP Web dispatcher can reject or accept
connections. When it accepts a connection, it balances the load to ensure an even distribution
across the servers. The SAP Web Dispatcher therefore contributes to security and also
balances the load in your SAP system.
You can use SAP Web Dispatcher in both ABAP and Java systems.
Recommendation
It is also useful to use the SAP Web Dispatcher if you only want to cover one aspect (security
functions or load balancing). We also recommend that you use the SAP Web Dispatcher if
you do not need security functions (entry point in the DMZ, SSL, URL filtering), but you
simply want to balance the load between several SAP Netweaver Application Server
instances.
Implementation Considerations
SAP Web Dispatcher is recommended when you use an SAP system with several application
server instances for Web applications.
The SAP Web dispatcher is a program that you can run on the machine that is connected
directly to the Internet. It requires minimal configuration - you just have to enter the
following data in the profile file:
 Port, on which the HTTP(s) requests are to be received (parameter icm/server_port_
xx)
 Host and HTTP port of the SAP Message Server (parameter rdisp/mshost and
parameter ms/http_port or wdisp/system_ xx)
Example
If you should be able to call the Web application externally, for example using the
URL www.shop.acme.com, this host name must be mapped internally to the SAP
Web dispatcher. This then forwards the HTTP(S) request to a suitable application
servers.
Downward Compatibility
Although SAP Web Dispatcher is downward-compatible to older releases of SAP systems,
there may be restrictions with release combinations of SAP Web Dispatcher and SAP system
that are supported by SAP. The released release combinations are documented in 908097 .
In principle, SAP Web Dispatcher is released for older releases of SAP systems at the latest
when the kernel release that the SAP Web Dispatcher is based on is released for use as the
downward-compatible kernel for the SAP system.
Features
The SAP Web Dispatcher can perform the following tasks, among others:
 Selection of appropriate application server persistence with stateful applications, load
balancing.
 Configuration for multiple systems - You can place a SAP Web Dispatcher in front of
multiple SAP systems, and configure which requests go to which system, or perform
load balancing across system boundaries.
  URL filtering - You can define URLs that you want to be rejected, and by doing so
restrict access to your system.
 Web caching – you can use the SAP Web Dispatcher as a Web Cache to improve the
response times and to conserver the application server cache.
 URL rewriting, manipulation of HTTP header fields – The Web Dispatcher can
manipulate inbound HTTP requests in general on the basis of defined rules.
More information: Modifications of HTTP Requests
 Depending on the SSL configuration you can forward, terminate, and (re)encrypt
requests.

Architecture and Functions of the SAP Web

Dispatcher
Use
SAP Web Dispatcher as an Infrastructure Component
The SAP Web Dispatcher is located between the Web client (browser) and your SAP system
that is running the Web application.

SAP Web Dispatcher in the System Landscape

It forwards the incoming requests (HTTP, HTTPS) in turn to the application server (AS) of
the SAP system. The number of requests that are sent to an AS depends on its capacity, The
capacity of anAS ABAP depends on the number of configured dialog work processes. The
capacity of a AS Java depends on the number of server processes. If the application is
stateful, the SAP Web Dispatcher ensures that with the next request, the user is forwarded to
the server that is processing his or her application. To do this, it uses the session cookie for
HTTP connections.
Furthermore, the SAP Web Dispatcher decides whether the incoming request should be
forwarded to an ABAP or Java Server.
Note

Unlike HTTP load balancing with the SAP Message Server, redirects are not executed when
the SAP Web Dispatcher is used. This avoids the associated disadvantages (several IP
addresses must be known, book marking is not possible, authentication after changing the
application server).
SAP Web Dispatcher for Multiple Systems
In the figure the SAP Web Dispatcher is located in front of an SAP system.
You can also place the SAP Web Dispatcher in front of multiple systems (SAP and/or
external systems). In this case use the wdisp/system_xx parameter to inform the SAP Web
Dispatcher of all the systems and their message servers.
Structure of the SAP Web Dispatcher
The architecture is the same as the architecture of the Internet Communication Manager
(ICM). The SAP Web Dispatcher uses the same HTTP framework and is likewise structured
modularly from subhandlers. But unlike the ICM, the SAP Web Dispatcher does not directly
pass incoming requests to a work process (such as a server process)– it passes them to the
ICM of the application server. The response of the application server to a request returns to
the client using the same network connection via the SAP Web Dispatcher.
If the application server acting as the client opens connections to external HTTP servers,
these connections go direct to the server (or possibly via a configured proxy) and not via the
SAP Web Dispatcher.
The Web Dispatcher has the function of a “reverse proxy”, and not that of a “proxy”.
Processing HTTP Requests
Like the ICM the SAP Web Dispatcher uses various handlers to process incoming requests.
With the exception of the ABAP handler and the Java handler the handlers are called in the
precise sequence described in Processing HTTP Requests. The dispatching handler comes
last and this performs the load balancing and then forwards the request to the ICM of the
appropriate application server.
Information Tables
The SAP Web Dispatcher gets information about the SAP system that it needs for load distribution
from the message server and application server via HTTP.

