Administer MQ by using MQSC commands

Administer MQ by using MQSC commands

How to use MQSC commands to complete common tasks.

MQSC commands are available on all platforms, including IBM® i, and z/OS®.

We can use MQSC commands to manage queue manager objects, including the queue manager itself, queues, process definitions, channels, client connection channels, listeners, services, namelists, clusters, and authentication information objects. This section deals with queue managers, queues, and process definitions; for an overview of channel, client connection channel, and listener objects, see Objects. For information about all the MQSC commands for managing queue manager objects, see Script (MQSC) commands.

You issue MQSC commands to a queue manager using the runmqsc command. (For details of this command, see runmqsc.) We can do this interactively, issuing commands from a keyboard, or we can redirect the standard input device ( stdin) to run a sequence of commands from an ASCII text file. In both cases, the format of the commands is the same. (For information about running the commands from a text file, see Running MQSC commands from text files.)
We can run the runmqsc command in three ways, depending on the flags set on the command:

Verify a command without running it, where the MQSC commands are verified on a local queue manager, but are not run.
Run a command on a local queue manager, where the MQSC commands are run on a local queue manager.
Run a command on a remote queue manager, where the MQSC commands are run on a remote queue manager.

We can also run the command followed by a question mark to display the syntax.

Object attributes specified in MQSC commands are shown in this section in uppercase (for example, RQMNAME), although they are not case-sensitive. MQSC command attribute names are limited to eight characters.
For Continuous Delivery, from IBM MQ Version 9.0.1, we can set a prompt of your choice by using the MQPROMPT environment variable. In addition to plain text, the MQPROMPT variable also allows environment variables to be inserted, by using +VARNAME+ notation, in the same manner as IBM MQ service object definitions (see Defining a service object). For example:
sh> export MQPROMPT="+USER+ @ +QMNAME+ @ +MQ_HOST_NAME+> "
sh> runmqsc MY.QMGR
5724-H72 (C) Copyright IBM Corp. 1994, 2020.
Starting MQSC for queue manager MY.QMGR.
username @ MY.QMGR @ aix1> DISPLAY QMSTATUS
From IBM MQ Version 9.0.0, Fix Pack 1, the MQPROMPT environment variable is also available in the Long Term Support release.

MQSC commands are detailed in the MQSC commands section.

On Windows or Linux (x86 and x86-64 platforms), we can also perform the operations described in this section using the IBM MQ Explorer. For more information, see Administration using the IBM MQ Explorer.

Script (MQSC) commands
MQSC commands provide a uniform method of issuing human-readable commands on IBM MQ platforms.
IBM MQ object names in MQSC commands
How to use object names in MQSC commands.
Standard input and output
The standard input device, also referred to as stdin, is the device from which input to the system is taken. Typically this is the keyboard, but we can specify that input is to come from a serial port or a disk file, for example. The standard output device, also referred to as stdout, is the device to which output from the system is sent. Typically this is a display, but we can redirect output to a serial port or a file.
Use MQSC commands interactively
We can use MQSC commands interactively by using a command window or shell.
Running MQSC commands from text files
Running MQSC commands interactively is suitable for quick tests, but if we have very long commands, or are using a particular sequence of commands repeatedly, consider redirecting stdin from a text file.
Running MQSC commands from batch files
If we have very long commands, or are using a particular sequence of commands repeatedly, consider redirecting stdin from a batch file.
Resolving problems with MQSC commands
If we cannot get MQSC commands to run, use the information in this topic to see if any of these common problems apply to you. It is not always obvious what the problem is when you read the error that a command generates.
Parent topic: Administer IBM MQ

Related information

runmqsc (run MQSC commands)
MQSC reference