Collect IBM MQ MustGather data to solve remote administration problems with the MQ Explorer

• What MQ Explorer problem did you observe on the system?
• Is the MQ Explorer part of an MQ Server installation, or was it installed from SupportPac MS0T?
• Which queue managers are you trying to administer, and on what systems are they located?
• Which operating system version and MQ version are the remote queue managers running?

Step 1: Generate Data

It is important to gather information from the MQ Explorer when the problem is happening in order to identify the cause:

1. Generate an MQ Explorer trace which shows the problem when you try to use the Explorer to administer the queue manager.


2. If the problem appears to be with the remote queue manager, then generate a trace of that queue manager at the same time:
   
   
   • Linux and UNIX
   • Windows
   • IBM i

   • z/OS CHIN trace
   • HPE NonStop


3. If there is a graphical problem in the MQ Explorer, take a screen shot or use a camera phone to capture an image of the problem.

Step 2: Collect Data

1. Record the MQ Explorer version and maintenance level.
2. Record the MQ version and maintenance level of the target queue manager.
3. Record the operating system version and maintenance level where both the MQ Explorer and the target queue manager are running.
4. If you are using the standalone MQ Explorer installed from SupportPac MS0T, list the contents of its installation directory. The directory name is chosen during installation and might differ from these examples:

   
   
   Listing the MQ Explorer directory on Linux
   sh> ls -alR "/opt/ibm/wmq-explorer"
   
   Listing the MQ Explorer directory on Windows
   C:\> DIR /S "C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ Explorer"
    

5. When the MQ Explorer encounters an error, it may create a file called just ".log" with more information. Look for the .log file in the appropriate directory based on the MQ Explorer installation type and the user who encountered the problem, and collect the .log file as well as all other files in the .metadata directory. In these examples, $HOME, %USERPROFILE% and %APPDATA% are user-specific environment variables used to locate the files. Be sure to replace InstallationName with the name of your MQ installation:
   
    

   Finding the SupportPac MS0T MQ Explorer .log file on Linux and Windows
   sh> ls -al "$HOME"/IBM/*MQ/workspace/.metadata/.log
   
   C:\> DIR "%USERPROFILE%\IBM\*MQ\workspace\.metadata\.log"
   
   
   Finding the IBM MQ 9.1, 9.0, 8.0 and WebSphere MQ V7.5 and V7.1 .log file on Linux and Windows
   sh> ls -al "$HOME"/IBM/WebSphereMQ/workspace-InstallationName/.metadata/.log
   
   C:\> DIR "%USERPROFILE%\IBM\WebSphereMQ\workspace-InstallationName\.metadata\.log"
   
   Finding the WebSphere MQ V7.0 .log file on Linux and Windows
   sh> ls -al "$HOME"/.mqdata/.metadata/.log
   
   C:\> DIR "%APPDATA%\IBM\MQ Explorer\.metadata\.log"
    

6. If the MQ Explorer is having difficulty connecting, use your operating system tools to list network connections on both sides immediately before and after the connection attempt:
   
   Displaying network connections on Linux and UNIX
   sh> netstat -an
   
   Displaying network connections on Windows
   C:\> NETSTAT -AN
   
   Displaying IPv4 and IPv6 network connections on the IBM i command line
   ===> NETSTAT OPTION(*CNN)
   ===> NETSTAT OPTION(*CNN6)
    
7. Manually package your files for IBM, including files containing the output from the commands listed in Steps 1 and 2. If you generated traces from the target queue manager, follow the Client MustGather instructions for that platform to package those traces as well.

Step 3: Send Data to IBM

A good description of the problem and the data is the most important information you can provide to IBM. Please do not send data without providing a description!

1. Send your data to the IBM ECuRep repository by email to websphere_support@ecurep.ibm.com, by standard or secure HTTP or FTP, or by using the IBM Secure Diagnostic Data Upload Utility (SDDUU) Java application.


2. While the data is transferring, send an email or use the IBM Service Request tool to update your PMR with your description of the problem and of the data you are sending.


3. Contact your country representative if you need to speak to an IBM technical support representative, or in the US call 1-800-IBM-SERV. Refer to the IBM Software Support Handbook for more information on working with IBM.

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