Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Images Workflow Guide

Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Certification 2024

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP with HA and Update Services Cloud Images

Red Hat Customer Content Services

Abstract

This document describes the technical and operational certification requirements for CCSP Partners who want to offer RHEL for SAP with HA and Update Services.
Version 8.75 updated February 14, 2024.

Making open source more inclusive

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Chapter 1. Introduction to Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux For SAP images program

Use this guide to certify images build on Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP with High Availability and Update Services.

1.1. The Red Hat certification program overview

The Red Hat certification program ensures the compatibility of your hardware, software, and cloud products on the Cloud Platform. The program has three main elements:

  • Test suite: Comprises tests for hardware or software applications undergoing certification.
  • Red Hat Certification Ecosystem: Helps to explore and find certified products including hardware, software, cloud, and service providers.
  • Support: A joint support relationship between you and Red Hat.

1.2. Certification workflow

Follow these high-level steps to certify your hardware, software, and cloud products:

  1. Create a certification request for a specific software or hardware component using the Red Hat Certification tool.
  2. Run the tests specified in the workflow guide, and submit the results by using the Red Hat Certification tool to the Red Hat certification team for analysis.
  3. The certification team analyzes the test results and communicates any required retesting.
  4. When all tests have favorable results, the certification is complete and the certified product is made available on the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog.

The following diagram gives an overview of the certification workflow.

Figure 1.1. Certification Workflow Overview

Certification Workflow

Additional resources

1.3. Getting support and giving feedback

For any questions related to the Red Hat certification toolset, certification process, or procedure described in this documentation, refer to the KB Articles, Red Hat Customer Portal, and Red Hat Partner Connect.

Note

To receive Red Hat product assistance, it is necessary to have the required product entitlements or subscriptions, which may be separate from the partner program and certification program memberships.

You can also open a support case to get support or submit feedback.

Opening a Support Case

To open a support case see, How do I open and manage a support case on the Customer Portal?

Complete the Support Case form with special attention to the following fields:

  • From the Product field, select Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
  • From the Product Version field, select the version of the Red Hat product on which your product or application is being certified.
  • In the Problem Statement field, type a problem statement/issue or feedback using the following format:

{Partner Certification} (The Issue/Problem or Feedback)

  • Replace (The Issue/Problem or Feedback) with either the issue or problem faced in the certification process or Red Hat product or feedback on the certification toolset or documentation.

    For example: {Partner Certification} Error occurred while submitting certification test results using the Red Hat Certification application.
Note

Red Hat recommends that you are a Red Hat Certified Engineer or hold equivalent experience before starting the certification process.

All cases related to Certification use a Severity 3 SLA which provides for a one business day response time.

Chapter 2. Onboarding certification partners

Use the Red Hat Partner Connect Portal to create a new account if you are a new partner, or use your existing Red Hat account if you are a current partner to onboard with Red Hat for certifying your products.

2.1. Onboarding existing certification partners

As an existing partner you could be:

  • A member of the one-to-many Ecosystem Partner Management (EPM) program who has some degree of representation on the EPM team, but does not have any assistance with the Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider (CCSP)certification process.

    OR

  • A member fully managed by the EPM team in the traditional manner with a dedicated EPM team member who is assigned to manage the partner, including questions about the CCSP certification requests.
Note

If you think your company has an existing Red Hat account but are not sure who is the Organization Administrator for your company, email connect@redhat.com to add you to your company’s existing account.

Prerequisites

You have an existing Red Hat account.

Procedure

  1. Access Red Hat Customer Portal and click Log in.
  2. If you do not have an active membership for the Certified Cloud and Service Provider (CCSP) Program, visit Red Hat CCSP program to learn more about it and to join the program. Contact the connect team for more information.
  3. If you already have an active membership for the Certified Cloud and Service Provider (CCSP) Program, from the main menu, click Log in.
  4. Enter your Red Hat login or email address and click Next.

