Changes for this edition (SC34-6599-00)

 

• Removal of DCE support. Executable files and libraries that allowed the use of DCE exits, and the DCE name service on AIX, Solaris and HP-UX are no longer supported. Instead of DCE, you should use LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), or a similar service.

• Command tracking notification. An event queue is provided for the messages that are generated whenever successful commands are issued. A queue manager attribute is provided for controlling the new queue. This is useful for tracking commands, and for problem diagnosis.

• Enable/disable the collection of event messages (channel, IMS Bridge, SSL. Collect only those event messages that are of interest, without having to delete the queue.

• A connection ID field for MQCNO (connection options). A queue manager can uniquely identify an application process, when the application first connects. This is useful to those applications that require a unique identifier when putting and getting messages, and is also used by the DISPLAY CONNECTION command.

• Renegotiate SSL encryption keys whilst connected. WebSphere MQ can renegotiate a new SSL secret encryption key periodically, whilst the channel is still running. The renegotiation process does this without interrupting the connection. This feature improves security by reducing the risk of secret key decryption.

• Enhanced message expiry handling. Messages that have expired on a loaded queue (a queue that has already been opened) are removed from the queue within an acceptable period after their expiry. It improves the speed with which expired messages are removed from queues.

• Support for embedded/chained PCF headers. A wrapper header (MQEPH) is provided for Programmable Command Formats (PCF). This allows other headers to follow PCF message data. One example of the use of chained PCF headers is the Trace Route facility. A reason code is also provided if an error exists in the MQEPH structure.

• Support for non-Java client/server channel exits. Users of Java or JMS can o write client channel exits and server channel exits in the same non-Java programming language (for example C).

• Enhanced server bindings. A server binding is provided for isolating queue managers from their applications. This ensures that an application failure does not also cause a queue manager to end abnormally. The new binding also isolates applications from each other more effectively.

• The application name field on AIX is now automatically completed. The MQMD.PutApplName on AIX is completed with the name of the application that put the message instead of forcing the field to blanks.

• Enhanced recovery logging of event messages. A queue manager attribute is provided for determining which event messages get written to the recovery log, and a queue attribute used for managing the generation of media images. This is designed to improve the disaster recovery process.

• Simultaneous connection to multiple queue managers from same process. UNIX applications can connect to multiple queue managers at the same time. This brings WebSphere MQ on UNIX into line with WebSphere MQ on Windows, and provides support for the new Java-based WebSphere MQ administration GUI.

• Command level constant. A command level constant MQCMDL_LEVEL_540 with the value 540 is returned as the value of the CommandLevel queue manager attribute.

• Object Authority Manager user authentication. The WebSphere MQ Object Authority Manager (OAM) can authenticate a user and change the appropriate identity context fields. To facilitate this, a 'connection security parameters' structure can be specified on a MQCONNX call. This structure is passed to the OAM Authenticate User function, which is able to set appropriate identity context fields. This feature is required for Java Messaging Service (JMS), and to support long user IDs, and X.509 distinguished names.

• Detecting applications with long-running units of work. It is possible to determine which applications are connected to a queue manager, and which applications contain a long-running unit of work. It also makes it possible to break a selected connection to a queue manager. To facilitate this, a new DISPLAY CONN (display connection information) command is included. A new connection ID attribute is also included for the MQCONNX (connect queue manager extended) command.

• PCF interface changes. A filter operator error reason code 2418 is provided.This is related to the WebSphere MQ Administration Interface (MQAI).

• Resolution of local queue names. Options are provided for the MQOPEN call, and the MQPMO structure. These inform the queue manager that the resolved queue name and resolved queue manager name fields associated with the open/put are completed with the names of the local queue and queue manager.This process is used by the trace route facility.

• Distributed configuration events. Event messages are generated whenever certain objects are created, altered or deleted. These make it possible to keep track of changes made to queue manager objects.

• Support for 64-bit integer data types. The 64-bit data types that are used internally by queue managers can be exposed. With the capacity increases of queue managers, and of the hardware that queue managers run on, it is possible to pass larger amounts of data through queue managers. In order to maintain control of this information, queue managers already use 64 bit types internally.

• Authentication of passtickets for IMS bridge applications. The application name used for authenticating a passticket for an IMS bridge application can be specified by an administrator. The name is specified as an attribute PTKTAPPL for the STGCLASS object definition. This ensures that, in a sysplex environment (where queue managers can be started on any one of several LPARs), the application creating the passticket always knows which name to use when creating the passticket.

• Reserved value MQENC_FLOAT_TNS for HP NSK. A value is reserved for the non-stop kernel for Compaq NSK. This supports floating point conversions by Java.

• Alternative MD values for report messages. A report option ensures that newly-generated report messages inherit their expiry time and discard flag from the original messages. The ensures that report messages always have an expiry time and are discarded. It also ensures that a given queue does not get filled with report messages if a communications link is broken.

• Perform all opens/puts to SQs locally. Messages can be put directly onto their target queues in a queue sharing group. A queue manager attribute determines whether the messages in a queue sharing group are put directly onto the target queue, or onto a locally-defined shared queue first. If messages are put directly onto their target queues, WebSphere MQ does not have two execute two puts and a get for each message. This reduces the message handling workload.

• Fully integrate IPv6 to Websphere MQ. WebSphere MQ recognizes both IP version 6 (IPv6) and IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses. If both address types are used, the connection name specified for a channel determines the IP stack where channels are started. The local address specified for a channel listener determines which IP stack (or stacks) are monitored by listeners. If a local address is not specified, all available IP stacks are monitored.

• Trace route facility. Trace route information for messages can be recorded.A queue manager attribute TraceRouteRecording, determines whether trace route information is reported for messages as they pass through a queue manager. A default system queue is provided for queueing trace route messages. This makes it possible to determine the route taken by a message to a destination, and the time taken for a message take to get to a destination. It is also possible to determine the location where a message stopped and the reason for the stoppage.

• Identification of messages arriving over the Service Integration Bus. An application type attribute is provided for messages arriving via the Service Integration Bus. The value indicates that the message originated in another WebSphere MQ product and arrived via a bridge.

• Reason codes for non-valid PCF version 3 structures. Reason codes are returned on errors that are due to non-valid PCF version 3 data structures. The reason codes are returned by the mqput and mqput1 calls, if the validation process detects non-valid data structures.

• Activity reporting. Messages can be tracked through a queue manager network. A message report option, MQRO_ACTIVITY, ensures that a report is generated whenever the message is processed by supporting applications. Any application that processes messages can participate in message tracking.