Managing the SAP Agent

What is it?

The SAP Agent runs as two Windows services. This page covers how to start, stop, and restart them from the Windows Service Control Manager during installs, configuration changes, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Services at a glance

Service	Role	Recommended Startup Type	Default Log on as
SMA OpCon Agent for SAP	The agent itself. Talks to OpCon and SAP.	Automatic (Delayed Start)	Local System
SMA OpCon JORS for SAP	The Job Output Retrieval System. Delivers job logs and spool output to the Enterprise Manager.	Automatic (Delayed Start)	Local System

Manage both services together

Always start or stop both services in the same maintenance window. If only one is running, output retrieval and job processing fall out of sync.

When to use these procedures

Trigger	Procedure
Editing non-dynamic settings in SAPLSAM.ini (marked N in the Dynamic column)	Restart both services
Changing the service Log on as account	Restart both services
Bringing services up after a host reboot or planned outage	Start both services
Taking the agent offline for an upgrade or extended maintenance	Stop both services
Troubleshooting communication between the agent and OpCon	Restart both services, then check logs

Before you begin

Check	Why it matters
You have local administrator credentials on the Windows host	Required to start, stop, or change Windows services.
You are not draining live SAP work	If jobs are still running, drain them first. See Drain SAP work.
You know the Startup Type and Log on as account each service should use	If the defaults were changed, reapply the same values when you bring services back up.

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Procedures

Open the Services console

Each procedure on this page begins by opening the Windows Services console. Open it once and leave it open while you work.

To open the Services console, complete the following steps:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel.
2. Open the Administrative Tools entry.
3. Open the Services entry. The Services window displays.

Start both services

Start the agent first, then JORS. The first time you start a service after install, confirm the Startup Type is Automatic (Delayed Start).

To start both services, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Services console — see Open the Services console.

2. For each service, in the order shown, take the action below:

   #	Service	Action
   1	SMA OpCon Agent for SAP	Open the service. Confirm Startup type is Automatic (Delayed Start) (adjust if needed and select OK). Go to Action > Start. Confirm Status is Started.
   2	SMA OpCon JORS for SAP	Open the service. Confirm Startup type is Automatic (Delayed Start) (adjust if needed and select OK). Go to Action > Start. Confirm Status is Started.

3. Close the Services window.

Stop both services

Stop both services together so processing and output retrieval go offline at the same time.

To stop both services, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Services console — see Open the Services console.

2. For each service, take the action below:

   #	Service	Action
   1	SMA OpCon Agent for SAP	Select the service, then go to Action > Stop. Confirm Status is Stopped.
   2	SMA OpCon JORS for SAP	Select the service, then go to Action > Stop. Confirm Status is Stopped.

3. Close the Services window.

Restart both services

Restart is the safest way to apply non-dynamic SAPLSAM.ini changes or re-establish a stuck connection.

To restart both services, complete the following steps:

1. Stop both services.
2. Start both services.

note

Restart picks up every change in SAPLSAM.ini, including settings marked Dynamic: N. Dynamic settings (marked Y) are picked up automatically and do not require a restart. See Modify the SAPLSAM.ini file.

Verify the services are healthy

After starting or restarting:

1. In the Services console, both services show Status: Running with the expected Log on as account.
2. In the Machines Status view in the Enterprise Manager, the SAP machine reports communication is up.
3. The agent log (SAPLSAM.log under the Output Directory) shows the agent connected to SAP at startup. See Logging for log locations.

If any of the three checks fail, see the FAQs below.

FAQs

When do I need to restart the SAP Agent service? Restart after making non-dynamic changes to SAPLSAM.ini (settings marked N in the Dynamic column on the Configuration file reference) or after changing the service Log on as credentials. Dynamic settings are picked up automatically.

Why are there two services? SMA OpCon Agent for SAP processes SAP jobs. SMA OpCon JORS for SAP delivers job logs and spool output to the Enterprise Manager.

What Startup Type does SMA Technologies recommend? Automatic (Delayed Start) for both services, so they start after dependent system services are ready.

What happens to in-flight SAP jobs when I stop the agent? The agent stops sending status updates to OpCon, but jobs already running on the SAP system continue running. When the agent restarts, it reconnects and resumes monitoring. To avoid surprises, drain SAP work before stopping — see Drain SAP work.

The agent service won't start. Where do I look first?

• The Windows Event Log under the Application source for the failure detail.
• SAPLSAM.log in the Output Directory for any startup errors logged before the service exited.
• SAPLSAM.ini for lowercase values in TCP/IP Parameters or Debug Options (both require uppercase) and for duplicate values across multiple instances on the same host. See Multiple instances.

Can I start JORS without starting the agent? You can, but JORS has nothing to deliver while the agent is offline. Start both together.

How do I confirm the agent connected to SAP after starting? Look for a successful logon entry in SAPLSAM.log. If logon fails, check the SAP system settings (Gateway, Client ID, System Number, encrypted User and Password) in SAPLSAM.ini. See SAP system settings.