Configure connections between the server and client

To configure the communication links between IBM MQ MQI clients and servers, decide on your communication protocol, define the connections at both ends of the link, start a listener, and define channels.

About this task

In IBM MQ, the logical communication links between objects are called channels. The channels used to connect IBM MQ MQI clients to servers are called MQI channels. You set up channel definitions at each end of our link so that the IBM MQ application on the IBM MQ MQI client can communicate with the queue manager on the server.

Before you define your MQI channels, we must decide on which form of communication we are going to use and define the connection at each end of the channel.

If we are defining an MQI channel between an IBM MQ MQI client and a queue manager that are on different physical networks, or that communicate through a firewall, using IBM MQ Internet Pass-Thru might simplify the configuration. For more information, see IBM MQ Internet Pass-Thru.

Procedure

1. Decide on the form of communication that we are going to use. See Which communication type to use.
2. Define the connection at each end of the channel. To define the connection, we must:
   1. Configure the connection.
   2. Record the values of the parameters that we need for the channel definitions.
   3. Enable the server to detect incoming network requests from the IBM MQ MQI client, by starting a listener.

• Which communication type to use
  Different platforms support different communication protocols. Your choice of transmission protocol depends on your combination of IBM MQ MQI client and server platforms.
• Configure an extended transactional client
  This collection of topics describes how to configure the extended transactional function for each category of transaction manager.
• Defining MQI channels
  To create a new channel, you have to create two channel definitions, one for each end of the connection, using the same channel name and compatible channel types. In this case, the channel types are server-connection and client-connection.
• Create and using AMQP channels
  When you install the IBM MQ support for MQ Light APIs into the IBM MQ installation, we can run IBM MQ MQSC commands (runmqsc) to define, alter, delete, start, and stop a channel. We can also view the status of a channel.
• Create server-connection and client-connection definitions on different platforms
  We can create each channel definition on the computer to which it applies. However, there are restrictions on how we can create channel definitions on a client computer.
• Create server-connection and client-connection definitions on the server
  We can create both definitions on the server, then make the client-connection definition available to the client.
• Channel-exit programs for MQI channels
  Three types of channel exit are available to the IBM MQ MQI client environment on UNIX, Linux, and Windows.
• Connect a client to a queue sharing group
  We can connect a client to a queue sharing group by creating an MQI channel between a client and a queue manager on a server that is a member of a queue sharing group.
• Configure a client using a configuration file
  You configure your clients by using attributes in a text file. These attributes can be overridden by environment variables or in other platform-specific ways.
• Use IBM MQ environment variables
  We can use commands to display the current settings or to reset the values of IBM MQ environment variables.

Parent topic: Configure IBM MQ

Related concepts

• Configure an extended transactional client
• Defining MQI channels
• Channel-exit programs for MQI channels

Related tasks

• Create server-connection and client-connection definitions on different platforms
• Create server-connection and client-connection definitions on the server
• Connect a client to a queue sharing group
• Configure a client using a configuration file

Related information

• Connect IBM MQ MQI client applications to queue managers
• DISPLAY CHLAUTH
• SET CHLAUTH