Configuring JMS resources for the WebSphere MQ messaging provider

Use the WebSphere® Application Server administrative console to configure activation specifications, connection factories and destinations for the WebSphere MQ JMS provider.

Before you begin

This task assumes that you are working in a mixed WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere MQ environment, and that you have decided to use the WebSphere MQ messaging provider to handle JMS messaging between the two systems. If your business uses WebSphere MQ, and you want to integrate WebSphere Application Server messaging applications into a predominately WebSphere MQ network, the WebSphere MQ messaging provider is the natural choice. However, there can be benefits in using another provider. If you are not sure which provider combination is best suited to your needs, see Choosing messaging providers for a mixed environment.

You can configure JMS resources for the WebSphere MQ messaging provider through the administrative console as described in this task, or you can configure JMS resources for the WebSphere MQ messaging provider through the WebSphere MQ administrative commands.

About this task

Using the administrative console, you can set the scope of the WebSphere MQ messaging provider to restrict the range of resources that are displayed:
  • If you set the scope to contain only WebSphere Application Server Version 6 or Version 7.0 or later nodes, you can configure JMS 1.1 resources and properties. This includes unified JMS connection factories for use by both point-to-point and publish/subscribe JMS 1.1 applications. With JMS 1.1, this approach is preferred to the domain-specific queue connection factory and topic connection factory.
  • If you set the scope to contain only WebSphere Application Server Version 7.0 or later nodes, you can also configure JMS activation specifications.
  • If you set the scope to a WebSphere Application Server Version 5 node, you can only configure domain-specific JMS resources, and the subset of properties that apply to WebSphere Application Server Version 5.
Note:

There are two ways of specifying the information needed by WebSphere MQ messaging provider messaging resources so that they can connect to a WebSphere MQ queue manager. It can either be specified manually, or by providing the WebSphere MQ messaging provider resource with a uniform resource locator (URL) that points to a client channel definition table (CCDT).

A CCDT is a binary file that contains information about how to create a client connection channel to one or more queue managers. The file contains information such as the hostname, port, and name of the target queue manager, as well as more advanced configuration information like the SSL attributes that should be used.

Creating WebSphere MQ messaging provider resources using CCDTs provides the following benefits:
  • Flexibility, because client connection channel information is contained in a single place. If any of the information changes, such as the host name of the machine on which the WebSphere MQ queue manager resides, only the CCDT needs to be updated. When it is updated, all WebSphere MQ messaging provider resources that make use of the CCDT pick up the change.
  • Reliability, because less information is needed for a CCDT there is a reduced chance of configuration errors. When using a CCDT to enter connection information, all that is required are the CCDT URL and an optional queue manager name. If you configure a WebSphere MQ messaging provider resource manually, much more information is required -- especially if you are configuring SSL.

For further information about generating a CCDT, see the WebSphere MQ information center.

Maintenance note: The WebSphere MQ messaging provider uses code provided by the WebSphere MQ resource adapter, which is automatically installed as part of the product.

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