IBM MQ supplied tests

IBM MQ supplied tests

Tests used to check the IBM MQ object definitions for problems are supplied with IBM MQ Explorer.

The following categories of tests are supplied with IBM MQ Explorer to check IBM MQ objects:

General tests
Cluster tests
Queue tests
Channel tests
Listener tests
Triggering tests
TLS tests

The tests listed in the following tables are supplied with IBM MQ Explorer to check the IBM MQ object definitions for problems. There are other tests supplied with IBM MQ Explorer to check objects such as JMS administered objects for example; such tests are not included in the following table.

General

The following table lists the tests that check for general problems in the IBM MQ definitions.

Test Action Description

Check queue manager names Verifies queue manager names for potential problems This test checks queue manager names, looking for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, the test checks for names that are identical apart from capitalization. The test also displays warnings for queue managers that are hosted on different machines but with identical names.

Dead-letter queue definitions Checks queue managers for dead letter queues This test displays a warning for any queue manager that does not have a dead-letter queue, and one or more errors for any queue manager that has Dead-letter Queue attributes that are not valid; for example, the name of a queue that does not exist, or a queue that cannot be used as a dead-letter queue. The test displays a warning or error if any messages are found on the dead-letter queue because this can be a useful indication of a problem with the IBM MQ setup. The test also displays warnings if any channels have a maximum message length larger than the dead-letter queue size.

FFST error log Checks whether error logs have been written to FFST directory on this machine This test displays an error if any FFST logs have been written to on this machine.

Stopped queue managers Checks to see if any queue managers are stopped This test displays a warning for each queue manager that is stopped.

Verify default transmission queues Verifies default transmission queues This test displays errors for any invalid uses of the Default Transmission Queue attribute, including a missing queue or a queue with an value that is not valid in the Type attribute.

Clusters

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in the cluster definitions.

Test Action Description

Cluster fails to resolve queue manager name Checks that clusters can successfully resolve all queue manager names This test displays an error if any of the cluster membership entries have not been correctly resolved because the queue manager has not been successfully contacted.

Cluster-sender channels in Retrying state Checks whether any of the manually defined cluster sender channels are still in Retrying state This test displays an error if a cluster-sender channel is in the Retrying state.

Confirm cluster attributes are set Checks that all cluster channels have a cluster value set This test displays an error for any cluster-sender or cluster-receiver channels that do not have cluster (or cluster namelist) attributes set.

Duplicate cluster members Checks whether any cluster memberships list the same queue manager more than once This test displays a warning if any cluster membership list contains duplicate entries for a single queue manager.

Two full repositories Checks that all clusters have at least two queue managers maintaining full repositories of the cluster This test displays a warning if any cluster has only one full repository.

Verify cluster namelist definitions Verifies the use of namelists in cluster definitions This test verifies the cluster namelist attributes of queues, channels, and queue managers. The test displays errors if matching namelists cannot be found, or if a namelist is empty.

Verify cluster names Checks cluster name attributes for potential problems This test checks the cluster name attributes of queues, channels, and queue managers. The test checks for names which are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.

Verify cluster queue instances Verifies that all instances of a cluster queue have the same attributes This test displays a warning if different instances of a cluster queue have different attributes.

Queues

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in your queue definitions.

Test Action Description

Identify full queues Checks if any known queues are full This test checks if the current depth of any known queue is equal to the value of the queue's Maximum Message Depth attribute.

Verify alias queue definitions Verifies alias queue definitions This test checks the definitions of alias queues. The test checks the value of the Base Queue attribute of all alias queues found, and checks to see if the value is a valid target for the alias queue.

Verify queue names Verifies names of MQ Queue objects This test checks the names of queue definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to potentially cause confusion; for example names which are identical apart from capitalization.

Verify that queues are get-enabled Verifies that all known queues are not get inhibited This test verifies that all queues are get-enabled. Although it is not an error if a queue is not get-enabled, it might be useful to check for this when trying to identify the cause of unexpected behavior in the applications.

Verify that queues are put-enabled Verifies that all known queues are not put inhibited This test verifies that all queues are put-enabled. Although it is not an error if a queue is not put-enabled, it might be useful to check for this when trying to identify the cause of unexpected behavior in the applications.

Verify remote queue definitions Verifies remote queue definitions This test verifies the Remote Queue Manager and Remote Queue Name attributes of remote queue definitions.

Verify use of transmission queue in queues Verifies the usage of transmission queues in remote queue definitions This test checks the value of the Transmission Queue attribute in remote queue definitions. The test displays errors if the value is the name of a queue that does not exist or a queue of the wrong type.

Channels

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in your channel definitions.

