Renew SAP NetWeaver ABAP Developer Edition license

The SAP NetWeaver ABAP Developer Edition needs a valid NetWeaver license (a license can be obtained from www.sap.com/minisap). The 7.5x Dev Edition on ASE is provided with a developer user. While renewing the license is easy, you have to follow exactly the steps outlined in Julie Plummer’s blog:

“IMPORTANT: To use the developer key that we provide, you MUST delete your old license before you install the new one (as described in step 4 above). Otherwise, the system will generate a different license that no longer matches our pre-configured dev. key.”

If you do not delete the old license first, you can still install a new NW license and use the system, but you won’t be able to develop ABAP programs, as the developer key will be invalidated. Not being able to develop on the NW ABAP Dev Edition takes away much of the benefits of running it. As this is a task I do not on a daily basis and I always struggle to remember if or not I have to delete the old license first, I decided to write the steps down for me for further references.

Delete old license

Log on to the ABAP system as SAP* in client 000 and delete the expired license.

Client: 000
Users: SAP*
Password: Down1oad

Transaction: SLICENSE

The license expired and the status is red. Time to get a new one. Select the expired license (blue line) and right click to open the context menu.

Select “Delete License”. The license will be deleted.

Result

License is removed.

Get new license

While still in transaction SLICENSE, get the hardware key.

Example Hardware Key: Y1002645304

Apply for a new valid license from SAP. Open https://www.sap.com/minisap. Select the correct system: NPL – SAP NetWeaver 7.x (Sybase ASE)

Fill out the form, provide the hardware key and the download of the new license starts immediately.

Install new license

Client 000
Users: SAP*
Password: Down1oad
Transaction: SLICENSE

Click on Install. Select the previous downloaded license file.

Result

A new valid license is installed.

Check if developer user can develop

All of the above is only then successfully when the developer key is still valid. The provided user Developer must be able to develop in the ABAP system. Log on as developer.

User: DEVELOPER
Password: Down1oad

Transaction: SE80

Create a new ABAP class.

If this works, the DEVELOPER user has a valid dev key assigned to it. Happy coding!