Note

With Java-only installations of the AS ABAP AS the message server of the Central Services
supplies the information. With ABAP installations the information comes from the message
server of AS ABAP. The SAP Web Dispatcher knows from parameters rdisp/mshost and
ms/http_port or wdisp/system_<xx> which message server is used.
You can also use HTTPS here. The SAP Web Dispatcher keeps the information in the
following tables:
 Table Information Source of Information
Server All AS instances that process the HTTP(S) Message server of the SAP system
table requests. with the server list.
Group Groups of HTTPS-enabled ABAP servers. You maintain logon groups in
table Here there are known logon groups that are transaction SMLG. The SAP Web
maintained in the system, as well as the Dispatcher can get the information
following internal groups: from any AS ABAP.
Each application server belongs to at
least two of the internal groups.
Each server can also provide ABAP.
!ALL Group of all connected application servers.

!DIAG Group of ABAP servers that provide the

dialog work processes.
!DIAGS Group of HTTP-enabled servers that
provide the dialog work processes.
URL Mapping of the path part that is specified You maintain the URL path in
mapping in the browser to the information about the transaction SICF in AS ABAP as a
table server (groups). service in the HTTP service tree.
Example The SAP Web Dispatcher can get
the information from any AS.
You can determine, for example, that all
requests that contain the path prefix /sap/bc
are only processed by the servers of logon
group GROUP_1.
Related Information

Installing SAP Web Dispatcher

Procedure
Installation
The SAP Web Dispatcher is initially installed using the SAPinst installation program. This
initial installation is described in the installation guide. You can find these guides at .
In the column I want to click on the input field (All Values)  Install a new system or client
aus.
You can download the SAP Web Dispatcher Installation Guide for your platform in the
column Consider this guide.
Installing Patches
If you want to import the current version of the SAP Web Dispatcher, you can find this on
SAP Service under http://service.sap.com/patches in the 7.20 kernel directory.
To do this, choose Support Packages and Patches — Entry by Application Group  Additional
Components  SAP Kernel  SAP KERNEL (32/64Bit, Unicode/non Unicode)  SAPKERNEL
7.20 64–bit  <OS>_<platform>  Database independent
Here you can download kernel package SAPWEBDISP_ <PL>.SAR (SAP Web Dispatcher
package). This contains SAP Web Dispatcher (sapwebdisp) together with all additional
programs and libraries.
Note

The SAP Web Dispatcher was previously contained in the kernel package DW_<PL>.SAR
(disp+work package).
To monitor and administer the Web Dispatcher using the Web administration interface, you
need packet WDISPADMIN.SAR, which you can find in package SAPWEBDISP_
<PL>.SAR on the kernel CD or on the SAP Service Marketplace. (In earlier releases the
same package was used for this as for the ICM: ICMADMIN.SAR. If ICM and Web
Dispatcher are the same release, this is still possible.)
Note

With a Java-only installation you get the SAP Web Dispatcher in the package with the
Central Services.
The SAP Web Dispatcher must be installed in a separate directory, for example:
 Windows: C:\Program Files\SAP\SAPWebDisp
 UNIX: /usr/sap/ <SID>/sapwebdisp
Create the directory for this and unpack archive SAPWEBDISP_ <PL>.SAR into this
directory. Also copy the associated profile file into this directory. To do this, parameter
DIR_EXECUTABLE in the instance profile of the Web Dispatcher must be set to the
selected directory.
If you want to start SAP Web Dispatcher with the bootstrap option, this profile file is
automatically generated with it.

Restrictions
The SAP Web dispatcher is only useful in the Web environment. In the classic SAP system,
load is balanced by the message server.
The SAP Web Dispatcher forwards incoming HTTP(S) requests to the application servers
and returns the responses from the back end to the client.
Outgoing requests (such as requests to another SAP Netweaver Application Server) are not
sent using the SAP Web Dispatcher. They are sent using the proxy server for the appropriate
intranet.
You can find details of the change history of the SAP Web Dispatcher in collective note SAP
Web Dispatcher (SAP Note 538405 )).
Related Information
Server Selection and Load Balancing Using the SAP Web Dispatcher
SAP Web Dispatcher for Multiple Systems
SAP Web Dispatcher as a URL Filter
SAP Web Dispatcher as a Web Cache
SAP Web Dispatcher and SSL
Architecture and Functions of the SAP Web Dispatcher
Administration of the SAP Web Dispatcher
SAP Application Server List for HTTP Load Balancing
Architecture and Functions of the SAP Web Dispatcher
Administration of the SAP Web Dispatcher
Server Selection and Load Balancing Using the SAP Web Dispatcher
SAP Web Dispatcher for Multiple Systems
SAP Web Dispatcher as a URL Filter
SAP Web Dispatcher as a Web Cache
SAP Application Server List for HTTP Load Balancing