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Sending and Receiving IBM WebSphere MQ Messages

InterSystems IRIS® data platform provides an interface to IBM WebSphere MQ, which you can use to exchange messages between InterSystems IRIS and the message queues of IBM WebSphere MQ. To use this interface, you must have access to an IBM WebSphere MQ server, and the IBM WebSphere MQ client must be running on the same machine as InterSystems IRIS.

The interface consists of the %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab and %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab classes, which are both subclasses of %Net.abstractMQOpens in a new tab. These classes use a dynamic-link library that is automatically installed by InterSystems IRIS on all suitable platforms. (This is MQInterface.dll on Windows; the file extension is different for other platforms.) In turn, the InterSystems IRIS dynamic-link library requires IBM WebSphere MQ dynamic-link libraries.

The interface supports sending and receiving only text data, not binary data.

To use IBM WebSphere MQ, you will need the formal documentation for this product. Also, for additional information on the InterSystems IRIS interface to IBM WebSphere MQ, see the class reference for %Net.abstractMQOpens in a new tab.

Overview

In general, to use the InterSystems IRIS interface to IBM WebSphere MQ, you do the following:

  1. Make sure that you have access to IBM WebSphere MQ v7.x or higher. Specifically:

    • The IBM WebSphere MQ client must be installed on the same machine as InterSystems IRIS. Note that the installer updates the PATH environment variable and adds other system variables as needed.

    • Make sure that you have rebooted the machine after installing the client, so that InterSystems IRIS is aware of the client.

    • The client must have access to an IBM WebSphere MQ server.

    • The username under which you will access the server must have permission to use the queue managers and the queues that you plan to use.

  2. Create a new instance of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab or %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab, depending on whether you are going to send or receive messages.

  3. Connect to an IBM WebSphere MQ server. When you do so, you provide the following information:

    • The name of a queue manager.

    • The name of a queue to use.

    • The channel by which to communicate with that queue. You specify a channel name, a transport mechanism, and the IP address and port of the IBM WebSphere MQ server.

    You can also provide a name and password if you are using the authentication feature of IBM WebSphere MQ.

  4. Invoke the appropriate methods of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab or %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab to send or receive messages.

Note:

To use IBM Websphere MQ on 64–bit Linux platforms, you must set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH to include the location of the MQ libraries. Because the path must be set for any InterSystems IRIS process that uses the MQ interface, it must be set prior to starting InterSystems IRIS if running background processes, and set in any UNIX® terminal prior to running iris terminal.

Getting Error Codes

The methods of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab and %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab return either 1 if successful or 0 if unsuccessful. In the case of an error, call the %GetLastError() method, which returns the last reason code given by IBM WebSphere MQ. For information on the reason codes, see the formal IBM documentation.

Creating a Connection Object

Before you can send or receive messages via IBM WebSphere MQ, you must create a connection object, an object that establishes a connection to a queue manager, opens a channel, and opens a queue for use. There are two ways you can do this:

  • You can use the %Init method, which takes arguments that specify all the needed information.

  • You can use the %Connect method after first setting properties that specify all the needed information.

Using the %Init() Method

To use the %Init() method to create a connection object:

  1. Create an instance of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab (if you are going to send messages) or %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab (if you are going to receive messages). This topic refers to this instance as the connection object.

    Note:

    If you receive the <DYNAMIC LIBRARY LOAD> error, a dynamic-link library is missing, and the messages.log file (in the system manager’s directory) has more details.

  2. Call the %Init() method of the connection object. This method takes the following arguments, in order.

    1. (Required) A string that specifies the queue name; this should be a valid queue for the specified queue manager.

    2. A string that specifies the queue manager; this should be a valid queue manager on the IBM WebSphere MQ server.

      If you omit this argument, the system uses the default queue manager, as configured in IBM WebSphere MQ. Or, if IBM WebSphere MQ has been the configured so that the queue manager is determined by the queue name, the system uses the queue manager that is appropriate for the given queue name.