Test Action Description

Identify in-doubt channels Checks if any known channels are in an in-doubt status This test displays a warning for any channel that is in doubt.

Matching channel pairs Verifies attributes on either end of a channel pair to look for potential problems This test tries to find matching channel pairs. If the test finds the matching channel pairs, it checks that the two ends of the channel are of appropriate types and that the required attributes match at both ends of the pair. The test displays a warning message if no match or multiple matches are found for a channel; it displays an error if a channel pair has incompatible attributes.

Ping all non-running channels Performs an MQ ping on all non-running sender, server and cluster-sender channels This test pings all running sender, server, and cluster-sender channels that are not running and displays any unsuccessful responses in the Test Results view. Channels with Running status are not pinged because it is assumed that they have valid definitions.

Ping connection names Verifies that all connection names referred to by channel definitions can be pinged This test tries to ping the host names that are referred to in a channel definition's Connection name attributes. The test uses the ping utility that is provided by the operating system, if one is available, otherwise the test does nothing. The test displays a warning if a ping fails, and an error if the value of a required Connection name attribute is missing,

Resolve connection names Verifies that all connection names referred to by channel definitions can be resolved This test tries to resolve the host names that are referred to in channel definition's Connection name attributes, and displays a warning if the host name cannot be resolved to an IP address.

Verify channel interval values Examines the ratios of the interval values on channel definitions This test displays potential problems, such as channels with a heartbeat interval greater than the disconnect interval.

Verify channel names Verifies names of MQ channel objects This test checks the names of channel definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.

Verify MCA User ID on server-connection channels Verifies that all server-connection channels have a value entered for MCAUSER This test displays warnings if any channels have missing MCA User ID attributes. Use it if you expect all server-connection channels to have MCA User ID set.

Verify use of transmission queues in channels Verifies the usage of transmission queues in channel definitions This test displays an error for any invalid use of the Transmission queue attribute in sender and server channel definitions, including missing queues, queues with invalid attributes, and transmission queues that are either not used by any channels or are used by multiple channels.

Listeners

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in your listener definitions.

Test Action Description

TCP listener port numbers Checks the usage of TCP port numbers by channel listeners This test validates the TCP port numbers used by channel listeners. The test displays warnings if invalid port numbers are used or if the same port is used by multiple queue managers.

Verify listener names Verifies names of IBM MQ Listener objects This test checks the names of listener object definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to potentially cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.

Triggering

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in your triggering configuration.

Test Action Description

Verify initiation queue definitions Verifies usage of initiation queue attribute of triggered queues This test validates the Initiation Queue attribute of local and model queues. The test displays errors if the value specifies a local queue that cannot be found. The test also verifies that all the initiation queues have processes that have the queue open for input. If a queue does not have such a process, it indicates that there are no trigger monitors running against that queue.

Verify process names Verifies names of IBM MQ process objects This test checks the names of process definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.

Verify process definitions Validates process object definitions This test validates IBM MQ process definitions. The test checks that system processes that are specified in the object's Application ID attribute exist. Where the Application ID attribute does not give an absolute path, the test also displays a warning if multiple system processes with the given name can be found in the path environment.

Verify process definitions of queues Verifies usage of process attribute of triggered queues This test validates the Process Name attribute of local and model queues and displays errors for process names for which a IBM MQ process object definition cannot be found.

Verify trigger data queue definitions Verifies usage of trigger data queue attribute of triggered queues This test validates the Trigger Data attribute of local and model queues and displays errors for names for which a channel cannot be found.

Verify use of triggered queues Verifies usage of trigger queues If a queue meets its trigger conditions but the queue is not currently open for input, the test displays an error.

SSL/TLS

The following table lists the tests that check for problems in your SSL/TLS configuration.

Test Action Description

Verify that channels have been restarted Verifies that SSL/TLS channels have been restarted since the last change to the SSL/TLS key repository This test highlights any channels which have a last-started time earlier than the last modification time of the key repository, and which could therefore need refreshing.

Verify SSL channel authentication Verifies that all channels require SSL/TLS authentication This test highlights whether any channels have not got the CipherSpec attribute set. Use this test if you expect that all channels are using TLS.

Verify SSL client authentication Verifies that all channels require SSL/TLS client authentication This test highlights whether any channels have not got the Authetnication of Parties Initiating Connections (SSLCAUTH) attribute set to Required. Use this test if you expect that all channels are using SSL/TLS and that all your clients will present a certificate for authentication.

Verify SSL key repository files Verifies the presence of SSL/TLS key repositories This test checks the SSL/TLS Key Repository attribute of queue managers and checks to see if a file can be found at that location. It also verifies that a password stash file can be found and is readable.

