Message channel agent type (MCATYPE)

This attribute can specify the message channel agent as a process or a thread.

On IBM MQ for z/OS, it is supported only for channels with a channel type of cluster-receiver.

Advantages of running as a process include:

• Isolation for each channel providing greater integrity
• Job authority specific for each channel
• Control over job scheduling

Advantages of threads include:

• Much reduced use of storage
• Easier configuration by typing on the command line
• Faster execution - it is quicker to start a thread than to instruct the operating system to start a process

For channel types of sender, server, and requester, the default is process. For channel types of cluster-sender and cluster-receiver, the default is thread. These defaults can change during your installation.

If you specify process on the channel definition, a RUNMQCHL process is started. If you specify thread, the MCA runs on a thread of the AMQRMPPA process, or of the RUNMQCHI process if MQNOREMPOOL is specified. On the machine that receives the inbound allocates, the MCA runs as a thread if we use RUNMQLSR. It runs as a process if we use inetd.

On IBM MQ for z/OS, this attribute is supported only for channels with a channel type of cluster-receiver. On other platforms, it is valid for channel types of:

• Sender
• Server
• Requester
• Cluster sender
• Cluster receiver

Parent topic: Channel attributes in alphabetical order