Installing IBM MQ Explorer into Eclipse environments

You can install IBM® MQ Explorer into your own Eclipse environment or Eclipse-based product to help with developing Java applications or to develop your own extensions.

Before you begin

[Windows]If you are using a version of Windows with User Account Control (UAC) enabled and your Eclipse-based product is installed into a directory under UAC such as C:\Program Files, then you must run the Eclipse-based product with elevated authority (Run as Administrator) before you install the IBM MQ Explorer feature into it. When installed, the product can then be run without elevated authority.

For information about the Eclipse level that IBM MQ Explorer is built on, see What's new and what's changed in IBM MQ Explorer.

Note: Before you place the IBM MQ Explorer plug-ins into your own Eclipse environment or Eclipse-based product, consult the Detailed System Requirements report for your platform, and your version of IBM MQ (see System Requirements for IBM MQ).

For information about the environments in which IBM MQ Explorer plug-ins are supported, see the Development tools section of the Supported Software tab of the IBM MQ Detailed System Requirements report.

To use the full set of cipher suites, and to operate with certified FIPS 140-2 or Suite-B compliance, a suitable Java runtime environment (JRE) is required. IBM Java 7 Service Refresh 4, Fix Pack 2 or a higher level of the IBM JRE provides the appropriate support. For more information, see the Java section of the Supported Software tab of the IBM MQ Detailed System Requirements report.

About this task

IBM MQ Explorer is built on Eclipse as a stand-alone application that uses the Eclipse Rich Client Platform. You can also install IBM MQ Explorer into your own compatible Eclipse environment or an Eclipse-based product to aid with developing Java applications with IBM MQ, or developing your own extensions to IBM MQ Explorer.

Procedure

To install IBM MQ Explorer into a compatible Eclipse-based environment:

  1. Click Help and then click Install New Software in the Eclipse environment.
  2. Click Add and then click Archive, and then browse to the mqexplorer/eclipse directory inside the IBM MQ installation directory. Select the file MQExplorerSDK.zip.
  3. Click OK after optionally typing a name for the local site.
  4. A category of MQ Explorer is displayed. Expand this category and select MQ Explorer and optionally, the translations.
  5. Click Next and follow the instructions. Then, click the button to restart Eclipse (or the Eclipse-based product).
    If the installation fails due to a missing bundle, for example, org.eclipse.draw2d, you must install the Eclipse Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) tools.
  6. IBM MQ Explorer is available as a separate perspective. To view, click Open perspective, and then click Other.

What to do next

If IBM MQ Explorer is being used to administer only remote queue managers, no further configuration is required. If there are local queue managers to administer, you must run the Eclipse-based product with the required environment settings for your operating system. In addition, the Eclipse-based product must be a 64-bit application to match the 64-bit local queue managers.

[Windows]On Windows, set the PATH environment variable to include the bin64 and java/lib64 directories of your IBM MQ installation. You can use the setmqenv command to do set the PATH environment variable before you start the Eclipse-based product from the same command line. For example, if IBM MQ is installed in directory C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ, and the stand-alone IBM MQ Explorer is installed in directory C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ Explorer, enter the following commands: 

"C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ\bin\setmqenv" -s
"C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ Explorer\MQExplorer.exe"
[Linux]On Linux® x86_64 systems:
  • Run the setmqenv command to configure your IBM MQ environment. For example, if IBM MQ is installed in directory /opt/mqm, enter the following command:
    . /opt/mqm/bin/setmqenv -s
  • Set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to include the java/lib64 and lib64 directories of your IBM MQ installation before you run the Eclipse-based product. For example, if IBM MQ is installed in /opt/mqm: 
    
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/mqm/java/lib64:/opt/mqm/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
  • Start the Eclipse-based product from the same command line that ran the setmqenv command. For example, if IBM MQ Explorer is installed in directory /opt/mqexplorer enter the following command: 
    
. /opt/mqexplorer/MQExplorer