Verifying a local server installation using the Postcard application on Windows

Sending messages successfully between two Postcard applications verifies a local installation.


Before you begin

The postcard application is Java based and requires a system with the ability to view a graphical display.

You must ensure that you are a member of the IBM MQ administrators group ( mqm ).

Note: Using Postcard to verify an IBM MQ installation is only possible if there is one IBM MQ installation on that box. The Default Configuration wizard will not create a default configuration if a queue manager already exists on the box. The Default Configuration wizard will run on any installation on a box but only one default configuration can be created per box. Using Postcard to verify second and subsequent installations of IBM MQ on the same box is not possible.

To verify that the local installation is working, we can run two instances of the Postcard application on the same server. The postcard application can send messages to, and receive messages from, other postcard applications. Successful sending and receiving of messages verifies that IBM MQ is installed and working correctly on the server.


Procedure

  1. Log on as a user in group mqm.
  2. Start the postcard application in one of the following ways:
    1. From the command line:
      1. Change the directory to MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH\java\bin. MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH represents the high-level directory in which IBM MQ is installed.
      2. Run the postcard application by entering the following command:
        postcard
    2. From the IBM MQ Explorer: On Windows systems, we can start IBM MQ Explorer by using the system menu, the MQExplorer command (preferred command), or the MQExplorer executable file. The strmqcfg command is still usable.
      1. If the Welcome to IBM MQ Explorer Content view page does not show, click IBM MQ in the Navigator view to show the Welcome page.
      2. Click Launch Postcard to start the Postcard.
  3. At the Postcard - Sign On window, type in a nickname to use to send messages within the Postcard application (for example, User1).
  4. Select the queue manager to use as the mailbox:

    • If we do not have any queue managers, you are prompted to either launch the Default Configuration or close the Postcard application. Launching the Default Configuration creates a default queue manager.
    • If the only queue manager on your server is the default queue manager, this queue manager is used automatically for the postcard application. The default queue manager is created by running the Default Configuration wizard
    • If we have created your own queue managers, but we have not run the Default Configuration wizard, select an appropriate queue manager from the list.
    • If we have run the Default Configuration wizard and you want to use the default queue manager, but there are other queue managers on your server, select the Advanced check box. Then select Use Default Configuration as mailbox.
    • If we have run the Default Configuration wizard and also created your own queue managers, and we do not want to use the default queue manager, select the Advanced check box. Then select Choose queue manager as mailbox, and then select the appropriate queue manager from the list.
    When your selection is complete, click OK to display your first Postcard window.
  5. Run a second instance of the Postcard application by following the steps used to open the first instance of the Postcard application.
  6. The Postcard - Sign On panel is displayed again. Type in a second nickname to use to send messages within this second Postcard application (for example, User2).
  7. Repeat the selection of the queue manager to use as the mailbox (as described in step 4). The queue manager you select for this second Postcard must be the same queue manager as used for the first instance of the Postcard application.
  8. In the first Postcard, (User1), enter the nickname ( User2) for the second Postcard application in the To: field. Because the sender and receiver are on the same server, we can leave the On: field blank.
  9. Type a message in the Message: field and click Send.
  10. The Postcards sent and received area of the Postcard shows details of the message. In the sending Postcard, the message is displayed as sent. In the receiving Postcard, the message is displayed as received.
  11. In the receiving Postcard, (User2), double-click the message in the Postcards sent and received area to view it. When this message arrives, it verifies that IBM MQ is correctly installed.


What to do next

Depending on your situation, you might want to do the following tasks:

  • Install IBM MQ on other servers. Follow the installation procedure for the appropriate platform. Ensure that we use the Join Default Cluster window in the Default Configuration wizard to add the other servers to the cluster on your first server.
  • Install the IBM MQ MQI client on other servers.
  • Continue with further administration tasks, see Administer IBM MQ .