    Then, use either of the following options:

    1. Log in with company single sign-on
    2. Log in with Red Hat account
  5. After you have an active membership in the CCSP program and an SSO account, the account must be entitled with certification privileges. To do this, open a case and include the following information in the Problem Statement field:

Problem Statement:

  • Partner Certification: CCSP Certification Access for {Red Hat SSO Username} at {Partner Name}

    OPTIONAL Include all of the following information in the What do you expect to see field to have a Red Hat associate address your case and create the first certification request for you:

  • Name of the Cloud or the Cloud Service Offering
  • Public Catalog URL/Public URL of the Cloud or Cloud Service Offering
  • Supported Regions (Global/Australia & New Zealand/ASEAN/EMEA/Japan/LATAM/North America/Public Sector):
  • Supported Languages
  • Any 3rd Party Certifications Acquired (E.g. FedRAMP, Systrust, SAS 70, PCI, Other Non-NA Certs, etc.):
  • RHEL Version (7.x, 8.x or 9.x) of the first certification desired to be achieved

Attach File:

Attached Partner Brand Logo (PNG 256x256)

After reviewing your request, a member from the CCSP certification team will contact you and help you to proceed with the certification process.

2.2. Onboarding new certification partners

Creating a new Red Hat account is the first step in onboarding new certification partners.

  1. Access Red Hat Customer Portal and click Register.
  2. Enter the following details to create a new Red Hat account:

    1. Select Corporate in the Account Type field.

      If you have created a Corporate type account and require an account number, contact the Red Hat global customer service team.

Note

Ensure that you create a company account and not a personal account. The account created during this step is also used to sign in to the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog when working with certification requests.

  1. Choose a Red Hat login and password.
Important

If your login ID is associated with multiple accounts, then do not use your contact email as the login ID as this can cause issues during login. Also, you cannot change your login ID once created.

  1. Enter your Personal information and Company information.
  2. Click Create My Account.

    A new Red Hat account is created.

  1. After you have an active membership in the CCSP program and an SSO account, the account must be entitled with certification privileges. To do this, open a case and include the following information in the Problem Statement field:

Problem Statement:

  • Partner Certification: CCSP Certification Access for {Red Hat SSO Username} at {Partner Name}

    OPTIONAL Include all of the following information in the What do you expect to see field to have a Red Hat associate address your case and create the first certification request for you:

  • Name of the Cloud or the Cloud Service Offering
  • Public Catalog URL/Public URL of the Cloud or Cloud Service Offering
  • Supported Regions (Global/Australia & New Zealand/ASEAN/EMEA/Japan/LATAM/North America/Public Sector):
  • Supported Languages
  • Any 3rd Party Certifications Acquired (E.g. FedRAMP, Systrust, SAS 70, PCI, Other Non-NA Certs, etc.):
  • RHEL Version (7.x, 8.x or 9.x) of the first certification desired to be achieved

Attach File:

Attached Partner Brand Logo (PNG 256x256)

After reviewing your request, a member from the CCSP certification team will contact you and help you to proceed with the certification process.

2.3. Cloud certification types

Cloud certifications are basically classified into two main categories:

  • Cloud Instance Type Certification
  • Cloud Image Certification
Note

Certify your product by following the Red Hat Hardware certification process before obtaining Cloud Instance Type certification. For more information about Red Hat Hardware Certification see Red Hat Hardware Certification Test Suite User Guide.

2.3.1. Cloud Instance Type certification

Cloud Instance Type Certification is required for CCSP partners offering multiple, distinct types of hardware to run Red Hat products. This certification type is an acknowledgement of Red Hat product validation and provides visibility for end-customers. This visibility is an indication of support for various cloud provider hardware and/or virtual machine types. It provides end-customers with the knowledge that they will have a fully supported and exceptional experience when running their Red Hat workloads on the cloud hardware and/or virtual machine.

2.3.2. Cloud Image Certification

Cloud Image certification builds upon Cloud Instance Type Certification and Hardware Certification. This certification is performed by CCSP partners to run their Red Hat workloads on certified infrastructure. It also gives the peace of mind that they are using a standard, supported configuration of Red Hat images across multiple different environments.

CCSP partners who want to make Red Hat images available through a cloud marketplace or similar catalog are required to certify the images with Red Hat before making them available to end-customers.

Both certification methods utilize the Red Hat certification tools and run a series of tests that look at either the hardware compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux against provided hardware specifications or configuration of the image to ensure end-customers will have a common, consistent experience across cloud providers. This results in the best end-customer experience across support, security practices, and underlying feature support.

