Configuring queue manager connections

To connect Eclipse Amlen to IBM® MQ queue managers, you must create queue manager connections. Each queue manager connection specifies the connection details for one queue manager.

You can create, edit, or delete queue manager connections by using either the Amlen WebUI or REST Administration APIs.

When you create a queue manager connection, you must specify the following components:
  • Name
    The name specifies a label that identifies the queue manager connection.
    The name must not have leading or trailing spaces and cannot contain control characters, commas, double quotation marks, backslashes, or equal signs. The first character must not be a number or any of the following special characters:

    ! # $ % & ' ( ) * + - . / : ; < > ? @

  • Queue manager
    Specify one IBM MQ queue manager to connect to.
    The name must match the name of a queue manager on IBM MQ, and is case-sensitive.
  • Connection name
    The connection name specifies the connection details for the queue manager. The connection name consists of the IP address or host name, and optionally, the port number, of a IBM MQ server. If a port number is not specified, the default value of 1414 is used. For multi-instance queue managers, you can specify more than one IBM MQ server by entering the IP addresses or host names in a comma-separated list.
    For a connection name with a port number, you must specify the port number in parentheses. For example: 10.0.0.127(1415)
  • Channel name
    The channel name specifies the IBM MQ server-connection channel to use for the queue manager connection. The server-connection channel must be defined in IBM MQ.
    The name that is specified must match the name of the server-connection channel that is defined in IBM MQ for the queue manager that is used in the queue manager connection. See Configuring the IBM MQ server connection channel.
You can also specify the following components:
  • SSL cipher spec
    The SSL cipher spec specifies the SSL cipher specification that Eclipse Amlen uses to connect to IBM MQ.
    The cipher spec specified must match the cipher spec that is defined in IBM MQ for the queue manager that is used in the queue manager connection.
  • Channel User Name
    Specifies the user name to provide to IBM MQ Connectivity channel authentication.
    The maximum length of the name is 1024 characters.
    If you specify a channel user name, you must also specify a channel user password.
  • Channel User Password
    Specifies the password to provide to IBM MQ Connectivity channel authentication
    The maximum length of the password is 256 characters.
    You must specify a channel user password if you specify a channel user name.
  • MQ SSL Key
    Specifies the name of the key database file.
  • MQ Stash Password
    Specifies the name of the password stash file.

For more information about configuring a queue manager connection by using the Amlen WebUI, see Configuring queue manager connections by using the Amlen WebUI.

For more information about configuring a queue manager connection by using REST Administration APIs, see Configuring queue manager connections by using REST Administration APIs.

Deleting queue manager connections with unfinished transactions

Eclipse Amlen uses a two-phase commit, transactional protocol to ensure that messages are transferred reliably and without duplication. As a result, if either Eclipse Amlen, or IBM MQ stops abruptly there might be unfinished transactions on the systems. Eclipse Amlen automatically detects this situation when communication is re-established and the transaction is completed.

If you attempt to delete a queue manager connection that has an incomplete transaction, Eclipse Amlen notifies you of the unfinished transaction. Ensure that the queue manager in question is running so that Eclipse Amlen can connect to it and resolve the transaction. If it is impossible to re-establish contact with that queue manager, you can force the queue manager connection to be deleted. When the queue manager connection is deleted, the unfinished transaction is rolled back.