Verify SSL peer values Verifies the SSL/TLS peer attributes used in channel definitions This checks the Accept Only Certificates with Distinguished Names Matching These Values (SSLPEER) attribute of all known channels, reporting errors for invalid specifications, and warning when the value is used when the CipherSpec attribute is not.

Parent topic: Testing your object definitions for problems

Related tasks

Adding new tests

Last updated: 2020-10-04

Test	Action	Description
Check queue manager names	Verifies queue manager names for potential problems	This test checks queue manager names, looking for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, the test checks for names that are identical apart from capitalization. The test also displays warnings for queue managers that are hosted on different machines but with identical names.
Dead-letter queue definitions	Checks queue managers for dead letter queues	This test displays a warning for any queue manager that does not have a dead-letter queue, and one or more errors for any queue manager that has Dead-letter Queue attributes that are not valid; for example, the name of a queue that does not exist, or a queue that cannot be used as a dead-letter queue. The test displays a warning or error if any messages are found on the dead-letter queue because this can be a useful indication of a problem with the IBM MQ setup. The test also displays warnings if any channels have a maximum message length larger than the dead-letter queue size.
FFST error log	Checks whether error logs have been written to FFST directory on this machine	This test displays an error if any FFST logs have been written to on this machine.
Stopped queue managers	Checks to see if any queue managers are stopped	This test displays a warning for each queue manager that is stopped.
Verify default transmission queues	Verifies default transmission queues	This test displays errors for any invalid uses of the Default Transmission Queue attribute, including a missing queue or a queue with an value that is not valid in the Type attribute.

Test	Action	Description
Cluster fails to resolve queue manager name	Checks that clusters can successfully resolve all queue manager names	This test displays an error if any of the cluster membership entries have not been correctly resolved because the queue manager has not been successfully contacted.
Cluster-sender channels in Retrying state	Checks whether any of the manually defined cluster sender channels are still in Retrying state	This test displays an error if a cluster-sender channel is in the Retrying state.
Confirm cluster attributes are set	Checks that all cluster channels have a cluster value set	This test displays an error for any cluster-sender or cluster-receiver channels that do not have cluster (or cluster namelist) attributes set.
Duplicate cluster members	Checks whether any cluster memberships list the same queue manager more than once	This test displays a warning if any cluster membership list contains duplicate entries for a single queue manager.
Two full repositories	Checks that all clusters have at least two queue managers maintaining full repositories of the cluster	This test displays a warning if any cluster has only one full repository.
Verify cluster namelist definitions	Verifies the use of namelists in cluster definitions	This test verifies the cluster namelist attributes of queues, channels, and queue managers. The test displays errors if matching namelists cannot be found, or if a namelist is empty.
Verify cluster names	Checks cluster name attributes for potential problems	This test checks the cluster name attributes of queues, channels, and queue managers. The test checks for names which are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.
Verify cluster queue instances	Verifies that all instances of a cluster queue have the same attributes	This test displays a warning if different instances of a cluster queue have different attributes.

Test	Action	Description
Identify full queues	Checks if any known queues are full	This test checks if the current depth of any known queue is equal to the value of the queue's Maximum Message Depth attribute.
Verify alias queue definitions	Verifies alias queue definitions	This test checks the definitions of alias queues. The test checks the value of the Base Queue attribute of all alias queues found, and checks to see if the value is a valid target for the alias queue.
Verify queue names	Verifies names of MQ Queue objects	This test checks the names of queue definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to potentially cause confusion; for example names which are identical apart from capitalization.
Verify that queues are get-enabled	Verifies that all known queues are not get inhibited	This test verifies that all queues are get-enabled. Although it is not an error if a queue is not get-enabled, it might be useful to check for this when trying to identify the cause of unexpected behavior in the applications.
Verify that queues are put-enabled	Verifies that all known queues are not put inhibited	This test verifies that all queues are put-enabled. Although it is not an error if a queue is not put-enabled, it might be useful to check for this when trying to identify the cause of unexpected behavior in the applications.
Verify remote queue definitions	Verifies remote queue definitions	This test verifies the Remote Queue Manager and Remote Queue Name attributes of remote queue definitions.
Verify use of transmission queue in queues	Verifies the usage of transmission queues in remote queue definitions	This test checks the value of the Transmission Queue attribute in remote queue definitions. The test displays errors if the value is the name of a queue that does not exist or a queue of the wrong type.