    3. A string that specifies the specification for the channel, in the following form:

      "channel_name/transport/host_name(port)"
      

      Here channel_name is the name of the channel to use, transport is the transport used by the channel, host_name is the server name (or IP address) that is running the IBM WebSphere MQ server, and port is the port that this channel should use.

      Transport can be one of the following: TCP, LU62, NETBIOS, SPX

      For example:

      "CHAN_1/TCP/rodan(1401)"
      
      "CHAN_1/TCP/127.0.0.1(1401)"
      

      If you omit this argument, the system uses the default channel specification, as configured in IBM WebSphere MQ. Or, if the system has been the configured so that the channel is determined by the queue name, the system uses the channel that is appropriate for the given queue name.

    4. An optional string that specifies the log file to write error messages to. The default is that no logging occurs.

  3. Check the value returned by the %Init() method. If the method returns 1, the connection was established successfully, and you can use the connection object to either send or receive messages (depending on the class you are using). See Getting Error Codes.

Using the %Connect() Method

In some cases, you might prefer to specify all the details of the connection individually. To do so, you use the %Connect() method, as follows:

  1. Create an instance of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab (if you are going to send messages) or %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab (if you are going to receive messages). As noted previously, this topic refers to this instance as the connection object.

    Note:

    If you receive the <DYNAMIC LIBRARY LOAD> error, a dynamic-link library is missing, and the messages.log file (in the system manager’s directory) has more details.

  2. Set the following properties of the connection object:

    • QName — (Required) Specifies the queue name; this should be a valid queue for the specified queue manager.

    • QMgr — Specifies the queue manager to use; this should be a valid queue manager on the IBM WebSphere MQ server.

      If you omit this argument, the system uses the default queue manager, as configured in IBM WebSphere MQ. Or, if IBM WebSphere MQ has been the configured so that the queue manager is determined by the queue name, the system uses the queue manager that is appropriate for the given queue name.

  3. Optionally specify the channel to use by setting the following properties of the connection object:

    • Connection — Specifies the host and port of the IBM WebSphere MQ server. For example: "127.0.0.1:1401".

    • Channel — Specifies the name of the channel to use. This must be a valid channel on the IBM WebSphere MQ server.

    • Transport — Specifies the transport used by the channel. This property can be one of the following: "TCP", "LU62", "NETBIOS", "SPX"

    If you omit these arguments, the system uses the default channel specification, as configured in IBM WebSphere MQ. Or, if the system has been the configured so that the channel is determined by the queue name, the system uses the channel that is appropriate for the given queue name.

  4. Call the %ErrLog() method of the connection object. This method takes one argument, the name of the log file to use for this connection object.

  5. Check the value returned by the %ErrLog() method. See Getting Error Codes.

  6. Call the %Connect() method of the connection object.

  7. Check the value returned by the %Connect() method. If the method returns 1, the connection was established successfully, and you can use the connection object to either send or receive messages (depending on the class you are using). See Getting Error Codes.

Specifying the Character Set (CCSID)

To set the character set used for message conversions, call the %SetCharSet() method of your connection object. Specify an integer Coded Character Set ID (CCSID) as used in IBM WebSphere MQ.

  • If you are sending messages, this should be the character set of those messages. If you do not specify a character set, the MQ system assumes the messages use the default character set specified for the MQ client.

  • If you are retrieving messages, this is the character set to which those messages will be translated.

To get the CCSID that is currently being used, call the %CharSet() method. This method returns the CCSID by reference and it returns 1 or 0 to indicate whether it was successful; see Getting Error Codes.

For information on the CCSID that corresponds to a given character set, see the formal IBM documentation.

Specifying Other Message Options

To specify message descriptor options, optionally set the following properties of your connection object:

  • ApplIdentityData specifies the Application Identity message descriptor option.

  • PutApplType specifies the Put Application Type message descriptor option.

Sending Messages

To send messages, do the following:

  1. Create a connection object as described in Creating a Connection Object. In this case, create an instance of %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab. The connection object has a message queue to which you can send messages.

