SAProuter examines any incoming data packets, checks the route and
authorization and then sends them to their specified targets. The partner that
sets up the connection specifies the route (from SAProuter to SAProuter and to
the target). This procedure is known as source routing.
If you want a connection, from a SAPgui to an R/3 System for example, to run
through a SAProuter, then you need to enter the route in the SAPgui command
line.
You can use SAProuter if there is no direct IP connection between the
communication partners. SAProuter must be running on a host that is connected to
both IP networks. It can then receive data from the SAPgui in one IP network and
relay it to the R/3 server in another IP network, and vice versa. Normal IP
routing is used between the application programs and the SAProuters.
Connections established using SAProuter have the additional advantage that no
end-to-end connections between the participating system are necessary on network
level. For example, if accessing a frontend PC on an R/3 server with an
intermediate SAProuter, it is not necessary to define the complete path between
the two systems at TCP/IP level. It is
sufficient if both parties can reach the SAProuter. From an SAP communication
viewpoint, this represents a point of concentration in your network that serves
as a starting point for each subconnection.
Each subnetwork stored logically behind a SAProuter is therefore reduced to
the network address of the SAProuter.
Without SAProuter, the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses must be unique, which
cannot always be guaranteed, particularly on international networks.
With SAProuter it is possible to connect two points that have unofficial,or
even identical, IP addresses. Therefore, it is rarely
necessary to adapt existing address topologies using official IP addresses.
SAP Online Service & Support now only supports SAProuter connections due to
these advantages. Because SAP routes all accesses to internal systems (such as
SAPNet - R/3 Frontend) and all service connections via SAProuter, the connection
between SAP and the customer is reduced to a single SAProuter - SAProuter
connection.
