What can you do with WebSphere MQ products?

 

WebSphere MQ products are queue managers and application enablers. They support the IBM Message Queue Interface (MQI) through which programs can put messages on a queue and get messages from a queue.

 

WebSphere MQ for z/OS

With WebSphere MQ for z/OS you can write applications that:

  • Use message queuing within CICS or IMS.

  • Send messages between batch, CICS, and IMS applications, selecting the most appropriate environment for each function.

  • Send messages to applications that run on other WebSphere MQ platforms.

  • Process several messages together as a single unit of work that can be committed or backed out.

  • Send messages to and interact with IMS applications by means of the IMS bridge.

  • Participate in units of work coordinated by RRS.

See Appendix A, Language compilers and assemblers for details of the supported programming languages.

Each environment within z/OS has its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. The advantage of WebSphere MQ for z/OS is that applications are not tied to any one environment, but can be distributed to take advantage of the benefits of each environment. For example, you can develop end-user interfaces using TSO or CICS, you can run processing-intensive modules in z/OS batch, and you can run database applications in IMS or CICS. In all cases, the various parts of the application can communicate using messages and queues.

Designers of WebSphere MQ applications must be aware of the differences and limitations imposed by these environments. For example:

  • WebSphere MQ provides facilities that allow intercommunication between queue managers (this is known as distributed queuing).

  • Methods of committing and backing out changes differ between the batch and CICS environments.

  • WebSphere MQ for z/OS provides support in the IMS environment for online message processing programs (MPPs), interactive fast path programs (IFPs), and batch message processing programs (BMPs). If you are writing batch DL/I programs, follow the guidance given in this book for z/OS batch programs.

  • Although multiple instances of WebSphere MQ for z/OS can exist on a single z/OS system, a CICS region can connect to only one queue manager at a time. However, more than one CICS region can be connected to the same queue manager. In the IMS and z/OS batch environments, programs can connect to more than one queue manager.

  • WebSphere MQ for z/OS allows local queues to be shared by a group of queue managers, giving improved throughput and availability. Such queues are called shared queues, and the queue managers form a queue-sharing group, which can process messages on the same shared queues. Batch applications can connect to one of several queue managers within a queue-sharing group by specifying the queue-sharing group name, instead of a particular queue manager name. This is known as group batch attach, or more simply group attach. See WebSphere MQ for z/OS Concepts and Planning Guide for a full discussion of queue-sharing groups.

 

WebSphere MQ for non-z/OS platforms

With WebSphere MQ for non-z/OS platforms you can write applications that:

  • Send messages to other applications running under the same operating systems. The applications can be on either the same or another system.

  • Send messages to applications that run on other WebSphere MQ platforms.

  • Use message queuing from within CICS Transaction Server for OS/2(R), CICS for iSeries, TXSeries for AIX(R), TXSeries for HP-UX, CICS for Siemens Nixdorf SINIX, TXSeries for Solaris, and TXSeries for Windows systems applications.

  • Use message queuing from within Encina(R) for AIX, HP-UX, SINIX, Solaris, and Windows systems.

  • Use message queuing from within Sybase for AIX, Solaris, and Windows systems.

  • Use message queuing from within Tuxedo for AIX, AT&T, HP-UX, SINIX and DC/OSx, Solaris, Compaq Tru64 UNIX, and Windows systems.

  • WebSphere MQ can act as a transaction manager, and will coordinate updates made by external resource managers within WebSphere MQ units of work. These external resource managers must comply to the X/OPEN XA interface.

  • Process several messages together as a single unit of work that can be committed or backed out.

  • Run from a full WebSphere MQ environment, or run from a WebSphere MQ client environment on the following platforms:

    • OS/400 (Java client only)

    • Compaq OpenVMS Alpha

    • OS/2

    • UNIX systems

    • VM/ESA(R)

    • Windows NT or Windows 2000

    • Windows 98

See Appendix A, Language compilers and assemblers for details of the supported programming languages.

 

WebSphere is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

 

IBM is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.