  2. Call the following methods, as needed:

    • %Put() — Given a string, this method writes that string to the message queue.

    • %PutStream() — Given an initialized file character stream, this method writes that string to the message queue. Note that you must set the Filename property of the stream in order to initialize it. Binary streams are not supported.

    • %SetMsgId() — Given a string, this method uses that string as the message ID for the next message that is sent.

  3. Check the value returned by the method you called. See Getting Error Codes.

  4. When you are done retrieving messages, call the %Close() method of the connection object to release the handle to the dynamic-link library.

Example 1: SendString()

The following class method sends a simple string message to the queue mqtest, using queue manager QM_antigua, and a queue channel named S_antigua. The channel uses TCP transport, and the IBM WebSphere MQ server is running on a machine called antigua and is listening on port 1401.

///Method returns reason code from IBM WebSphere MQ
ClassMethod SendString() As %Integer
{
 Set send=##class(%Net.MQSend).%New()
 Set queue="mqtest"
 Set qm="QM_antigua"
 Set chan="S_antigua/TCP/antigua(1414)"
 Set logfile="c:\mq-send-log.txt"

 Set check=send.%Init(queue,qm,chan,logfile)
 If 'check  Quit send.%GetLastError()
 
 //send a unique message
 Set check=send.%Put("This is a test message "_$h)

 If 'check  Quit send.%GetLastError()
 Quit check
}

Example 2: SendCharacterStream()

The following class method sends the contents of a file character stream. It uses the same queue used in the previous example:

///Method returns reason code from IBM WebSphere MQ
ClassMethod SendCharacterStream() As %Integer
{
 Set send=##class(%Net.MQSend).%New()
 Set queue="mqtest"
 Set qm="QM_antigua"
 Set chan="S_antigua/TCP/antigua(1414)"
 Set logfile="c:\mq-send-log.txt"

 Set check=send.%Init(queue,qm,chan,logfile)
 If 'check  Quit send.%GetLastError()
 
 //initialize the stream and tell it what file to use
 Set longmsg=##class(%FileCharacterStream).%New()
 Set longmsg.Filename="c:\input-sample.txt"
 
 Set check=send.%PutStream(longmsg)

 If 'check  Quit send.%GetLastError()
 Quit check
}

Example 3: Sending a Message from the Terminal

The following example shows a Terminal session that sends a message to an IBM WebSphere MQ queue. This works only on a machine that has been configured with the IBM WebSphere MQ client.

Set MySendQ = ##class(%Net.MQSend).%New()

Do MySendQ.%Init("Q_1", "QM_1","QC_1/TCP/127.0.0.1(1401)","C:\mq.log")

Do MySendQ.%Put("Hello from tester")

Set MyRecvQ =##class(%Net.MQRecv).%New()

Do MyRecvQ.%Init("Q_1", "QM_1","QC_1","C:\mq.log")

Do MyRecvQ.%Get(.msg, 10000)

Write msg,!

Also see the preceding sections for other examples.

Retrieving Messages

To retrieve messages, do the following:

  1. Create a connection object as described in Creating a Connection Object. In this case, create an instance of %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab. The connection object has a message queue from which you can retrieve messages.

  2. Call the following methods, as needed:

    • %Get() — Returns a string message by reference as the first argument.

    • %GetStream() — Given an initialized file character stream, this method retrieves a message from the queue and places it into the file associated with that stream. Note that you must set the Filename property of the stream in order to initialize it. Binary streams are not supported.

    For both methods, the second argument is the timeout, in milliseconds; this controls the time used to contact the server. The default timeout is 0.

  3. Check the value returned by the method you called. See Getting Error Codes. Remember that IBM WebSphere MQ returns 2033 when the queue is empty.

  4. When you are done retrieving messages, call the %Close() method of the connection object to release the handle to the dynamic-link library.

Example 1: ReceiveString()

The following class method retrieves a message from the mqtest queue.

