MQRC 2046: Options error

What it means

The problem can be a standalone Options parameter or an Options field inside a call-specific structure such as MQGMO or MQPMO. A numeric mask that is valid for one API is not automatically valid for another.

IBM notes that adding the same option twice can corrupt an options value. It also documents invalid parameter pointers. Establish the actual runtime value before changing queue-manager configuration.

A troubleshooting example

A common initializer adds a wait flag and a later function adds it again. With arithmetic addition, the repeated value changes another bit instead of leaving the original option enabled. The resulting MQGET returns 2046 only on that branch. Capture the completed mask, compare it with the intended flags, and replace the construction with a supported bitwise combination. A useful regression test enables the same feature through both configuration paths and verifies the final mask remains unchanged.

Common causes

• A program combines flags that the selected call does not permit together.
• A copied numeric value belongs to another structure, API or client version.
• Options are assembled by addition and the same bit is added more than once.

How to find the problem

1. Log the failing API name, structure version and numeric options value. Record the symbolic flags the program intended to request.
2. Decode the mask against the installed language definitions. Check generated configuration, wrapper defaults and flags added on error paths.
3. Compare with the call-specific permitted combinations. Start from a small supported set and add one intended behavior at a time.
4. For a native binding, inspect the structure pointer and memory lifetime. Random-looking option values can be a declaration or storage problem.

How to fix it

• Construct a documented combination for the specific call. Use the language's appropriate bitwise operation rather than repeated arithmetic additions.
• Use symbolic constants from compatible MQ headers or libraries. Remove stale hand-coded numeric values and validate configuration input.
• Add targeted tests for optional branches such as browse, wait, syncpoint and reporting. Test the final assembled mask, not only each individual setting.

What it looks like

Illustrative diagnostic notes; not an IBM message template.
Call: MQGET
Record MQGMO.Version and MQGMO.Options
Reason=2046
Decode final mask; check duplicate arithmetic additions.

Technical reviewer: Albert Joseph, WND Software.

Updated 2026-10-23. IBM documentation checked for this article. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s MQ documentation for your version.