SAP R3 Port to Linux

The Open Source Way

A little time jump into the past when Christoph Roland and Harald Kuck ported SAP software stack to Linux.

In this episode, host Karsten Hohage speaks with Christoph Roland (former SAP) and Harald Kuck (SAP) about the past – when they both ported SAP software stack to Linux back in the 90s. Today Linux provides an open-source-based operating system infrastructure for SAP solutions. In the podcast Christoph and Harald share anecdotes and insides from the very beginning of Open Source and SAP.

Guests:

Christoph Rohland

Chrstoph Rohland discovered Linux at university in early 1993 and was convinced that Linux it had a great future. He joined SAP in 1994 where he started in the support organization, but soon joined Harald’s development team. Christoph took care of SAP’s network library – and ported the SAP stack to Linux. He then founded the SAP LinuxLab. Later he took on several management roles. He left SAP in 2008 to pursue other opportunities.

GitHub: https://github.com/hcrohland

Harald Kuck

Harald Kuck led SAP’s ABAP Platform unit until March 2024 and is now retiring. He started his career at Siemens and Karlsruhe University, before joining SAP in 1989, where he was part of the team implementing the R/3 kernel in C. Since then, Harald has founded several SAP technology development teams, including the SAP JVM team in the Java space or the Steampunk team in the ABAP space. One of the highlights of his 38-year career was initiating SAP’s move to Linux and open source, together with Christoph, in 1999.

Show Notes:

• SAP Open Source Program Office
  • SAP Open Source at SAP Community
  • SAP Open Source on X (Twitter)
  • Email us: [email protected]
    
• Try out an open-source podcast player – find a list here (list not maintained by SAP)
  
• Additional Downloads
  • Download the transcript as PDF file

Host:

Karsten Hohage – Product Expert in Technology and Innovation (T&I)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karsten-hohage-0180312/

The post SAP R3 Port to Linux first appeared on The Open Source Way.

Chapters

1. Introduction to the Open Source Way Podcast (00:00:00)

2. Meet the Pioneers: Christoph Roland and Harald Kuck (00:00:22)

3. The Early Days of SAP and Linux (00:00:41)

4. The Grassroots Linux Project (00:04:46)

5. Customer and Partner Reactions (00:09:43)

6. The Big Announcement at CeBIT (00:18:43)

7. Choosing the Right Linux Distribution (00:23:07)

8. Contributions to the Linux Kernel (00:25:18)

9. Open Source and Industry Perception (00:29:43)

10. Final Thoughts and Advice for Developers (00:33:35)