This workshop course covers the operation, administration and support of IBM MQ systems and applications in a z/OS environment. Segments on RACF-based security and SSL are also included in this course.

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• investigate how IBM MQ PSIDs, storage classes and buffer pools have been set up in your installation
• define and manage MQ objects such as queues and channels using ISPF panels, MQ script commands and the MQ Explorer
• set up triggered queues
• establish distributed queuing channels both directly to an adjacent Queue Manager and indirectly through one or more intermediate Queue Managers
• inspect and process messages on the Queue Manager's dead letter queue
• troubleshoot distributed queuing problems
• implement a basic MQ cluster
• create connections between an MQ client and an MQ Queue Manager using both an environment variable and a client channel connection table
• list the benefits of queue sharing groups
• outline the principles of MQ logging and units of work
• review the security mechanisms available to the z/OS implementation of IBM MQ
• explain how IBM MQ interfaces with RACF
• describe how publish/subscribe differs from traditional point-to-point queuing
• test a simple publish/subscribe implementation
• compare the z/OS implementation of IBM MQ with the distributed implementations of IBM MQ.

• Basic Messaging Concepts
  • Islands of information and IBM MQ
  • What's in a name?
  • Software layers
  • IBM MQ features
  • Wide platform coverage
  • The MQI - a common application programming interface
  • Time independent or asynchronous processing
  • Assured message delivery
  • Support of different application styles
  • MQ - some comparisons
  • Queues
  • Messages
  • MQPUT
  • MQGET
  • Queue Managers and database managers
  • A significant difference between queues and database tables..
  • Messages and queues
  • Shared queues
  • The Queue Manager
  • Basic message structure
  • Asynchronous messaging
  • Synchronous messaging
  • Multiple requesters, one responder
  • Parallel messaging
  • Re-using MQ application processes as business objects
  • Meshed business objects
  • Remote messaging (distributed queuing)
  • MQ clients.
• IBM MQ Configuration
  • Queue Manager definition & configuration
  • Installation
  • System libraries
  • Sample libraries
  • Program properties
  • Sub-systems
  • Sub system name table entries
  • Dynamic SETSSI
  • MQ parameter modules
  • APF authorised libraries
  • CSQ6SYSP macro
  • SET SYSTEM
  • CSQ6LOGP macro
  • SET LOG
  • CSQ6ARVP macro
  • SET ARCHIVE
  • CSQBDEFV macro
  • The BSDS
  • The LOG datasets
  • The page datasets
  • The MASTER JCL
  • The buffer pools
  • CSQINP1
  • Storage classes
  • Required queues
  • Queue Manager start-up
  • Queue Manager 'started task' procedure
  • CSQ4INP1
  • CSQ4INYS
  • CSQ4INSG
  • CSQ4INSX
  • Other CSQINP2 members
  • CSQ4DISP
  • CSQ4INPX (selection only)
• Administrative Interfaces
  • CSQOREXX main panel
  • Object prompt (first screen)
  • Object prompt (second screen)
  • Object prompt (last screen)
  • MGR display
  • Queue Manager object
  • Queue display panel
  • Queue display
  • Qlocal display
  • MQ Explorer
  • CSQUTIL administration program
  • Command messages
  • Practical session 1 - creating a Queue Manager
• MQ Objects
  • The Queue Manager object
  • The QLOCAL object
  • The QLOCAL object - priority delivery sequence
  • The QLOCAL object - DEF QL(A1) SHARE | NOSHARE
  • The QLOCAL object - DEF QL(A1) DEFPSIST(YES | NO)
  • The QLOCAL object - DISTL(YES | NO)
  • The QLOCAL object - example commands & definitions
  • The QMODEL object
  • The QMODEL object - usage
  • The QMODEL object - example commands & definitions
  • The QALIAS object
  • The QALIAS object - usage
  • The QALIAS object - example commands & definitions
  • The NAMELIST object
  • The NAMELIST object - usage
  • The NAMELIST object - example commands & definitions
  • The AUTHINFO object
  • Basic sample programs
  • Using the samples
  • Practical session 2 - managing MQ objects
• Triggering
  • Why trigger?
  • What does the Queue Manager do?
  • What is required to make it work?
  • The trigger message QLOCAL object
  • The trigger monitor process
  • The Process Object
  • The application's QLOCAL object
  • The complete process
  • Processing the trigger message
  • Troubleshooting triggering
  • Triggered sample programs
  • MQREQ and MQECHO
  • What the samples do
  • Practical session 3 - MQ triggering
• Distributed Queuing - in depth
  • Basic distributed queuing
  • Basic distributed messaging overview
  • Remote queues
  • Channel Initiator (CHIN)
  • CSQ6CHIP macro
  • CHIN procedure
  • Adapters
  • Dispatchers
  • CHIN internals
  • Message Channel Agents
  • Configuring MCAs - channels
  • Channel types & combinations
  • Sample channel definition