Test	Action	Description
Identify in-doubt channels	Checks if any known channels are in an in-doubt status	This test displays a warning for any channel that is in doubt.
Matching channel pairs	Verifies attributes on either end of a channel pair to look for potential problems	This test tries to find matching channel pairs. If the test finds the matching channel pairs, it checks that the two ends of the channel are of appropriate types and that the required attributes match at both ends of the pair. The test displays a warning message if no match or multiple matches are found for a channel; it displays an error if a channel pair has incompatible attributes.
Ping all non-running channels	Performs an MQ ping on all non-running sender, server and cluster-sender channels	This test pings all running sender, server, and cluster-sender channels that are not running and displays any unsuccessful responses in the Test Results view. Channels with Running status are not pinged because it is assumed that they have valid definitions.
Ping connection names	Verifies that all connection names referred to by channel definitions can be pinged	This test tries to ping the host names that are referred to in a channel definition's Connection name attributes. The test uses the ping utility that is provided by the operating system, if one is available, otherwise the test does nothing. The test displays a warning if a ping fails, and an error if the value of a required Connection name attribute is missing,
Resolve connection names	Verifies that all connection names referred to by channel definitions can be resolved	This test tries to resolve the host names that are referred to in channel definition's Connection name attributes, and displays a warning if the host name cannot be resolved to an IP address.
Verify channel interval values	Examines the ratios of the interval values on channel definitions	This test displays potential problems, such as channels with a heartbeat interval greater than the disconnect interval.
Verify channel names	Verifies names of MQ channel objects	This test checks the names of channel definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.
Verify MCA User ID on server-connection channels	Verifies that all server-connection channels have a value entered for MCAUSER	This test displays warnings if any channels have missing MCA User ID attributes. Use it if you expect all server-connection channels to have MCA User ID set.
Verify use of transmission queues in channels	Verifies the usage of transmission queues in channel definitions	This test displays an error for any invalid use of the Transmission queue attribute in sender and server channel definitions, including missing queues, queues with invalid attributes, and transmission queues that are either not used by any channels or are used by multiple channels.

Test	Action	Description
TCP listener port numbers	Checks the usage of TCP port numbers by channel listeners	This test validates the TCP port numbers used by channel listeners. The test displays warnings if invalid port numbers are used or if the same port is used by multiple queue managers.
Verify listener names	Verifies names of IBM MQ Listener objects	This test checks the names of listener object definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to potentially cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.

Test	Action	Description
Verify initiation queue definitions	Verifies usage of initiation queue attribute of triggered queues	This test validates the Initiation Queue attribute of local and model queues. The test displays errors if the value specifies a local queue that cannot be found. The test also verifies that all the initiation queues have processes that have the queue open for input. If a queue does not have such a process, it indicates that there are no trigger monitors running against that queue.
Verify process names	Verifies names of IBM MQ process objects	This test checks the names of process definitions. The test checks for names that are similar enough to cause confusion; for example, names that are identical apart from capitalization.
Verify process definitions	Validates process object definitions	This test validates IBM MQ process definitions. The test checks that system processes that are specified in the object's Application ID attribute exist. Where the Application ID attribute does not give an absolute path, the test also displays a warning if multiple system processes with the given name can be found in the path environment.
Verify process definitions of queues	Verifies usage of process attribute of triggered queues	This test validates the Process Name attribute of local and model queues and displays errors for process names for which a IBM MQ process object definition cannot be found.
Verify trigger data queue definitions	Verifies usage of trigger data queue attribute of triggered queues	This test validates the Trigger Data attribute of local and model queues and displays errors for names for which a channel cannot be found.
Verify use of triggered queues	Verifies usage of trigger queues	If a queue meets its trigger conditions but the queue is not currently open for input, the test displays an error.

Test	Action	Description
Verify that channels have been restarted	Verifies that SSL/TLS channels have been restarted since the last change to the SSL/TLS key repository	This test highlights any channels which have a last-started time earlier than the last modification time of the key repository, and which could therefore need refreshing.
Verify SSL channel authentication	Verifies that all channels require SSL/TLS authentication	This test highlights whether any channels have not got the CipherSpec attribute set. Use this test if you expect that all channels are using TLS.
Verify SSL client authentication	Verifies that all channels require SSL/TLS client authentication	This test highlights whether any channels have not got the Authetnication of Parties Initiating Connections (SSLCAUTH) attribute set to Required. Use this test if you expect that all channels are using SSL/TLS and that all your clients will present a certificate for authentication.
Verify SSL key repository files	Verifies the presence of SSL/TLS key repositories	This test checks the SSL/TLS Key Repository attribute of queue managers and checks to see if a file can be found at that location. It also verifies that a password stash file can be found and is readable.
Verify SSL peer values	Verifies the SSL/TLS peer attributes used in channel definitions	This checks the Accept Only Certificates with Distinguished Names Matching These Values (SSLPEER) attribute of all known channels, reporting errors for invalid specifications, and warning when the value is used when the CipherSpec attribute is not.