IBM MQ Administration for Multi-platform (LUW) Environments Training

Attendees must be familiar with IBM MQ at a conceptual and terminological level. This can be achieved by attending the course Technical Introduction to IBM MQ, or through prior practical experience. Attendees must also have a working knowledge of their Linux, UNIX or Windows environments.

• define and manage MQ objects such as queues and channels using MQ script commands and the MQ Explorer
• set up triggered queues
• establish distributed queuing channels both directly to an adjacent Queue Manager and indirectly through one or more intermediate Queue Managers
• inspect and process messages on the Queue Manager’s dead letter queue
• troubleshoot distributed queuing problem
• implement a basic MQ cluster
• create connections between an MQ client and an MQ Queue Manager using both an environment variable and a client channel connection table
• navigate the MQ file system and identify running MQ processes
• outline the principles of MQ logging and units of work
• rebuild a damaged queue
• review the security mechanisms available to the distributed implementations of IBM MQ
• monitor an MQ system using a range of monitoring tools
• describe how publish/subscribe differs from traditional point-to-point queuing
• test a simple publish/subscribe implementation
• compare the z/OS implementation of IBM MQ with the distributed implementations of IBM MQ.

Basic Messaging Concepts

Islands of information and IBM MQ; What's in a name?; Software layers; IBM MQ features; Wide platform coverage; The MQI - a common application programming interface; Time independent or asynchronous processing; Assured message delivery; Support of different application styles; MQ - some comparisons; Queues; Messages; MQPUT; MQGET; Queue Managers and database managers; A significant difference between queues and database tables...; Messages and queues; Shared queues; The Queue Manager; Basic message structure; Asynchronous messaging; Synchronous messaging; Multiple requesters, one responder; Parallel messaging; Re-using MQ application processes as business objects; Meshed business objects; Remote messaging (distributed queuing); MQ clients.

Configuration - Overview

Overview; Command interfaces; Creating Queue Managers; Starting Queue Managers; Stopping Queue Managers; Deleting Queue Managers; Command interfaces; RUNMQSC; STRMQMADM; PCF commands; Practical session 1 - creating a new default queue manager; IBM MQ object definition; Types of object; The Queue Manager object; The QLOCAL object: MQSGDLVSEQ, sharing, DEFPSIST, DISTL, sample commands; The QMODEL object: usage, sample commands; The QALIAS object: usage, sample commands; The NAMELIST object: usage, sample commands; DISPLAY names or information on queues; The AUTHINFO object; AMQSGET - sample session; Practical session 2 - managing IBM MQ objects.

Configuration - Triggering

Using MQ Explorer; Triggering; Why trigger?; What the Queue Manager does; Objects required for triggering; The initiation queue; The trigger monitor; The process object; Triggering the application queue; triggering: simplified walkthrough, detailed walkthrough; Triggered sample programs; Using the sample programs; Sample session; Practical session 3 IBM MQ triggering.

Distributed Queuing

Basic distributed messaging; Distributed queuing components; Transmission queues; Transmission queue headers; Remote queues; Specifying a transmission queue for a qremote; Message Channel Agents; Configuring channels; Types of channel; Sample MCA definition; Starting channels; The listener; Triggering channels; Channel batches; The Dead Letter Queue; Multi-hopping; Using a default transmission queue; The Queue Manager alias; Multi-hopping using a Queue Manager alias; How a receiving MCA processes incoming messages; Channel exits - security; Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) - 'Handshake'; Queue Manager Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) attributes; Channel attributes Secure Sockets Layer (SSL); Channel exits - message, send and receive; The Message exit; The Send exit; Resolving channel problems; Practical session 4 - configuring distributed queuing; Clustering Queue Managers; Why cluster?; What is a cluster?; Cluster objects; Cluster Queue Manager roles; Defining full repositories; Defining partial repositories; Cluster workload balancing; Overlapping clusters; Practical session 5 - implementing a cluster; The MQ client; Client structure; Client code installation; Client configuration; Queue Manager grouping; Practical session 6 - implementing clients.

Introduction to Clustering

What is an MQ cluster?; What an MQ cluster is not; Cloned application services; Continuous putting; Scalability; Cluster components; Reduced administration; Joining a Queue Manager to a cluster; Definition through use; Disseminating cluster information; Cluster information message contents; Retention of information in repositories; Dynamically created reply to queues; Basic cluster configuration; Cluster administration commands.

SSL

Public key encryption - principle; Public key encryption - capabilities; Digital certificates; Secure Sockets Layer; Authentication and Authorisation; Authentication; Authorisation; The MCAUSER parameter and channel authentication records; Configuring IBM MQ for SSL; IBM Key Management; Key repository location - Queue Managers; Key repository location - Clients; Channel definition parameters for SSL; SSLSIPH; SSLPEER; SSLCAUTH; Secret key reset; Access to Certificate Revocation Lists.

IBM MQ System Management

IBM MQ Architecture; Functional architecture; MQ processes; MQ components; Queue manager manual stop; Manual Queue Manager deletion; MQ directory structure; The MQS.INI file; The QM.INI file; Logging and recovery; Message persistence; Logs; Circular logging; Linear logging; Message recovery; Dumping the log; Transaction support; Syncpoint control; Recovery co-ordination: with manager, without manager; MQ Recovery co-ordination of XA compliant resource manager(s); Accounting: Accounting Messages, Statistics Messages, Display accounting information; Practical session - logging and recovery; Practical session 8 - Statistics and Accounting.

Monitoring MQ

Montioring MQ; Instrumentation events; Types of instumentation event; Accounting and statistics; Application activity trace; mqat.ini example; Real-time monitoring; Real-time monitoring attributes; Displaying real-time monitoring information; Queue and channel monitoring examples; Display route information (dspmqrte); dspmqrte examples.

MQ Security Overview

Introduction to MQ security; Security concepts; Authentication and authorisation; Channel authentication records; Channel access blocking points; Channel authentication examples; Connection authentication; Setting up connection authentication; Channel exits - security; Channel exits - message, send & receive; Access control: the OAM (Object Authority Manager); OAM authorisations; Setmqaut examples; SET AUTHREC examples; Explorer examples; Distributed queuing, user IDs, authorisation and MCAUSER; Advanced Message Security (AMS).

Publish and Subscribe

A classic example; Types of publications; State publications; Event publications; Adding business processes as subscribers; Topic strings and the topic tree; The topic tree and topic objects; The topic tree and authorisation; Defining topics; Displaying topic status; Types of subscription; MQI Extensions; Testing publish/subscribe; Distributed publish/subscribe; Hierarchies and clusters; Proxy subscriptions in clusters.

MQ Versions

WebSphere MQ V7.0.1 Enhancements; WebSphere MQ V7.1 Enhancements; WebSphere MQ V7.5 Enhancements; IBM MQ V8.0 Enhancements; IBM MQ V 9.0 Enhancements.

Comparing Distributed & z/OS

Implementations; Installation; Storage (Distributed); Storage (z/OS); Shared Queues (z/OS); Extra Features; Application Programming; Object definition; Object attributes - Queue Manager; Object Attributes - Queues and Channels; Queue Manager operations; Intercommunication and clusters; Security; Commands; Monitoring; Problem Determination; Backup; High Availability.