2.4. Cloud certification requirements

Review and ensure to comply with the following cloud certification requirements before proceeding with cloud certifications.

Note

Certify your product by following the Red Hat Hardware certification process before obtaining Cloud Instance Type certification. For more information about Red Hat Hardware Certification see Red Hat Hardware Certification Test Suite User Guide.

2.4.1. Cloud Instance Type certification requirements

For Cloud Instance Type Certification, you must perform certification for each Red Hat product major release, which could be running on the cloud hardware or virtual machine.

2.4.2. Cloud Image Certification requirements

  • For Cloud Image Certification, you must perform certification for any image built by the partner, which will be presented to end-customers.The certification process provides your Red Hat customers with the assurance that they will have a consistent experience across cloud providers, the customer’s experience comes with the highest level of support, and good security practices are available to the customers.
  • Your image needs to meet the complete list of image requirement policies outlined in the CCSP Program Guide and the Technical and Operations requirements Guide available in Red Hat Connect for Business Partners.

If multiple versions of hardware and/or hypervisors are utilized, separate certifications are required for each hardware platform and/or hypervisor version.

It is also recommended the certification process be repeated in each isolated data center or region in the provider’s cloud to ensure against inconsistencies.

Additional resources

Chapter 3. Opening a new certification case by using the Red Hat Certification portal

Prerequisites

  • You have established a certification relationship with Red Hat.
  • You have the user login credentials.
  • You have the vendor and products linked to your user login.

Procedure

  1. Log in to Red Hat Certification Portal.
  2. On the homepage, click Open Certification.

    A new window will display.

    1. Click Next.
    2. Select the Partner from the drop-down list.
    3. On the Product drop-down list, select your product name.

      If your product does not appear, create it by entering its name in the Product field. Then, select it.

    4. In the What kind of product is this? section, select the checkbox applicable to your product.

      Your product might qualify for more than one ecosystem.

    5. Click Next.
    6. Enter the Make.

      The Model appears automatically based on the previous inputs.

    7. Select the applicable checkbox under Which category best describes your product?
    8. Optional: Enter the Product URL.
    9. Optional: Enter the Support URL.
    10. Optional: Enter the Specification URL.
    11. Click Next.

      A new product gets created based on the inputs you provided in the previous steps.

    12. The Partner Product appears by default based on the inputs in the previous steps.
    13. Select Red Hat Certification from the drop-down list, and click Next.
    14. Review the information you provided and click Open.

Verification

A message displays that a new certification case for your product is created.

Next steps

Red Hat will prepare your test plan based on the product specification you provided.

In the meantime, see Chapter 4, Setting up the test environment to prepare the systems for running tests.

Chapter 4. Setting up the test environment

The first step towards certifying your product is setting up the environment where you can run the tests.

The test environment consists of one system:

4.1. Setting up a system that acts as a host under test

A system on which the product that needs certification is installed or configured is referred to as the host under test (HUT).

Prerequisites

  • The HUT has RHEL version 8 or 9 installed. For convenience, Red Hat provides kickstart files to install the HUT’s operating system. Follow the instructions in the file that is appropriate for your system before launching the installation process.

Procedure

  1. Configure the Red Hat Certification repository:

    1. Use your RHN credentials to register your system using Red Hat Subscription Management:

      # subscription-manager register
    2. Display the list of available subscriptions for your system:

      # subscription-manager list --available*
    3. Search for the subscription which provides the Red Hat Certification (for RHEL Server) repository and make a note of the subscription and its Pool ID.
    4. Attach the subscription to your system:

      # subscription-manager attach --pool=<pool_ID>

      Replace the pool_ID with the Pool ID of the subscription.

Note

You don’t have to attach the subscription to your system, if you enable the option Simple content access for Red Hat Subscription Management. For more details, see How do I enable Simple Content Access for Red Hat Subscription Management?

