SAP: Troubleshooting the Client Connection

Checklist for troubleshooting the client connection (do in the listed order):

What to Check	How to Check It	Tips
Client IP configuration	Make sure the client's IP configuration is properly set up. Find out from the systems administrator what your network settings should be, and check that your computer is configured properly	if you are using Win95 or Win98, execute winipcfg from Start>>Run to see the IP configuration.
Network Connection without DNS	Check that your computer can ping the SAP server (via IP address) using ping <server_ip_address>. If there is no reply, then probably your computer is configured incorrectly or there is a problem with the physical network connection of your computer.	You can also try ping <server_ip_address> -w 10000 (the "-w 10000" option tells ping to wait 10 seconds before timing out). The problem might be in a faulty cable attached to your computer, or to a faulty outlet. Try using a network outlet and a network cable that has already been used by a client to successfully ping to the server's IP address.
Network Connection with DNS	Check that your computer can ping the SAP server (via server name) using ping <server_name>. If this step fails, but the previous step succeeded, then your computer is having problems finding the IP address of the server.	If this step fails, there are several possible solutions: Use the IP address instead of server name. This does not always work. Add an entry for the server in the hosts file of the client machine. Re-configure the DNS settings of the client and/or DNS server (verify with system administrator)
Connect to SAP with SAPIcon	Use sapicon (Start>>Programs>>SAP>>SapIcon) to create a Start Menu shortcut to your SAP system. Use this shortcut to log onto SAP. If an error is encountered before the SAPGui progress bar fills, then there is a problem with the SAP client/server connection.	Make sure the system ID (number) and SAPRouter string are correct in your SAPIcon settings. Check these values with the system administrator.
Connect to SAP with SAPLogon	SAPLogon often messes up and won't connect when it should. If you cannot connect with SAPLogon, first verify the settings with your system administrator.	Often SAPLogon problems go away after re-installation (run SAPSetup).
Connect to SAP: Other	There are some other settings, such as routing, language code page, or special security, that may need to be changed before you can connect properly to SAP. Check with your system administrator.