  • Starting channels
  • The listener
  • Triggering channels using the channel initiator
  • Channel batchsize, batchint & discint
  • Dead Letter Queue considerations
  • Multi-hopping
  • Multi-hopping using a Queue Manager alias
  • Practical session 4 - configuring distributed messaging
  • Channel commands
  • Exercises
• Introduction to Clustering
  • What is an IBM MQ cluster?
  • What an MQ cluster is not
  • Cloned application services
  • Continuous putting
  • Scalability
  • Cluster components
  • Reduced administration
  • Joining a Queue Manager to a cluster
  • Definition through use
  • Disseminating cluster information
  • Cluster information message contents
  • Retention of information in repositories
  • Dynamically created reply to queues
  • Basic cluster configuration
  • Cluster administration commands
  • Practical session 5 (optional): Basic cluster setup.
• Implementing an MQ Client
  • MQClient structure
  • MQClient installation
  • MQClient configuration
  • MQClient - grouping Queue Managers
  • Practical session 6 - implementing clients
  • Connecting a client to a server using MQSERVER
  • Connecting a client to a server using a Client Channel Definition Table (Optional)
• Queue Sharing Groups
  • Queue Managers in a Queue Sharing Group
  • Cloned applications
  • QSGs and list structures
  • Accessing shared queues from outside the QSG
  • Shared outbound channels
  • Intragroup queuing
  • Benefits of Queue Sharing Groups
• MQ Management
  • Message Persistence and Logging
  • Persistent and non-persistent messages
  • Log buffers, log datasets and archiving
  • Active log datasets
  • The bootstrap data set
  • Message recovery
  • Transaction recovery
  • Transaction support
  • Syncpoint control
  • Transaction co-ordination
  • MQ recovery co-ordination of XA compliant resource manager
  • Non-messaged architecture
  • Messaged architecture
  • Compensating transactions
  • Practical session 7 - moving a queue
  • Event management
  • Event queues
  • Queue Manager events
  • Performance events
  • Watermark events
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Real-time monitoring attributes
  • Displaying real-time monitoring information
  • Queue and channel monitoring examples
  • Practical Session 8 (optional) -monitoring MQ
• IBM MQ Security
  • Introduction
  • Security concepts
  • Authentication and authorisation
  • SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
  • SSL handshake: Channel authentication records
  • Channel access blocking points
  • Channel authentication examples
  • Connection authentication
  • Setting up connection authentication
  • SSL Queue Manager attributes
  • SSL channel attributes
  • Channel exits - security
  • Channel exits - message, send & receive
  • Access control
  • MQSC security commands for access control
  • Distributed queuing, user Ids, authorisation and MCAUSER
  • Advanced Message Security (AMS)
• IBM MQ and RACF
  • IBM MQ authorisation overview
  • MQ resources and their associated RACF profiles
  • Page 10 IBM MQ and RACF SCYCASE and profile high level qualifiers
  • The MQADMIN class: profiles to control subsystem security
  • The MQADMIN class: the RESLEVEL profile
  • The MQADMIN class: resource level checks
  • The MQCONN class: controlling connections
  • Access levels for the MQQUEUE class
  • Using QALIASes for granular access
• Publish & Subscribe
  • A classic example
  • Types of publications
  • State publications
  • Event publications
  • Adding business processes as subscribers
  • Topic strings and the topic tree
  • The topic tree and topic objects
  • The topic tree and authorisation
  • Defining topics
  • Displaying topic status
  • Types of subscription
  • MQI Extensions
  • Testing publish/subscribe
  • Distributed publish/subscribe
  • Hierarchies and clusters (1)
  • Proxy subscriptions in clusters
• Comparing Multi-platform & z/OS
  • Implementations
  • Installation
  • Storage (Distributed)
  • Storage (z/OS)
  • Shared Queues (z/OS)
  • Extra Features
  • Application Programming
  • Object definition
  • Object attributes - Queue Manager
  • Object Attributes - Queues and Channels
  • Queue Manager operations
  • Intercommunication and clusters
  • Security
  • Commands
  • Monitoring
  • Problem Determination
  • Backup
  • High Availability

The course is taught combining formal classroom tuition with demanding hands-on practical exercises.

Delivered as a live, interactive online training.

Attendees must be familiar with IBM MQ at a conceptual and terminological level.
This can be achieved by attending the course Technical Introduction to IBM MQ, or through prior practical experience.

Attendees must also have a working knowledge of TSO/ISPF and JCL and a conceptual-level knowledge of the z/OS computing environment.

Those who will administer IBM MQ for z/OS