  1. Subscribe to the Red Hat Certification channel:

    • On RHEL 8:

      # subscription-manager repos --enable=cert-1-for-rhel-8-<HOSTTYPE>-rpms

      Replace HOSTTYPE with the system architecture. To find out the system architecture, run

      uname -m

      Example:

      # subscription-manager repos --enable=cert-1-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms
    • On RHEL 9:

      # subscription-manager repos --enable=cert-1-for-rhel-9-<HOSTTYPE>-rpms

      Replace HOSTTYPE with the system architecture. To find out the system architecture, run

      uname -m

      Example:

      # subscription-manager repos --enable=cert-1-for-rhel-9-x86_64-rpms
  2. Install cloud test suite package:

    # yum install redhat-certification-cloud-sap

Chapter 5. Downloading the test plan from Red Hat Certification Portal

Procedure

  1. Log in to Red Hat Certification portal.
  2. Search for the case number related to your product certification, and copy it. For example, 02887238.
  3. Click Cases → enter the product case number.
  4. Optional: Click Test Plans.

    The test plan displays a list of components that will be tested during the test run.

  5. Click Download Test Plan.

Next steps

Chapter 6. Configuring the system and running tests by using Cockpit

To run the certification tests by using Cockpit you need to upload the test plan to the HUT first. After running the tests, download the results and review them.

This chapter contains the following topics:

6.1. Setting up the Cockpit server

Cockpit is a RHEL tool that lets you change the configuration of your systems as well as monitor their resources from a user-friendly web-based interface.

Note
  • You must set up Cockpit on a new system, which is separate from the host under test.
  • Ensure that the Cockpit has access to the host under test.

For more information on installing and configuring Cockpit, see Getting Started using the RHEL web console on RHEL 8, Getting Started using the RHEL web console on RHEL 9 and Introducing Cockpit.

Prerequisites

  • The Cockpit server has RHEL version 8 or 9 installed.
  • You have installed the Cockpit plugin on your system.
  • You have enabled the Cockpit service.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the system where you installed Cockpit.
  2. Install the Cockpit RPM provided by the Red Hat Certification team.

    # yum install redhat-certification-cockpit

You must run Cockpit on port 9090.

6.2. Adding the host under test to Cockpit

Adding the host under test (HUT) to Cockpit lets the two systems communicate by using passwordless SSH.

Prerequisites

  • You have the IP address or hostname of the HUT.

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Click the down-arrow on the logged-in cockpit user name→Add new host.

    The dialog box displays.

  4. In the Host field, enter the IP address or hostname of the system.
  5. In the User name field, enter the name you want to assign to this system.
  6. Optional: Select the predefined color or select a new color of your choice for the host added.
  7. Click Add.
  8. Click Accept key and connect to let Cockpit communicate with the system through passwordless SSH.
  9. Enter the Password.
  10. Select the Authorize SSH Key checkbox.
  11. Click Log in.

Verification

On the left panel, click ToolsRed Hat Certification.
Verify that the system you just added displays under the Hosts section on the right.

6.3. Getting authorization on the Red Hat SSO network

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser’s address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Select Tools → Red Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. On the Cockpit homepage, click Authorize, to establish connectivity with the Red Hat system.

    The Log in to your Red Hat account page displays.

  5. Enter your credentials and click Next.

    The Grant access to rhcert-cwe page displays.

  6. Click Grant access. A confirmation message displays a successful device login. You are now connected to the Cockpit web application.

6.4. Downloading test plans in Cockpit from Red Hat certification portal

For Non-authorized or limited access users:

For authorized users:

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser’s address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Select Tools → Red Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. Click the Test Plans tab. A list of Recent Certification Support Cases will appear.
  5. Click Download Test Plan. A message displays confirming the successful addition of the test plan.
  6. The downloaded test plan will be listed under the File Name of the Test Plan Files section.

6.5. Using the test plan to prepare the host under test for testing

Provisioning the host under test performs a number of operations, such as setting up passwordless SSH communication with the cockpit, installing the required packages on your system based on the certification type, and creating a final test plan to run, which is a list of common tests taken from both the test plan provided by Red Hat and tests generated on discovering the system requirements.

For instance, required hardware packages will be installed if the test plan is designed for certifying a hardware product.

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Select ToolsRed Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. Click the Hosts tab, and then click the host under test on which you want to run the tests.
  5. Click Provision.

    A dialog box appears.

    1. Click Upload, and then select the new test plan .xml file. Then, click Next. A successful upload message is displayed.

      Optionally, if you want to reuse the previously uploaded test plan, then select it again to reupload.

