WebSphere MQ and AS4 Microservice
WebSphere® MQ is the message provider in non-proof of concept installations of AS4 Microservice. In a proof-of-concept installation, WebSphere eXtreme Scale is the message provider. WebSphere eXtreme Scale also provides high availability, performance, and scalability when used with AS4 Microservice.
You must install WebSphere MQ before you install AS4 Microservice. For more information about WebSphere MQ, see the documentation for the version of WebSphere MQ that is specified in the System Requirements.
After you acquire the installation files, the IBM® installation launchpad, and the IBM Installation Manager, you are ready to install a node. You can install a node in one of the following ways:
- As a production node that contains up to four members. You must configure an external database and message provider (WebSphere® MQ) for this installation. A production environment is a term used to describe the setting where software and other products are actually put into operation for their intended uses by end users. A production environment can be thought of as a real-time setting where programs are run and relied on for organization or commercial daily operations. You must have purchased a license to install a production node.
- As a nonproduction node that contains up to four members. You must configure an external database and message provider (WebSphere MQ) for this installation. Nonproduction nodes are used to test business process flows and resource configuration in an environment that does not impact your business needs. You must have purchased a license to install a nonproduction node.
- As a nonproduction proof of concept demonstration node. This installation includes a built-in database (Derby) and message provider (WebSphere eXtreme Scale).
Multi-instance queue managers
IBM® recommends that you install AS4 Microservice with a WebSphere MQ multi-instance queue manager, which enables one instance of the queue manager to manage messages when another instance is not available. All instances of the queue manager are specified when you install AS4 Microservice. A multi-instance queue manager contributes to the high availability of AS4 Microservice.
When you set up a multi-instance queue manager, specify as many instances as possible. WebSphere MQ is not backed up by any other part of AS4 Microservice. When WebSphere MQ is not running, you cannot run AS4 Microservice.
Queue creation
You can create the queues that are used by the different functions of AS4 Microservice in one of the following ways:
- Automatically when you install AS4 Microservice.
- Manually through a properties file.
You would manually create queues for the following reasons:
- Corporate policies dictate that queues must be set up separately from the installation.
- You can customize the names to fit in with your existing queue names.
Temporary queues
Temporary queues for request and response processing are automatically configured in AS4 Microservice. If you have only one reply queue, then all the replies would get mixed up and one member might pick up a message that is destined for another member.
You must configure and enable JMS temporary dynamic queues for the WebSphere MQ JMS provider. All necessary WebSphere MQ JAR files are supplied in AS4 Microservice, including the connection factory objects that you use to work with JMS.
WebSphere MQ settings
Your installation of WebSphere MQ for AS4 Microservice includes the following requirements:
- You must get Inquire authority for the SYSTEM.DEFAULT.MODEL.QUEUE queue. With this authority, you can access the message fabric when you configure the storage component and other components.
- If you are installing a cluster with two nodes, the maximum channel property of the queue manager must be set to 1000.
You also can configure WebSphere MQ to use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to increase the security between the members of a node and the message fabric of AS4 Microservice.