What is Transport Layers and Transport Routes in SAP ( TMS )

All development projects developed in the same SAP System and transported on the same transport routes are grouped together to form a transport layer. 
Before you start the first development project, you create a transport layer in the TMS transport route editor. This transport layer is assigned to the development system as its standard transport layer. Objects delivered by SAP belong to the transport layer "SAP". Other transport layers are generally only needed when new development systems are included in the system group.
After you have set up the transport layer you set up the transport routes. There are two types of transport routes. First, you set up consolidation routes, and then you set up delivery routes:

1. Consolidation routes
To make your changes transportable, set up a consolidation route for each transport layer. Specify your development system as the starting point (source) of these consolidation routes. Specify the quality assurance system as the transport target (in a two-system landscape, specify the production system as the transport target).
2. Delivery routes

After you have imported your development work into the quality assurance system, you then want to transport it into your production system.( Quality as source & Production as target) You may even want to transport it into several SAP Systems (for example, additional training systems). To do this, you have to set up delivery routes.
Delivery routes have a source system and a target system.
When you set up a delivery route, you are making sure that all change requests that are imported into the route’s source system are automatically flagged for import into the route’s target system.
You can set up several delivery routes with the same source system and different target systems (parallel forwarding). You can also set up delivery routes in sequence (multilevel forwarding).CTS transport control makes sure that all requests from the development system are flagged for import into all other SAP Systems in the same order in which they were exported. This is important, since different requests can contain the same Repository object or the same Customizing setting at different development levels, and you must avoid overwriting a more recent version with an older version.

What is transport domain controller in SAP

SAP Transport Domain Controller acts as a leader for all the systems within a transport domain

 

The transport domain contains all SAP systems whose transports are to be administrated jointly. One of these SAP systems is chosen as the transport domain controller.
Since all activities relevant to the entire transport domain, such as configuring transport routes or RFC connections, can only be carried out on the domain controller, the SAP system selected to be the domain controller should have:

High availability
A high level of security
A high level of maintenance

The domain controller is normally configured on a production system or a quality assurance system. Out of several reasons, you may choose to set up an SAP System dedicated to tasks that may be carried out centrally. This includes the task of the TMS domain controller.
The system load on the SAP system that is chosen as the domain controller is low, and only increases for a short period when the TMS configuration is changed.

SAP Transport Management System Configuration Step By Step

I have 3 systems Production(SLP) Quality(SLQ) & Development (SLD) step by step i will tell you how to configure TMS for them

 Step 1- assign transport domain here I am assigning SLP as transport domain Goto T-Code STMS

 

Step 2- you will get popup, enter details as shown in below image in both boxes domain is SLP and then press Save

Step 3- you will get below screen after saving then press System Overview

 

Step 4- Click on update configuration 

 

Step 5- Click on Distribute & activate configuration

 

Step 6- select first option &click on Green tick

 

Step 7- Now Go to anther system which is Quality (SLQ) and hit STMS in SLQ elow popup will come their

 

Step 8-Click on other configuration

 

Step 9- enter target host as oup domain controller which is SLP in my case

 

Step 10- Click on Save

 

Step 11- you will get below screen with below message

 

Step 12- Now again goto STMS of SLP which is our domain controller to approve newly added system (SLQ)

 

Step 13- Click on system overview

 

Step 14- you will find newly added system which is SLQ in my case

 

Step 14- Click on newly added system and press approve

 

Step 15- Click on YES

 

Step 17- Click on Green tick

 

Step 18- you will find same status for both

 

Step 19- you will find same status for both means system is added successfully to transport domain

Repeat Step 7 to Step 18 to add third system which is SLD in my case

you will find below 3 system in System overview of SLP (Transport Domain ) after adding 3rd system (SLD)

 

Creating Transport Routes For TMS

Step 20- in transport domain controller  (SLP) Click on Transport Routes

 

Step 21-Click on Display Change

 

Step 22-Click on Change

 

Step 23-Click on Transport route editor

 

Step 24-Click on Hierarchical list editor and press enter

 

Step 25-you will find below screen

 

Step 26-Click on Display Change

 

Step 27-Click on Change

 

Step 28-Droll down Transport Layer by clicking on + mark

 

Step 29-Click on right click on transport layers and select create option

 

Step 30-enter transport layer name and description,  transport layer name should start with Z

 

Step 31- then right Click on transport route and select create option

 

Step 32-Select Consolidation and enter Development(SLD) & quality system (SLQ) and layer(ZABC) then click on green tick

 

Step 33-you can see both systems are added

 

Step 34-again right click on transport route and select create

 

Step 35-this time click on select delivery and enter quality (SLQ) and production (SLP) system and click on green tick

 

Step 36-you can see all 3 systems in transport route; now click on SAVE

 

Step 37-Give short description and enter

 

Step 38-Distribute & activate configuration

 

Step 39-your TMS is created  and active