Outbound transport options
When configuring messaging engines to send messages, configurable options include how they establish connections with other messaging engines or with an IBM MQ queue manager that collects and then delivers messages received.
The transport channel service manages the configuration of network transports for service integration. However, because manipulation of outbound transport options is an advanced administrative operation, we can carry out some configuration through the wsadmin tool.
A number of outbound transport chains are already configured when an application server is created from the default server template, or when a client container is started.
Outbound transport chains are used for either:
- Establish network connections for the purpose of bootstrapping, which involves establishing a connection with an application server in another cell, for example, because the connection is required for service integration bus links.
- Establish connections from IBM MQ links to IBM MQ queue manager receiver channels.
When establishing a network connection, the type of channels and their order in the outbound transport chain used must match those in the inbound transport chain for the server to which connection is made. For example, an outbound HTTP tunneling chain is suitable only for establishing connections with an inbound HTTP tunneling chain.
The following chains are for use during the bootstrap process:
- BootstrapBasicMessaging
- Used to establish bootstrap connections to inbound chains configured for TCP-only connections to an application server, such as the InboundBasicMessaging chain.
- BootstrapSecureMessaging
- Used to establish secure connections using SSL based encryption. The SSL configuration used is taken from the default SSL repertoire when used in an application server environment or from a configuration file when used by the client container. See Secure transport configuration requirements for more information. This chain can be used for establishing bootstrap connections to inbound chains configured to use SSL, for example, the InboundSecureMessaging chain. Success in establishing such a connection depends on a compatible set of SSL credentials being associated with both this bootstrap outbound chain and also with the inbound chain to which the connection is being made.
- BootstrapTunneledMessaging
- Used to connect when tunneling through HTTP.
- BootstrapTunneledSecureMessaging
- Used to establish bootstrapping connections that are tunneled through secure HTTP (HTTPS). Like the BootstrapSecureMessaging outbound chain, this chain also derives its SSL configuration from the default SSL repertoire when used in an application server or from a configuration file when used in the client container. See Secure transport configuration requirements.
The outbound chains an application server uses for bootstrap operations are defined when the server is defined. They can be altered, or new bootstrap chains can be defined, using the wsadmin tool. See Define outbound chains for bootstrapping and Define outbound chains for IBM MQ interoperation.
We cannot configure bootstrap outbound chains used by a client container. However we can configure some attributes of outbound chains that use SSL encryption protocols. See Secure transport configuration requirements.
We need the names of outbound bootstrap chains when configuring:
- The Provider endpoints of a JMS connection factory; see Default messaging provider unified connection factory [Settings].
- The Bootstrap endpoints of a service integration bus link; see Service integration bus links [Settings].
The following chains can be used when establishing a network connection to an IBM MQ queue manager receiver channel:
- OutboundBasicMQLink
- Used to establish connections with IBM MQ queue manager receiver channels.
- OutboundSecureMQLink
- Used to establish connections with IBM MQ queue manager receiver channels that have been secured using SSL. The SSL configuration used is taken from the default SSL repertoire for the application server being used to contact the queue manager.
The names of outbound chains used for IBM MQ interoperation are needed when configuring the transport chain of an IBM MQ link.
By default all of these transport chains are configured to use the SIBFAPThreadPool thread pool to send data. No reason has been identified for it being necessary to change the minimum or maximum size of this thread pool.
Related:
IBM MQ link sender Define outbound chains for bootstrapping Define outbound chains for IBM MQ interoperation States of the IBM MQ link and its channels Permitted transports [Collection]