///Method returns string or null or error message
ClassMethod ReceiveString() As %String
{
 Set recv=##class(%Net.MQRecv).%New()
 Set queue="mqtest"
 Set qm="QM_antigua"
 Set chan="S_antigua/TCP/antigua(1414)"
 Set logfile="c:\mq-recv-log.txt"
 
 Set check=recv.%Init(queue,qm,chan,logfile)
 If 'check  Quit recv.%GetLastError()

 Set check=recv.%Get(.msg)
 If 'check {
     Set reasoncode=recv.%GetLastError()
     If reasoncode=2033 Quit ""
     Quit "ERROR: "_reasoncode
     }
 
 Quit msg
}

Example 2: ReceiveCharacterStream()

The following method can retrieve a longer message because it uses %GetStream():

/// Method returns reason code from IBM WebSphere MQ
ClassMethod ReceiveCharacterStream() As %Integer
{
 Set recv=##class(%Net.MQRecv).%New()
 Set queue="mqtest"
 Set qm="QM_antigua"
 Set chan="S_antigua/TCP/antigua(1414)"
 Set logfile="c:\mq-recv-log.txt"

 Set check=recv.%Init(queue,qm,chan,logfile)
 If 'check  Quit recv.%GetLastError()
 
 //initialize the stream and tell it what file to use
 //make sure filename is unique we can tell what we received
 Set longmsg=##class(%FileCharacterStream).%New()
 Set longmsg.Filename="c:\mq-received"_$h_".txt"

 Set check=recv.%GetStream(longmsg)

 If 'check  Quit recv.%GetLastError()
 Quit check
}

Updating Message Information

The %Net.MQSendOpens in a new tab and %Net.MQRecvOpens in a new tab classes also provide the following methods:

%CorId()

Updates (by reference) the Correlation Id for the last message read.

%ReplyQMgrName()

Updates (by reference) the reply queue manager name for the last message read.

%ReplyQName()

Updates (by reference) the reply queue name for the last message read.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter problems when using the InterSystems IRIS interface to IBM WebSphere MQ, you should first determine whether the client is correctly installed and can communicate with the server. To perform such a test, you can use sample programs that are provided by IBM WebSphere MQ. The executables are in the bin directory of the IBM WebSphere MQ client.

The following steps describe how to use these sample programs on Windows. The details may be different on other operating systems; consult the IBM documentation and check the names of the files present in your client.

  1. Create an environment variable called MQSERVER. Its value should be of the form channel_name/transport/server, where channel_name is the name of the channel to use, transport is a string that indicates the transport to use, and server is the name of the server. For example: S_antigua/TCP/antigua

  2. At the command line, enter the following command:

    amqsputc queue_name queue_manager_name
    

    where queue_name is the name of the queue to use and queue_manager_name is the name of the queue manager. For example:

    amqsputc mqtest QM_antigua
    

    If the amqsputc command is unrecognized, make sure that the PATH environment variable has been updated to include the bin directory of the IBM WebSphere MQ client.

    In case of other errors, consult the IBM documentation.

  3. You should see a couple of lines like the following:

    Sample AMQSPUT0 start
    target queue is mqtest
    
  4. Now you can send messages. Simply type each message and press Enter after each message. For example:

    sample message 1
    sample message 2
    
  5. When you are done sending messages, press Enter twice. You will then see a line like the following:

    Sample AMQSPUT0 end
    
  6. To complete this test, we will retrieve the messages you sent to the queue. Type the following command at the command line:

    amqsgetc queue_name queue_manager_name
    

    where queue_name is the name of the queue to use and queue_manager_name is the name of the queue manager. For example:

  7. You should then see a start line, followed by the messages that you sent previously, as follows:

    Sample AMQSGET0 start
    message <sample message 1>
    message <sample message 2>
    
  8. This sample program waits briefly to receive any other messages and then displays the following:

    no more messages
    Sample AMQSGET0 end
    
    

If the test fails, consult the IBM documentation. Possible causes of problems include the following:

  • Security issues

  • Queue is not defined correctly

  • Queue manager is not started

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