SYSTEM_FAILURE: "Screen displayed without connection to user".

In a remote function call, one of the following messages is displayed for the RFC exception SYSTEM_FAILURE:
"CPIC server sent screen &P1 &P2 (termination)"
(&P1 = program name, &P2 =screen number)
From Release 3.0F:
"Screen display without connection to user."

ABAP runtime error

On the RFC client: CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR
,,Long text : ,,"CPIC server sending screen ... (termination)"

On the RFC server: DYNPRO_SEND_IN_BACKGROUND
,,Long text: ,,"Screen display without connection to user."

Cause and conditions

The system tried to display a screen or list using an RFC connection.
This error can occur in the following circumstances:

RFC communication between two R/3 Systems or within an R/3 System. The following errors can occur:

If you run the calling program in a background process and the server program tries to output screens or lists, the communication is always broken, regardless of the user type. Make sure that the RFC server program always runs in a dialog process.

If you run the calling program in a dialog process, the action leads to the communication being terminated because the user has insufficient authorization. The user in the RFC connection is not of the type DIALOG. Check the user profile (transaction SU01 or Tools -→ Administration, Users -→ User maintenance -→ User, background, or BDC, the function module called will terminate as soon as it tries to display a screen or list. This occurs if the target system is an R/3 System with a kernel of Release 3.0E or lower (you can check this with the 'Release info' function in transaction SM51.

If the RFC communication is between an R/3 System and an external program such as a C or Visual Basic program, the communication is always broken when a screen is output, regardless of the user type. The exception to this is if the external program has a SAP GUI (RFC with SAP GUI). For further information, consult the system log (transaction SM21) or the error message 'Screen output without connection to user'. You can also refer to the dump analysis (transaction ST22).

Solution

In the case of RFC communication between two R/3 Systems or within an R/3 System, you can solve the problem as follows:

If you run the calling program in a background job, you must modify the function modules called so that they do not display any screens or lists.

If you run the calling program in a dialog process, use an RFC user with user type 'Dialog'.

If the RFC communication is between an R/3 System and an external program that does not have RFC with SAP GUI, you must change the function modules called so that they do not display any screens or lists.