Administering IBM MQ for Multiplatforms using control commands

The control commands provide a way to perform a number of IBM® MQ administration tasks. For AIX®, Linux®, and Windows, you issue these commands at the system command line. For IBM i, you issue these commands within a Qshell.

Before you begin

When using control commands that operate on a queue manager, you must use the command from the installation associated with the queue manager you are working with.

When using control commands that operate on a queue manager configured to use connection authentication with CHCKLOCL(REQUIRED), and a failure to connect is observed, either

Supply a user ID and password if the control command allows this.
Use MQSC equivalents of the control commands where those exist.
Start the queue manager using the -ns option, while control commands that cannot connect need to be run.

Note: Different platforms can accept command arguments entered in a different order. Particularly, this means that commands that work on Linux might not work on other platforms. For this reason, you should always enter arguments as specified in the syntax diagrams.

For a full list of the control commands, see the IBM MQ control commands reference.

Procedure

Use control commands on AIX and Linux systems.
In IBM MQ for AIX or Linux systems, you enter control commands in a shell window.

If you want to issue control commands, your user ID must be a member of the mqm group for most control commands. For more information about this, see Authority to administer IBM MQ on AIX, Linux, and Windows. In addition, note the environment-specific information. for the platform, or platforms, your enterprise uses.
In UNIX and Linux environments, control commands, including the command name itself, the flags, and any arguments, are case-sensitive. For example, in the command:
```
crtmqm -u SYSTEM.DEAD.LETTER.QUEUE jupiter.queue.manager
```
- The command name must be crtmqm, not CRTMQM.
- The flag must be -u, not -U.
- The dead-letter queue is called SYSTEM.DEAD.LETTER.QUEUE.
- The argument is specified as jupiter.queue.manager, which is different from JUPITER.queue.manager.
Take care to type the commands exactly as you see them in the examples.
Use control commands on Windows systems.
In IBM MQ for Windows, you enter control commands at a command prompt.

If you want to issue control commands, your user ID must be a member of the mqm group for most control commands. For more information about this, see Authority to administer IBM MQ on AIX, Linux, and Windows. In addition, note the environment-specific information. for the platform, or platforms, your enterprise uses.

The control commands and their flags are not case-sensitive, but arguments to those commands, such as queue names and queue manager names, are case-sensitive.
For example, in the command:
```
crtmqm /u SYSTEM.DEAD.LETTER.QUEUE jupiter.queue.manager
```
- The command name can be entered in uppercase or lowercase, or a mixture of the two. These are all valid: crtmqm, CRTMQM, and CRTmqm.
- The flag can be entered as -u, -U, /u, or /U.
- SYSTEM.DEAD.LETTER.QUEUE and jupiter.queue.manager must be entered exactly as shown.
Use control commands on IBM i systems.

On IBM MQ for IBM i, you run the control commands from a Qshell environment. To use the Qshell, you type STRQSH at the IBM i command line. You can exit and return to the command line at any time by pressing F3.

A small number of control commands are not supported on IBM i. For example, multi-installation commands are not supported because you cannot have more than one copy of IBM MQ on an IBM i system. Commands that are not supported on IBM i are flagged in the IBM MQ control commands reference.