In the case of one of the tp commands ‘import’, ‘export’, ‘addtobuffer’, ‘delfrombuffer’, tp terminates with return code 243:
tp finished with return code: 243 meaning: transport in buffer too long
In the corresponding SLOG file, lines of the following type are found:
PANIC PANIC PANIC …
ERROR: TA in buffer too long.
ERROR: EXIT(16) -> process ID is: …
Transport control program tp ended with error code 0243
Reason and Prerequisites
A buffer file of the transport contains a line with an invalid format. The source of this line is unclear. The error message conceals information as to which buffer and which line or request is concerned.
Solution
The solution consists of finding the incorrect buffer entry and reproducing the format. Depending on which tp command is used and the SLOG entries before the error message, indices can be derived in which buffer the incorrect line is to be searched for.
1. Buffer files affected:
a) export : The only buffer file which is edited by tp when a transport request is exported is the buffer file of the target system.
b)addtobuffer, delfrombuffer : The only buffer file which is edited by tp for an addtobuffer of a transport request is the buffer file that is entered as a target system in the command line.
c) import : For this command, different buffer files are edited by tp. Which ones are edited depends on the transport step that has just been carried out. For this you can refer to the SLOG file in which you also found the error message.
If the last line in the SLOG file before the error message is a line of the type START MAIN IMPOR [SID] I ……..
both the buffer file of the current target system and the buffer files of the routing systems may be affected. The routing systems can be found with Transaction SE06.
In all other cases of an import, only the buffer file of the current target system is edited.
2. Checking a buffer file: Check this file first with the command tp showbuffer [file name]
If the command also outputs the above error message, look for the incorrect line in the buffer file after the last displayed transport request. Generate a backup copy of the buffer file and then correct the incorrect format of the line with a text editor. You must use the editor ‘sappad’ on Windows platforms.
If the command ‘showbuffer’ does not generate an error message, you must search for the incorrect line manually. To help you, you can generate a backup copy of the file and then use the command ‘cleanbuffer’ to remove processed requests from the buffer file.
3. Postprocessing: When tp appears in an error scenario in which the process cannot continue as required, tp cancels with a ‘panic’ message. All the following actions are not executed. For most actions, there are restart procedures which make sure that tp can restart without loss after the error has been eliminated.
For the error described here, this is not always the case.
a) export : In this case, the buffer entry is missing in the target system. You must generate the buffer entry with the command ‘addtobuffer’.
b) addtobuffer, delfrombuffer : The actions were not carried out and must be repeated (normal restart case).
c) import : If the error described above was generated during the main import (that is, as a line of the form ‘START MAIN IMPOR…’ in the SLOG file), you must then check whether all routing systems have the transport request in the corresponding buffer file before you can restart the import.
Search for the request in the ALOG file which was last imported into the current target system. Then transmit the command for all routing systems tp addtobuffer [request] [routing system].
You do not need to check whether the request has already been received.
For all other terminations during the import, no postprocessing is necessary before you restart the imports (normal restart case).
4. Remark : This note should be a help to the self-help. If you encounter the error and are unsure how to correct the problem, contact SAP customer support making reference to this note.
You can always help us in our research into the cause by sending us a copy of the incorrect buffer file. To do this you could, for example, open an error message making reference to this note and then transfer the file to one of the SAPSERVX hosts.