Using the extended transactional client with SSL channels

You cannot set up an SSL channel using the xa_open string. Follow these instructions to use the client channel definition table (ccdt).

About this task

Because of the limited size of the xa_open xa_info string, it is not possible to pass all the information required to set up an SSL channel using the xa_open string method of connecting to a queue manager. Therefore you must either use the client channel definition table or, if your transaction manager allows, create the channel with MQCONNX before issuing the xa_open call.

To use the client channel definition table, follow these steps:

1. Specify an xa_open string containing only the mandatory qmname (queue manager name) parameter, for example: XA_Open_String=qmname=MYQM
2. Use a queue manager to define a CLNTCONN (client-connection) channel with the required SSL parameters. Include the queue manager name in the QMNAME attribute on the CLNTCONN definition. This will be matched up with the qmname in the xa_open string.
3. Make the CLNTCONN definition available to the client system in a client channel definition table (CCDT) or, on Windows, in the active directory.
4. If you are using a CCDT, identify the CCDT containing the definition of the CLNTCONN channel using environment variables MQCHLLIB and MQCHLTAB. Set these variables in the environments used by both the client application and the transaction manager.

Results

This gives the transaction manager a channel definition to the appropriate queue manager with the SSL attributes needed to authenticate correctly, including SSLCIPH, the CipherSpec.