5250 error 0099: Key or function not valid now
5250 error 0099 means the key you pressed couldn't be handled at that moment. Before sign-on it usually means the key isn't valid yet. During sign-on it points to a system or controller that isn't answering. After sign-on, the program didn't recognize the key or the link to the system was lost.
Other names for this code
Also written as 0099, error 0099, 5250 0099, operator error 0099, AS/400 error 0099, IBM i 0099 keyboard locked.
What it means
Most 5250 operator codes describe one field rule. 0099 is broader. IBM's operator guide for the 5291 display station explains it by when it happens.
Before you sign on, 0099 usually means you pressed a key the screen in front of you doesn't take. On some systems the sign-on screen isn't shown until you press System Request, and pressing other keys gets 0099.
During sign-on, it means the session couldn't get an answer. Either the system isn't running, or the controller between the display and the system isn't talking to it. For a PC emulator the controller's place is taken by the network connection and the IBM i Telnet server.
After sign-on, 0099 means one of two things. The program didn't recognize the key you pressed, or the display lost contact with the system. If it was the key, trying something else works. If contact was lost, nothing works until the session is connected again.
Common causes
- Before sign-on, you pressed a key the screen doesn't accept, or the sign-on screen wasn't showing yet.
- During sign-on, the system wasn't running or wasn't accepting sessions, or the controller or line between you and the system wasn't active.
- After sign-on, you pressed a key the program doesn't handle at that point.
- After sign-on, the connection to the system dropped. On an emulator that can be the network, a firewall closing an idle session, or the device being varied off on IBM i.
How to find the problem
- Note when 0099 appeared, before, during or after sign-on. That narrows the cause more than anything else.
- Press Help. If the session is still connected, the system shows text for the error. IBM notes that Help can't describe the error when contact with the system has been lost, so no answer from Help is itself a clue. If Help shows 0000, no code was displayed or the program doesn't support Help.
- Try another session to the same system. If that works, the problem is with your session or display device, not the system.
- An administrator can check the display device and its controller with WRKCFGSTS on IBM i, and the job log of the session's job if it still exists.
How to fix it
- Press Reset (also called Error Reset) to free the keyboard. In many PC emulators Reset is the left Ctrl key by default. Then try a different key or function.
- Before sign-on, press Reset and sign on normally. If the sign-on screen isn't showing, press System Request to bring it up on systems that need it.
- During sign-on, press Reset and try again. If it keeps happening, ask the system operator to confirm the system is running and accepting sessions, and that the controller or line is active.
- After sign-on, if Reset and a different key don't help, the session has probably lost the system. Disconnect and reconnect the emulator session, then sign on again.
- If 0099 keeps happening in one program on the same key, report it to the people who maintain the program, with the screen and the key.
Read this error in WND Terminal
For a visible 5250 error 0099 message, Explain this screen can help interpret the screen under IT’s configured AI policy. It does not establish the cause of a rejected host data stream. Preserve the exact status and follow the diagnostic steps in this article.
Try the WND Terminal sample with fictional data · 3270 emulator features and installation · 5250 emulator for IBM i
IBM documentation
IBM Personal Communications documentation. Use the documentation for your installed release.
This link opens the relevant IBM reference library or lookup instructions. Match the complete code and your installed product release; it is not a code-specific review.
Related codes
Questions
Does 0099 mean the system is down?
Not always. During sign-on it often does point to the system or the link to it. After sign-on it can just mean the program didn't recognize the key you pressed.
Why does Help do nothing after a 0099?
Help needs the system to send back the text for the error. If contact has been lost, there is nothing to answer, and reconnecting the session is the next step.
Can I lose data after a 0099?
Anything you typed on the screen and didn't send yet is lost if you have to reconnect. Work that was already sent and processed by the program is not affected.