      Note

      During the certification process, if you receive a redesigned test plan for the ongoing product certification, then you can upload it following the previous step. However, you must run rhcert-clean all in the Terminal tab before proceeding.

    2. In the Role field, select Host under test and click Submit. By default, the file is uploaded to path:`/var/rhcert/plans/<testplanfile.xml>`

6.6. Running the certification tests using Cockpit

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and click Login.
  3. Select ToolsRed Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. Click the Hosts tab and click on the host on which you want to run the tests.
  5. Click the Terminal tab and select Run.

    A list of recommended tests based on the test plan uploaded displays. The final test plan to run is a list of common tests taken from both the test plan provided by Red Hat and tests generated on discovering the system requirements.

  6. When prompted, choose whether to run each test by typing yes or no.

    You can also run particular tests from the list by typing select.

6.7. Reviewing and downloading the test results file

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Select ToolsRed Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. Click the Result Files tab to view the test results generated.

    1. Optional: Click Preview to view the results of each test.
    2. Click Download beside the result files. By default, the result file is saved as /var/rhcert/save/hostname-date-time.xml.

6.8. Submitting the test results from Cockpit to the Red Hat Certification Portal

Procedure

  1. Enter http://<Cockpit_system_IP>:9090/ in your browser’s address bar to launch the Cockpit web application.
  2. Enter the username and password, and then click Login.
  3. Select Tools → Red Hat Certification in the left panel.
  4. Click the Result Files tab and select the case number from the displayed list.

    1. For the authorized users click Submit. A message displays confirming the successful upload of the test result file.
    2. For non-authorized users see, Uploading the results file of the executed test plan to Red Hat Certification portal.

The test result file of the executed test plan will be uploaded to the Red Hat Certification portal.

6.9. Uploading the results file of the executed test plan to Red Hat Certification portal

Prerequisites

  • You have downloaded the test results file from either Cockpit or the HUT directly.

Procedure

  1. Log in to Red Hat Certification portal.
  2. On the homepage, enter the product case number in the search bar.

    Select the case number from the list that is displayed.

  3. On the Summary tab, under the Files section, click Upload.

Next steps

Red Hat will review the results file you submitted and suggest the next steps. For more information, visit Red Hat Certification portal.

Chapter 7. Configuring the system and running tests by using RHCert CLI Tool

To run the certification tests by using CLI you need to upload the test plan to the HUT first. After running the tests, download the results and review them.

This chapter contains the following topics:

7.1. Using the test plan to prepare the host under test for testing

Running the provision command performs a number of operations, such as installing the required packages on your system based on the certification type, and creating a final test plan to run, which is a list of common tests taken from both the test plan provided by Red Hat and tests generated on discovering the system requirements.

For instance, required hardware packages will be installed if the test plan is designed for certifying a hardware product.

Procedure

  1. Run the provision command in either way. The test plan will automatically get downloaded to your system.

    • If you have already downloaded the test plan:

      # rhcert-provision _<path_to_test_plan_document>_

      Replace <path_to_test_plan_document> with the test plan file saved on your system.

      Follow the on-screen instructions.

    • If you have not downloaded the test plan:

      # rhcert-provision

      Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your Certification ID when prompted.

7.2. Running the certification tests using CLI

Procedure

  1. Run the following command:

    # rhcert-run
  2. When prompted, choose whether to run each test by typing yes or no.

    You can also run particular tests from the list by typing select.

Note

After a test reboot, rhcert is running in the background to verify the image. Use tail -f /var/log/rhcert/RedHatCertDaemon.log to see the current progress and status of the verification.

7.3. Submitting the test results file

Procedure

  1. Log in to authenticate your device.

    Note

    Logging in is mandatory to submit the test results file.

    # rhcert-cli login
    1. Open the generated URL in a new browser window or tab.
    2. Enter the login and password and click Log in.
    3. Click Grant access.

      Device log in successful message displays.

    4. Return to the terminal and enter yes to the Please confirm once you grant access prompt.
  2. Submit the result file.

    # rhcert-submit

    When prompted, enter your Certification ID.

Chapter 8. Recertification workflow

You must recertify their cloud application image on every major release of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux included in the image and are recommended to also recertify their image on each minor release.

To recertify an image, it is mandatory to create a new certification request for recertification. Run the certification tests and proceed with the rest of the workflow as documented.

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